[4] The history of Goiás dates back to the beginning of the 18th century, with the arrival of pioneers from São Paulo.

The Rio Vermelho region was the first to be occupied, where Vila Boa (later renamed Goiás) was founded.

The development and settlement of the state took place, in a more intensified way, starting in the 1930s with the founding of the new capital, Goiânia, and especially with the construction of Brasília in the 1950s.

In the height of the drought season, from June to September, the lack of rain makes the level of the Araguaia River go down and exposes almost 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) of beaches.

At the Emas National Park in the municipality of Mineiros, it is possible to observe the typical fauna and flora from the region.

Other attractions include the historical city of Goiás and the hot springs of Caldas Novas.

The state's highest point is Pouso Alto, at 1,676 metres (5,499 ft) above sea level, in the Chapada dos Veadeiros.

Goiás is covered with a woodland savanna known in Brazil as campo cerrado, although there are still tropical forests along the rivers.

Some parts of the state, however, have small remnants of tropical Atlantic forest, that mostly appears around rivers and valleys.

The first European exploration of this interior part of Brazil was carried out by expeditions from São Paulo in the 17th century.

Gold was discovered in the gravel of a tributary of the Araguaia River by the bandeirante Bartolomeu Bueno da Silva (the Anhanguera) in 1682.

The settlement he founded there, called Santa Anna, became the colonial town of Goiás Velho, the former state capital.

In 1744 the large inland area, much of it still unexplored by Europeans, was made a Captaincy General, and in 1822 it became a province of the empire of Brazil.

Due to the relatively large territory of the state, which was over 600,000 square kilometres (230,000 sq mi), communications were obviously very difficult.

[7] Ethnic groups found in Goiás include: Italians, Amerindians, Portuguese, Africans, Germans, Arabs, Lebanese and Syrian.

According to an autosomal DNA study from 2008, the ancestral composition of Goiás is 83.70% European, 13.30% African and 3.0% Amerindian.

The state of Goiás stands out in the production of sugarcane, corn, soy, sorghum, beans, sunflower, tomato, garlic, in addition to also producing cotton, rice, coffee and wheat.

[18][19] Goiás was the 4th largest producer of beans in Brazil in the 2017–18 harvest, with 374 thousand tons, and has about 10% of the country's production.

[23] Minerals are also important with the state being a major producer of nickel, copper, gold, niobium and aluminum (bauxite).

The state also has known production of tourmaline (Brazil is one of the biggest productors of this gem), and sapphire (in a scarce mode).

Rio Verde, in the southwest, is one of the fastest growing small cities with many new industries locating in the area and Catalão is a metal-mechanical and chemical center.

[39] There is only a waterway on the Paranaíba River, and its main port is São Simão, which forms part of the Hidrovia Tietê-Paraná.

On May 29, 2021, the first railway composition loaded with soybeans departed from the multimodal terminal of Rio Verde (GO), bound for the Port of Santos.

An internationally famous World Heritage Site, the city is notable for its historical importance and colonial architecture.

Pirenópolis is a city in the interior of the State of Goiás, known for its preserved colonial homes and steep stone streets.

The main football clubs are Goiás, Atlético Goianiense, Vila Nova, Anápolis, Itumbiara, Anapolina, CRAC and Goiânia.

The blue rectangle in the topleft corner symbolizes the sky, with the five stars forming the constellation of the Southern Cross.

Historic Centre of the Town of Goiás World Heritage Site Google Arts and Culture Platform