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Mato Grosso is one of the states of Brazil, located in the western part of the country.
Neighboring states are (from west clockwise) Rondônia, Amazonas, Pará, Tocantins, Goiás and Mato Grosso do Sul. It also borders Bolivia to the southwest.
The name literally means "thick jungle".
Apart from the state capital, Cuiabá, there are few cities. The most important are
- Barra do Bugres
- Barra do Garças
- Cáceres
- Rondonópolis
Geography
The state contains the swamps of the Pantanal. The Transpantaneira is a bare-earth highway which was originally planned to cross the Pantanal, but built in the 1970s it was never finished and is now mostly used for touristic tours. Mato Grosso is an essentially agrarian state, with economy based on cattle-raising. The Chapada do Guimarães National Park is located in the state.
History
In 1977 the state was split into two halfs, with Mato Grosso do Sul becoming a new state. The Bororo Indians live in the Mato Grosso area.
Flag
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The flag has the same colors as the national flag, with blue symbolizing the sky, green the vegetation, and white standing for peace. The star is yellow to symbolize the gold which attracted the first settlers. The flag was created on January 31, 1890, just few days after the adoption of the national flag. It became the official flag of the state by state law 1046 of October 8, 1929, and was reinstated by article 140 of the July 11, 1947.
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