Goiatuba is a municipality in south-central Goiás state, Brazil. The population was 32,698 in a total area of 2,475.10 km2. Goiatuba is a large producer of grains, especially soybeans and corn.
Climate and Location
The average elevation is 775 meters, with an annual temperature average of 22 °C. The climate is typically tropical, moist and hot, with well-defined dry and rainy seasons. Average temperatures vary between 19 °C and 30 °C. Goiatuba is about 50 kilometers north of the Paranaíba River, which forms the boundary with the state of Minas Gerais. It is 10 kilometers from the important interstate highway BR-153, which links Itumbiara with the state capital, Goiânia. The distance to Goiânia is 176 kilometers. Municipal boundaries are:
The economy is based on agriculture and cattle raising, but Goiatuba has several large enterprises. The areas are diverse: poultry processing, automobile sales, dairy products, and agricultural equipment. There is an alcohol distillery—Goiasa, a seed producer—Sementes Selecta, a bed clothing factory—Bouquet, a dairy—Laticínio Polenghi, and two fertilizer plants—Adubos Sul Goiano, Adubos Terra Verde.
Economic data
Industrial units: 55
Retail units: 413
Banking institutions: Banco do Brasil S.A. - BRADESCO S.A. - Banco Itaú S.A. - CEF - Banco ABN AMRO Real S.A. - HSBC Bank Brasil S.A.-Banco Multiplo..
Agriculture: rice, sugarcane, sorghum, soybeans, and corn. There is modest production of citrus fruits, bananas, manioc, beans, and tomatoes. Statistics are from
Higher education: Faculdade de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas de Goiatuba- FAFICH - Pólo Universitário da UEG.
Hospitals: 03
Hospital beds: 139
Political information
Mayor: Reinaldo Cândido da Silva City council: 9
Prosperity
The municipality is one of the most prosperous in the state. Goiatuba got a score of 0.812 on the UN Human Development Index, putting it in 4th place out of 242 municipalities in the state. Nationally it was ranked 350 out of 5,507 municipalities. For the complete list see
Origin of the name
Goiatuba became a city in 1931, and the origin of the name is curious: "Goia" comes from the Goia Indians and "Tuba" is a Tupi-Guarani word meaning "big". So, Goiatuba is the same as "big Goiás".
History
The settlement of the region took place in 1860 when ranchers from Minas Gerais settled to raise cattle and grow crops. In 1892 land was donated to establish a town. The first name was "Bananeiras" because of the abundance of this fruit in the region. With the building of the first chapel the town was called São Sebastião das Bananeiras. In 1900 it was elevated to a district and became a municipality in 1931.
