Mato Grosso

Mato Grosso (/ˈmɑːtoʊ ˈɡrɔːsoʊ/, MAH-toh GRAW-soh; Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈmatu ˈɡɾosu] ; lit. 'Thick Bush') is one of the states of Brazil, the third largest by area, located in the Central-West region. The state has 1.66% of the Brazilian population and is responsible for 1.9% of the Brazilian GDP. Neighboring states (from west clockwise) are: Rondônia, Amazonas, Pará, Tocantins, Goiás and Mato Grosso do Sul. It is divided into 142 municipalities and covers an area of 903,357 square kilometers, consequently the state is roughly 82.2% of the size of its southwest neighbor, the nation of Bolivia.

A state with a flat landscape that alternates between vast chapadas and plain areas, Mato Grosso contains three main ecosystems: the Cerrado, the Pantanal and the Amazon rainforest. The Chapada dos Guimarães National Park, with its caves, grottoes, tracks, and waterfalls, is one of its tourist attractions. The extreme northwest of the state has a small part of the Amazonian forest. The Xingu Indigenous Park and the Araguaia River are in Mato Grosso. Farther south, the Pantanal, the world's largest wetland, is the habitat for nearly one thousand species of animals and many aquatic birds.