Cuiaba - South America's Geodesic Center

Regarded as Green City, the modern city of Cuiaba, the capital of the State of Mato Grosso, has a relaxed outdoor lifestyle and enjoys warm weather all year round (Click here for tempeture and rain charts). Perched on the Geodesic Center of South America, Cuiaba is an excellent base to explore the natural attractions of the state's astonishing and diverse biomes - Pantanal and Amazonia.

Cuiaba was founded in 1719 and at the time became Brazil's largest city due to large quantities of gold found here. Today Cuiaba is a busy industrial and commercial center, with 500,000 inhabitants, and well served by overnight shuttle buses as well as by air with connections departing from anywhere in the country.

Although not precisely known, there are many etymological theories about the origin of the term Cuiaba. The two most accepted ones are Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius translation from a local indigenous language as "gourd bowl maker"  (cuia: gourd bowl, and aba: maker) while Teodoro Fernandes Sampaio, also based on local indigenous language, translates as "farina of cassava maker" (cuy: farina of cassava, and aba: maker).

Today travellers can see evidence of Cuiaba’s history at a variety of preserved sites including historical buildings, museums and art galleries in and around the city.

Its colourful history and centuries of miscegenation have contributed to Cuiaba’s cultural diversity which reflects on its popular festive merriments, art, cuisine and dancing styles. The cultural and culinary benefits of such a melting pot are best experienced at an annual calendar of festivals and other Cuiaba events.