Açailândia

Açailândia is a Brazilian municipality in the western part of the state of Maranhão, standing at an elevation of about 240 metres. The 2022 census counted 106,550 residents, which makes it the eighth largest city in the state. Its name means land of the açaí. The city grew out of the construction of the Belém-Brasília highway in 1958, when settlers and road builders noticed the fertile land around the Açailândia Creek, and for some time it was treated as a district of Imperatriz, the second largest city in Maranhão. Today it is an important centre of agribusiness with the largest cattle herd in the state, and the production of pig iron is its single biggest economic activity. It belongs to the Carajás Development Corridor, houses many of the workers who make charcoal in the area, and has one of the most important stations on the Carajás Railway.