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Mata Grosso do Sul
Neighbor
states from Mata Grosso do Sul are Goiás,
Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais, Paraná and São
Paulo. It borders the countries of Bolivia and Paraguay.
Mato Grosso do Sul literally means "Southern Thick Forest",
a name inherited from its northern neighbour state of Mato
Grosso, of which it was part until split in the 1970s.
It is not uncommon for people to mistakenly refer to Mato
Grosso do Sul as simply "Mato
Grosso", which has prompted the government to consider
changing its name to "Pantanal", a reference to
its best known geographical feature (see below).
Mato Grosso do Sul is famous for its natural beauty. The Pantanal
covers 12 municipalities and presents an enormous variety
of flora and fauna, natural sand banks, forests, savannahs,
fields, open pasture and bushes.
The city Bonito, in the mountains of Bodoquena, has prehistoric
waterfalls, caverns, swimming pools, natural rivers and the
Blue Lake cavern.
Bisected in the south by the Tropic of Capricorn, Mato Grosso
do Sul has borders with Bolivia and Paraguay, what it explains
the popularity of the gastronomy of those countries in the
area
Bonito
The
great concentration of lime in the soil around the region
where Bonito is located is responsible for the transparency
of the waters and for the existence of a wide variety of geological
formations. And the best way to appreciate local natural beauties
is by going on an adventure tour. The most indicated activities
include diving in caverns, observing the underwater fauna
and walking along trails in the forest. Places like Grutas
do Lago Azul (Blue Lake Grottos) and the Mimoso Grotto, the
rivers Sucuri, Peixe, the Natural Aquarium, and Formoso, are
the most indicated.
South Pantanal
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The
Pantanal is an ecological paradise in the heart of Brazil.
It is the largest flooded lowland on the planet and the
third largest environmental reserve in the world. Its
ecological importance is immense, since it is home to
one of the richest ecosystems ever found to date, with
periodically flooded seasonal forests. It displays the
largest concentration of neo-tropical fauna, including
several endangered species like mammals, reptiles and
fish, and it also serves as habitat for an enormous variety
of native birds, as well as those migrating from other
areas in the Americas.
The Pantanal is one of the best places in Brazil for flora
and fauna observation and for fishing, permitted only
between March and October, due to its abundance of animals.
It has a total area of 230 thousand square kilometres,
covering 12 townships in the States of Mato
Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul. To the North, there
are the Paracis, Azul and Roncador mountains. To the East,
the Maracaju Mountain Range. To the South, the Dodoquena
Mountain Range. And, to the West, the Paraguayan and Bolivian
swamps. The Pantanal is so diverse that researchers subdivided
it in sub-regions. Each “Pantanal”, North
and South, has its own natural features, activities and
ideal period for visitation. |
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