Roraima
| Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Capital: | Boa Vista |
| Area: | 225,116.1 km² |
| Inhabitants: | 324,152 (2000) |
| Pop. density: | 1.4 inh./km² |
| Timezone: | GMT-4 |
| ISO 3166-2: | BR-RR |
| Map | |
Roraima is one of the states of Brazil, located in the northern part of the country.
Neighboring states are (from east clockwise) Pará and Amazonas. To the north it borders Venezuela and Guyana.
Geography
The climate is tropical with an annual mean temperature of 26°C. Most of the state is located in the Amazon rainforest, with a small strip of savanna to the east. The state is rich in mineral deposits - especially gold, diamonds, cassiterite, bauxite and copper. These create constant conflicts with the native population, of which the Yanomami are the most well-known.
The Monte Roraima National Park is located around one of the highest mountains of Brazil, the 2727 m high Monte Roraima.
History
In 1943 the Federal Government declared the area sectioned off from the state Amazonas. The territory was first named Rio Brance after the main river, in 1962 it was renamed to Roraima. In 1988 it became a state.
| The blue of the flag represents the pure air and the sky of Roraima, the white strip symbolizes peace, and the green to the right represents the forests and fields. The star - symbolizing the state in the national flag of Brazil - is yellow, which symbolizes the mineral resources of the state. The red line in bottom stands for the equator, which cuts through the state. The flag was designed by the artist Mário Barreto, and was adopted by Law No.133 of June 14, 1996. |
