Rondônia (pronounced [ʁõˈdoni.ɐ, ʁõˈdonjɐ] ⓘ) is one of the 26 states of Brazil, located in the northern subdivision of the country (central-western part).
It is bordered by Acre in the west, Amazonas in the north, Mato Grosso in the east, and Bolivia in the south.
In addition to this, there are other important cities such as Ariquemes, Cacoal, Guajará-Mirim, Ji-Paraná, Rolim de Moura and Vilhena.
As a consequence of the discovery of gold on the right bank of the Guaporé River, the Portuguese Crown founded the Captaincy of Mato Grosso in 1748 with Antonio Rolim de Moura Tavares [pt] as governor.
[11] On March 19, 1752, the governor designated Vila Bela da Santíssima Trindade as the capital,[12] from where he commanded the border demarcation following the Treaty of Madrid (1750).
In 1753, he installed a surveillance post in the village of Santa Rosa Velha, built by the Spanish on the right bank of the Guaporé, and thus in Brazilian lands.
[14] The decline of mining and the proclamation of the First Brazilian Republic caused the region to lose its economic importance until the end of the nineteenth century, when the exploitation of rubber entered its peak.
5812 (13 of September 1943) established the Federal Territory of Guaporé [pt] was created from parts of the states of Amazonas and Mato Grosso.
[17] The exploitation of brazil nuts and rubber was the main economic activity until the discovery of cassiterite deposits, which accelerated the development and settlement of the region.
This development led to the territory achieving the status of a state in 1982, with 13 constituent municipalities, including the capital, Porto Velho.
[19] The population of Rondônia is one of the most diverse in Brazil, composed of migrants from all regions of the country, among whom stand out the Paraná, São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Rio Grande do Sul, who settled in the capital, still preserving the strong Amazonian traits of the native population in cities bathed by large rivers, especially in Porto Velho and Guajará-Mirim, the two oldest cities in the state.
Its export basket is mainly composed of frozen beef (43.43%), soy (32.77%), raw tin (7.08%), sawn wood (2.36%) and edible giblets (2.02%).
[30][31] Beginning in the 1970s, the state attracted farmers from the south-central part of the country, stimulated by the federal government's colonization projects and the availability of cheap and fertile land.
[33][34][35] In 2019, the state produced 805 thousand tons of maize, second largest production in the northern region, losing only to Tocantins.
[45] Governador Jorge Teixeira de Oliveira International Airport is located in the state capital of Porto Velho.
[46] Domestic airports at Ji-Paraná, Ariquemes, Pimenta Bueno, Guajará-Mirim, Vilhena and Principe da Beira.