Tapajós would have a population of about 1.3 million and an area of 722,358 square kilometres (278,904 sq mi), comprising 27 out of Pará's 144 municipalities.
The planned Belo Monte Dam would be located on the border of the territory of Tapajós with either the new, smaller Pará or the also proposed new state of Carajás.
In a referendum held on December 11, 2011, the residents of the entire state of Pará were asked to vote on proposals to split the state into three parts: Tapajós in the west, Carajás in the southeast, and a rump Pará in the northeast.
As Belém and its surrounding area comprise over half the population of the original state, the proposal had no chance of passing.
[2] The mayor of Santarém, Maria do Carmo, vowed to continue efforts to create the new state.