Mato Grosso Plateau

Mato Grosso, whose name translates to "Thick Bush," is a Brazilian state in the Central-West region. It ranks as the country's third-largest state by area, covering 903,357 square kilometers—roughly 82.2% the size of neighboring Bolivia. Despite its size, it holds just 1.66% of Brazil's population and contributes 1.9% of the national GDP. The state borders Rondônia, Amazonas, Pará, Tocantins, Goiás, and Mato Grosso do Sul, and is divided into 142 municipalities.

The landscape is mostly flat, shifting between broad plateaus (chapadas) and plains. Three major ecosystems meet here: the Cerrado savanna, the Pantanal wetlands, and the Amazon rainforest. The Pantanal, the world's largest wetland, hosts nearly a thousand animal species and many aquatic birds. Its Paraguay basin teems with around 230 fish species, some prized for sport fishing, others for aquariums, and a few so rare they draw scientific study. Fishing supports the local economy and diet. The Pantanal is often compared to Florida's Everglades but is far larger. In the northwest, a sliver of Amazon forest appears. The Chapada dos Guimarães National Park features sandstone mountains eroded into cliffs, canyons, waterfalls, caves, and grottoes, offering varied vistas. The Xingu Indigenous Park and the Araguaia River also lie within the state.

Historically, the Bororo Indians inhabited the area. As late as 1880, soldiers patrolled near Cuiabá, the capital and largest city, to guard settlers from Bororo raids. By the late 19th century, disease and conflict with explorers, slave traders, prospectors, settlers, and other indigenous groups had reduced the Bororo population, though five to ten thousand still lived in central and eastern Mato Grosso and western Goiás. In 1903, the Treaty of Petrópolis ceded the southwestern part of the state to Bolivia in exchange for the territory of Acre. The region's remoteness drew early-20th-century expeditions seeking lost civilizations, such as British Captain Percy Fawcett's quest for the Lost City of Z. Some Hollow Earth theorists believed the area held entrances to the planet's interior. In 1977, the state was split, creating Mato Grosso do Sul from its southern half.

Population growth surged in the 20th century due to timber, ranching, and agriculture, yet Mato Grosso remains one of Brazil's least densely populated states. In 2018, the IBGE recorded 3,441,998 residents, with a density of 3.8 people per square kilometer. Urbanization stood at 76.6% in 2006, and population growth was 2.4% from 1991 to 2000. There were 836,000 houses in 2006. Ethnically, the state has a high proportion of caboclos (mixed European and Indigenous ancestry). The last PNAD census showed: 56% Brown (mixed), 32.3% White, 9.9% Black, 1.5% Indigenous, and 0.3% Asian.

Portuguese is the official language and primary school language, with English and Spanish taught in high school. Over 58 universities operate in the state. Cuiabá hosts the Federal University of Mato Grosso (UFMT), Mato Grosso State University (Unemat), and Universidade de Cuiabá (Unic). Rondonópolis has the Federal University of Rondonópolis (UFR), which split from UFMT in 2018.

Agriculture drives the economy, contributing 40.8% of the state's GDP, followed by services at 40.2% and industry at 19% (2004). Major exports include soybeans (83%), wood (5.6%), meats (4.8%), and cotton (3.3%) (2002). In 2014, Mato Grosso's share of Brazil's economy was 1.8%. By 2020, it led national grain production at 28.0%, including the largest soy crop (26.9% of Brazil's total, 33.0 million tons), the largest maize output, and about 65% of the country's cotton (1.8 of 2.8 million tons). It ranked sixth in sugarcane (16 million tons in 2019/20), third in beans (10.5% of national production), and first in sunflowers (60,000 tons in 2019). In 2018, it produced 287,000 tons of cassava. The cattle herd reached 30 million head in 2009.