Alexânia
Encyclopedia
| Alexânia | |
|---|---|
| State | Goiás Goiás Goiás is a state of Brazil, located in the central part of the country. The name Goiás comes from the name of an indigenous community... |
| Geographical coordinates: | 16°04′43"S 48°30′03"W |
| Area: | 847.891 km² (10/10/2002) |
| Population: | 20,033 (IBGE 2007) |
| Population density: | 23.63 inhab/km² (2007) |
| Elevation: | 1057 m above sea level |
| Postcode (CEP): | 72820-000 |
| Became a city: | 1958 |
| Distance to Goiânia Goiânia -Climate:The city has a tropical wet and dry climate with an average temperature of . There's a wet season, from October to April, and a dry one, from May to September. Annual rainfall is around 1,520 mm.... : |
118 km. |
| IBGE statistical microregion: | Entorno de Brasília |
| Website: | none (March 2007) |
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
and municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in central Goiás
Goiás
Goiás is a state of Brazil, located in the central part of the country. The name Goiás comes from the name of an indigenous community...
state, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. Alexânia is known for its alleged extraterrestrial sightings in the late sixties and early seventies. (See below) The Areias River
Areias River (Goiás)
The Areias River is a river of Goiás state in central Brazil. Part of the Paraná River watershed, its source is located near the Serra dos Pirineus, and flows into the Corumbá River.Its approximate length is sixty miles...
passes through the municipality.
Location
It is located on the main BrasíliaBrasília
Brasília is the capital city of Brazil. The name is commonly spelled Brasilia in English. The city and its District are located in the Central-West region of the country, along a plateau known as Planalto Central. It has a population of about 2,557,000 as of the 2008 IBGE estimate, making it the...
-Goiânia
Goiânia
-Climate:The city has a tropical wet and dry climate with an average temperature of . There's a wet season, from October to April, and a dry one, from May to September. Annual rainfall is around 1,520 mm....
highway, BR-153, which has been recently widened to four lanes. The distance to Brasília is 130 km and 118 km to Goiânia
Goiânia
-Climate:The city has a tropical wet and dry climate with an average temperature of . There's a wet season, from October to April, and a dry one, from May to September. Annual rainfall is around 1,520 mm....
. It is part of the Entorno de Brasília statistical micro-region.
Municipal boundaries are with:
- North: Corumbá de GoiásCorumbá de GoiásCorumbá de Goiás is a small town and municipality in central Goiás state, Brazil. It is one of the oldest cities in the state and still preserves vestiges of its colonial heritage...
- South: AbadiâniaAbadiâniaAbadiânia is a small town and municipality in the state of Goiás, Brazil. It is home to a famous Brazilian medium and "psychic surgeon" — João de Deus.-Location:Abadiânia is part of the Entorno de Brasília statistical micro-region...
- East: Santo Antônio do DescobertoSanto Antônio do DescobertoSanto Antônio do Descoberto is a small city and municipality in central Goiás state, Brazil. It is a suburb of Brasília that was a sleepy country hamlet until the population exploded in the 1970s due to the construction of the national capital...
- West: Corumbá de GoiásCorumbá de GoiásCorumbá de Goiás is a small town and municipality in central Goiás state, Brazil. It is one of the oldest cities in the state and still preserves vestiges of its colonial heritage...
and AbadiâniaAbadiâniaAbadiânia is a small town and municipality in the state of Goiás, Brazil. It is home to a famous Brazilian medium and "psychic surgeon" — João de Deus.-Location:Abadiânia is part of the Entorno de Brasília statistical micro-region...
Districts, Villages, and Hamlets
- Villages: Alvorada, Olhos D’Agua and Estiva.
- Hamlet: Serra do Ouro.
Economy
The city relies on agriculture and livestock raising, with ranches producing both meat and dairy cattle. There is a substantial poultry industry with 755,000 birds counted in 2006. There is also an intense commercial activity because of the highway traffic. There were two bank branches in 2007.The municipality still has a relatively unspoilt nature with some forest growth along the rivers. In recent years several rural hotels (hotel-fazendas) have opened up near the town offering what is known as eco-tourism to the urban inhabitants of Brasília. This activity supports more than 200 families.
Recently a beer brewery was established in the municipality providing needed jobs and giving the region the possibility of finally developing and benefiting from a higher standard of living. In the Seplan list of municipal development, which ranked 58 municipalities in the state based on dynamism, economic wealth, quality of life and other factors, Alexânia went from 51st place in 2003 to 18th place in 2004.
Motor vehicles
- Automobiles: 2,510
- Pickup trucks: 233
- Number of inhabitants per motor vehicle: 7.3
Agricultural data 2006
- Farms: 638
- Total area: 31,901 ha.
- Area of permanent crops: 718 ha.
- Area of perennial crops: 3,820 ha.
- Area of pasture: 26,571 ha.
- Area of woodland and forests: 6,495 ha.
- Cattle herd: 39,559
Main crops in hectares
- Rice: 60
- Banana: 250
- Sugarcane: 200
- Oranges: 9
- Lemons: 12
- Passion fruit: 35
- Corn: 1,800
- Soybeans: 3,160
- Tangerines: 10
- Tomatoes: 40 (All data are from 2006)
Health and education
- Schools: 27 (2006)
- Enrollment: 6,912
- Hospitals: 01 with 46 beds
- Literacy rate in 2000: 84.3%
- Infant mortality rate in 2000: 36.16
- MHDI: 0.696
- State ranking: 211 (out of 242 municipalities)
- National ranking: 3,056 (out of 5,505 municipalities)
For the complete list see Frigoletto
History
The establishment of Alexânia is connected to the construction of BrasíliaBrasília
Brasília is the capital city of Brazil. The name is commonly spelled Brasilia in English. The city and its District are located in the Central-West region of the country, along a plateau known as Planalto Central. It has a population of about 2,557,000 as of the 2008 IBGE estimate, making it the...
and the Federal District. In 1957 Alex Abdallah, the owner of the land, created the first lots on the edge of Highway 101, between Anápolis
Anápolis
Anápolis is the third largest city in the State of Goiás in Brazil. It lies in the center of a rich agricultural region and has become a leader in food processing and pharmaceutical plants.-Location and population:...
and the new capital. These lots were distributed to the population without cost. From the beginning the settlement was officially called Alexânia, honoring its founder.
At first Alexânia was only a "povoado" belonging to the municipality of Corumbá de Goiás
Corumbá de Goiás
Corumbá de Goiás is a small town and municipality in central Goiás state, Brazil. It is one of the oldest cities in the state and still preserves vestiges of its colonial heritage...
. In 1959 it was emancipated and became part of a new municipality called Olhos d'Agua, which had been created in 1956. In 1961 the growth of the new settlement caused the municipal seat to be moved to Alexânia, with the name remaining as Olhos d'Agua. In 1963 Olhos d'Agua ceased to exist and became Alexânia.
Extraterrestrial contacts
Alexânia's main claim to fame is that there was supposedly an important UFO sighting nearby. According to testimony from witnesses, including a general in the Brazilian army, Moacyr Uchoa, who had been professor of engineering mechanics at the Brazilian military academy and went on to found a private university in Brasília called CEUB, investigators maintained contact with the extraterrestrial beings for ten months during 1969.General Uchôa died on March 5, 1996, six weeks before his ninetieth birthday.