Balsas, Maranhão

''For the Mexican river, see Balsas River. For the Ecuadorian canton, see Balsas, Ecuador.

Balsas is a city in the state of Maranhão, northeast Brazil. It is located in southern Maranhão, 800 km from the capital of the state, São Luís.

Geography

Balsas covers an area of 13,141.64 km², being the third-largest municipality in Maranhão. The medium elevation of the city is 247 meters (810 ft).

Demographics

According to 2001 census, Balsas has 60,613 inhabitants. 82.73% live in Urban areas. The infant mortality rate is 35.1 deaths /1,000 live births and life expectancy is 64.1 years.

The annual median growth of the population is 4.21%. Today in 2007 the population is over 78,000 inhabitants. The city is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Balsas.

Climate

Balsas has a Savanna tropical climate. Temperature is hot from April through October. It rains from November through March.

Vegetation

Cerrado is the typical vegetation of the area. However, due to the advance of agricultural activities, the ecosystems is threatened.

Hydrography

There are many streams and rivers in the municipality, but none of them has the importance of Rio Balsas, which crosses the city.