Goiânia

Goiânia (often abbreviated to Gyn or Go) is the capital of the state of Goiás, located in the central-western region of Brazil. It's a planned city like Brasília and Belo Horizonte, Goiânia was founded on October 24, 1933 by Pedro Ludovico, the governor of the state of Goiás at the time. The city, has a population of 1,201,006 inhabitants (according to a 2005 IBGE projection). It is located on a fertile plain criss-crossed by numerous rivers, the most important being the Meia Ponte River. Goiânia is located at the geographic coordinates of 16°40' S, 49°15' W, located 209 km (130 miles) from Brasília, 1,338 km (830 miles) from Rio de Janeiro, 926 km (575 miles) from São Paulo, and 906 km (560 miles) from Belo Horizonte. The total area of the municipality, as announced on 2002, was 739.5 km².