Would Varzea Grande Benefit From The Minha Casa Minha Vida Programme

Varzea Grande is a thriving town (or small-ish city) in the Mato Grosso region of central Brazil. Its current population is a bit more than a quarter of a million. The exact location of the place is Latitude 15.6 degrees south and Longitude 66.1 degrees west. It's about 200 metres above sea level and is just across the Cuiaba River from the city of the same name of which it used to be a part.

The name of Varzea Grande is sometimes translated as 'Great lowlands', a fairly apt description of the local geography. The settlement is getting on for two centuries old by now, although for a long time was very much smaller than it is now. The origins were interesting. The old Brazilian Imperial; government in 1832 considered the local tribes to be both loyal and civilised and so awarded them grants of land. Slightly later in the history of the district, the town found itself to be a natural stop on the cattle-driving route between Rio Rosario and Cuiaba, a fact which proved of great benefit to the area. Another important factor in the development of Varzea Grande was its use as a military base to supply troops fighting against Paraguay in the 1860's. Generally the war heavily involved the people and resources of this part of Brazil. There is some controversy about the exact location of the garrison within the area, some say it was a fair distance away from the town but others dispute this.

Nowadays the main 'business' of the place is industrial and commercial with agriculture only coming a poor third behind these two. The region is now the most important for these purposes in the whole state of Mato Grosso. In fact it was so named in 2010. Two new initiatives are set to boost the local economy even further. One of these is the major new expansion of Marechal Rondon International airport, itself sited near the other aspect, the region's first huge Shopping Centre ( a kind of super-mall).

As regards the local climate and vegetation ( at least the 'natural' flora ; what things would be like without people !), Várzea Grande and the surrounding area is what is called tropical and humid but with important seasonal variations. For instance, sometimes in winter the temperature can fall as low as 10 degrees Celsius although this is of course exceptional. At the other end of the scale, sometimes in summer the temperature can climb to nearly 40 degrees and sometimes even exceed it. Natural vegetation is mainly of the savanna type, but there are some examples of dense forest near rivers and in other 'wetland' locations. Public transport in the city area is very popular and tends to be integrated with the neighbouring municipality of Cuiaba. Mostly, it is buses but a significant number of 'collective taxis' exist these days together with motorcycle taxis too, an interesting local feature. Commercial and official vehicles excluded, private vehicles registered in the city include about thirty five thousand cars and twenty five thousands motor cycles and scooters.

If any Minha Casa Minha Vida social housing developments do go ahead in the town and it will become a hotspot for international property investors looking for an ethical Brazilian Property Investment which inturn will bring more related businesses to the town as well as increased tourism.

If any Minha Casa Minha Vida social housing developments do go ahead in the town and it will become a hotspot for international property investors looking for an ethical Brazilian Property Investment which inturn will bring more related businesses to the town as well as increased tourism.