birding facts Birding Resources by the Fat Birder for Goias<BR>

Goi�s is a state of Brazil, located in the central part of the country. The most central of the Brazilian states and most populous of the region, Goi�s is characterized by a landscape of chapad�es (plateaus). 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 km (1 mile) of beaches, making it the main attraction of the State. At the Emas National Park in the municipality of Mineiros, it is possible to observe the typical fauna and flora from the region. Neighboring states are (from north clockwise) Tocantins, Bahia, Minas Gerais, the Federal District, Mato Grosso do Sul and Mato Grosso.

At the Chapada dos Veadeiros the attractions are the canyons, valleys, rapids and waterfalls. Other attractions are the historical city of Goi�s (or Old Goi�s), 132 km (82 miles) from Goi�nia, established in the beginning of 18th Century, and Caldas Novas, with its hot water wells attracting more than one million tourists per year.

Goi�s lies wholly within the Brazilian Highlands, which are located in the center of the country. It occupies a large plateau, the vast almost level surface of which stands between 750 and 900 m above sea level and forms the divide between three of Brazil's largest river systems: to the south Goi�s is drained by the Parana�ba River, a tributary of the Paran� River; to the east it is drained by tributaries of the S�o Francisco River; and northward the state is drained by the Araguaia River and the Tocantins River and their tributaries.

The state's highest point is Pouso Alto, at 1676 meters above sea level, in the Chapada dos Veadeiros.

Other major rivers in the state are the Meia Ponte, Apor�, S�o Marcos, Corumb� River, Claro, Paran�, Maranh�o, Paran� and Preto. None of these rivers is navigable except for short distances by small craft.

The state is covered with a woodland savanna known in Brazil as campo cerrado, although there are still tropical forests along the rivers. This cerrado has been seriously diminished in recent years due to cattle raising and soybean farming with great loss of animal life and forest cover.

The climate of the plateau is tropical. Average monthly temperatures vary from 26�C (78.8�F) in the warmest month to 22�C (71.6�F) in the coldest. The year is divided into a rainy season (October�March) and a dry season (April�September). Average annual rainfall is about 1,700 mm, but this varies due to elevation and microclimate.

The Great Central West Region, consisting of the states of Goi�s, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, and the Brazilian Federal District, is among the fastest-growing regions of Brazil. The population of Goi�s state tripled in size in the period from 1950 to 1980 and is still growing very quickly. However, outside the Federal District and the Goi�nia metropolitan region (with a population of over a million) most of Goi�s is very thinly populated. The chief concentration of settlement is in the southeast, in the area of Goi�nia (Goi�nia and Aparecida de Goi�nia), across the border from Minas Gerais, (Catal�o, Rio Verde, Jata�, and Caldas Novas), and around the Federal District (Formosa, Planaltina de Goi�s, and Luzi�nia).

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Alto Para�so Ecological Association

Universidade Federal de Goi�s

Chapada Diamantina National Park

Chapada dos Veadeiros

Parque Estadual de Terra Ronca - S�o Domingos

Parque Nacional das Emas

Reserva Biol�gica Prof. Jos� �ngelo Rizzo - Serra Dourada - Moss�medes

Reserva Particular do Patrim�nio Natural Campo Alegre - Alto Paraiso

Reserva Particular do Patrim�nio Natural Cara Preta

Reserva Particular do Patrim�nio Natural Linda Serra dos Top�zios - Cristalino

Reserva Particular do Patrim�nio Natural Mata Funda - Alto Paraiso

2012 [January] - Derek Kverno - Chapada dos Veadeiros

Fazenda Quinta Pousada Ecol�gica

Pousada �guas de Mar�o - Chapada dos Veadeiros

Pousada Casa das Flores - Chapada dos Veadeiros

Pousada Casa Grande - Chapada dos Veadeiros

Pousada dos An�es - An�es

Pousada Mundo Dha Lua - near PN da Chapada dos Veadeiros

Pousada S�o Bento - Chapada dos Veadeiros

Pousada Villa das Pedras - Piren�polis

Recanto Bonsucesso - Piren�polis