Токантинс: новый сельскохозяйственный регион Бразилии

State of Brazil

Tocantins is one of the 26 states of Brazil. It is the newest state, formed in 1988 and encompassing what had formerly been the northern two fifths of the state of Goiás.

The geography of Tocantins is varied. It straddles both the Amazon rainforest and the coastal savanna. Many rivers (including the Tocantins River) traverse the state. Researchers have identified more than 20 archaeologically significant sites related to indigenous cultures. Tocantins is bordered to the northeast by the states of Maranhão and Piauí, Bahia to the east, Goiás to the south, Mato Grosso to the west, and Pará to the northwest. Tocantins was created from the northern two fifths of Goiás state in 1989 and is divided into 139 municipalities.

The "cerrado" landscape cover 87% of Tocantins and is characterized by extensive savanna formations crossed by gallery forests and stream valleys. A strong separatist movement developed in the north for independence of its people. After the government levied heavy taxes on mining in 1809, local residents began to organize a separatists movement. They made a minor revolt which was quickly crushed by the army. In the 19th century, a string of failed uprisings occurred in the north. Historically the area was inhabited chiefly by Amerindians in some intact indigenous tribes and pardos of Amerindian and Portuguese descent. In the 1970s, the population of northern Goiás lobbied the government to establish a separate state. In the 1988 Constitution, the State of Tocantins was created and admitted as a new Brazilian state. The 2022 census revealed the following numbers: 939,260 Pardos (brown, multiracial) people (62.1%), 350,613 White people (23.2%), 199,394 Black people (13.2%), 18,735 Amerindian people (1.2%), 3,405 Asian people (0.2%).

The service sector is the largest component of GDP at 59.9%, followed by the industrial sector at 27.2%. Agriculture represents 12.9% of GDP (2004). Tocantins exports: soybean 89.2%, beef 10.5% (2002). Tocantins' economy is based on an aggressive expansionist model of agro exports and is marked by consecutive records of primary hyper surpluses: its exports reveal its strong agricultural inclination. Following the example of neighboring states (Mato Grosso and Goiás), it is becoming a major grain producer (soy, corn, rice). As with much of Brazil, Tocantins' economy is also dependent on cattle ranching. The state's pineapple plantations is considerable. In the state's north, charcoal and oils are extracted from the babaçu palm tree. The Gross Value of the state's agricultural production was estimated at more than R$ 7.6 billion in 2019. In soy, Tocantins is the largest producer in the northern region of Brazil. In the 2019 harvest, Tocantins harvested 3 million tons. In maize, the state harvested close to 1 million tonnes in 2019. In 2019 Tocantins was the leader in rice production in the North region, becoming the 3rd largest producer in Brazil. Harvested more than 670 thousand tons in the 2016/2017 harvest. Regarding pineapple, in 2018 Tocantins was the 6th largest producer state in Brazil, with 69 million fruits. In 2019 the state's cattle herd was 8 million animals. About industry, Tocantins had an industrial GDP of R$ 4.5 billion in 2017, equivalent to 0.4% of the national industry. It employs 30,234 workers in the industry. The main industrial sectors are: Construction (34.1%), Industrial Services of Public Utility, such as Electricity and Water (28.4%), Food (22.5%), Non metallic minerals (5.2%) and Chemicals (1.5%). These 5 sectors concentrate 91.7% of the state's industry. Its industry is mainly agroindustry, centralized in six districts located in five pole cities: Palmas, Araguaína, Gurupi, Porto Nacional and Paraíso do Tocantins. Its industry is still small and focused mainly on domestic consumption. In the tertiary sector (commerce and services), its main activities are concentrated in the capital Palmas and also in the cities that are located on the side of the Belém Brasília Highway (BR 153 and BR 226). This highway is vital for Tocantins, as it cuts the state from north to south and allows for a better performance in the economic growth of the cities located on its banks, serving as a warehouse for road transport and services for travelers. In addition, the Belém Brasília Highway also facilitates the flow of production from Tocantins to other states and to ports on the coast.

The main federal highways in Tocantins are BR 153 and BR 226, which together form the road axis of the Belém Brasília Highway. The others are BR 010, BR 235 and BR 242. These last highways still have many sections that are unpaved or even incomplete. In Tocantins, the Belém Brasília Highway (BR 153 and BR 226) was the first highway to be built and paved in the state, having been built during the late 1950s. Tocantins has three airports served by regular flights: Palmas Airport, Araguaína Airport and Gurupi Airport. All other airports in the state are served only by air taxi companies. The North–South Railway (or EF 151) is in the construction process, being operated regularly from Aguiarnópolis to Porto Nacional by VLI while the West–East Integration Railway (or EF 334) is still in the planning phase on the stretch that will pass through the state. It is worth mentioning that the railway already connects Açailândia to Anápolis, but the section south of Porto Nacional is not operated regularly as there are no yards for loading/unloading wagons. Valec is still studying the concession model for the railway. The state's main waterways are the Tocantins River and Araguaia River waterways.

The message of the flag is the phrase "where the sun rises for all". In the middle of the flag is the golden yellow sun, with its rays symbolically targeting to the future of the state. The sun is placed on a white band, where the white color represents peace. The blue in the upper left and the yellow in the bottom right represent the waters and the soil of the state. The colors date back to a flag used by the Autonomous Government of Palmas in the 19th century. The flag was adopted with the state flag law (law no 094/89) of November 17, 1989.

Survivor: Tocantins was the setting for the eighteenth season of the United States reality show Survivor, filmed in the microregion of Jalapão in Tocantins. The premiere aired February 12, 2009.