Roraima

Roraima is one of the states of Brazil. It is in the northern part of the country. It shares borders with the states of Pará and Amazonas, as well as the countries Venezuela and Guyana. Roraima is both the northernmost and least populated state of Brazil.

State of Roraima
State
Flag Coat of arms
Location of State of Roraima in Brazil
Coordinates: 2°3′N 61°24′W
Country	Brazil
Capital and Largest City	Boa Vista
Government
• Governor	José de Anchieta Júnior
Area
• Total	224,298.98 km2 (86,602.32 sq mi)
• Rank	14th
Population  (2012)[1]
• Total	469,524
• Rank	27th
• Density	2.1/km2 (5.4/sq mi)
• Rank	27th
Demonym	Roraimense
GDP
• Year	2006 estimate
• Total	R$ 3,660,000,000 (27th)
• Per capita	R$ 9,075 (13th)
HDI
• Year	2005
• Category	0.750 – medium (18th)
Time zone	UTC-4 (BRT-1)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-3 (BRST-1)
Postal Code	69300-000 to 69399-000
ISO 3166 code	BR-RR
Website	rr.gov.br

Geography

The climate is tropical with an average temperature of 26 °C. Most of the state is in the Amazon rainforest. A small part of the state is a small strip of savanna to the east. The state has many mineral deposits - especially gold, diamonds, cassiterite, bauxite and copper. These create constant fights with the native people. The Yanomami are the most well-known of the native people, but they are greatly out-numbered by the Macuxi.

The Monte Roraima National Park is near one of the highest mountains of Brazil, the 9220 ft (2727 m) high table-top Mount Roraima.

History

In 1943, the federal government separated the area from the state Amazonas. The territory was first named Rio Branco after the main river. In 1962, it was renamed "Roraima." In 1988, it became a state. The name of the state was taken from Monte Roraima, whose name comes from the Pemon words roroi (cyan) and ma (large).