Because of its fertile soil and geo-economic location, Itapuranga is considered the capital of the Vale do São Patrício. Municipal boundaries are with: Carmo do Rio Verde, Faina, Goiás, Guarita, Heitoraí, Morro Agudo de Goiás, Uruana and São Patrício. There are two well defined seasons, a rainy season from October to April, and a dry season, from May to September. The average annual minimum temperature is 11 °C, the maximum, 38 °C, and the average, 25 °C. The vegetation is quite diversified: small clumps of forest, bushes, and grasses. The types of vegetation cover are: cerrado 8.2%, fields 4.4%, forest 3.0%. The cultivated area is 8.7% and the pasture land is 74.8%. Districts, Villages, and Hamlets
Itapuranga began in 1933 when Dominican friars from Goiás, acquired land from the government on the left bank of the Rio Canastra. The name of the settlement was "Xixá", taken from the Xixazeiro tree under which the first mass was celebrated. Joaquim Moreira da Silva opened the first general store and the town began to grow. Soon a public school was built and a road opened to the city of Goiás. In 1943 Xixá became a district of Goiás and the name was changed to Itapuranga, which means in the Tupi language "red rock" or "place of pretty rocks". In 1953 it was dismembered from Goiás to form a municipality.
Demographics
Population density: 19.44 inhabitants/km2
Population growth rate: -1.05% from 1996/2007
Population in 1980: 30,358
Population in 2007: 24,832
Urban population in 1980: 15,492
Urban population in 2007: 19,090
Rural population in 1980: 14,866
Rural population in 2007: 5,742
The economy
The main economic activities were cattle raising, services, small industries, and agriculture are the main economic activities. In 2006 there were 1,441 farms with a total area of 65,894 hectares, of which 11,000 hectares were cropland and 40,400 hectares were pasture. The cattle herd had 134,000 head in 2006 and the main crops cultivated were bananas, sugarcane, rice, corn, coconuts, and soybeans. Sugarcane was the most important crop with 9,400 ha. planted and a production of 855,000 tons. Corn was second with 5,500 ha. and 17,600 tons.
Industrial establishments: 87
Commercial retail establishments: 243
Industrial park: Distrito Agroindustrial de Itapuranga - DIAI
Financial institutions: Banco do Brasil S.A., BRADESCO S.A., Banco Itaú S.A.
Education and Health
In 2006 there were 27 schools with an enrollment of 6,799 students. There was one institute of higher education: UEG - Faculdade de Educação, Ciências e Letras de Itapuranga. The literacy Rate was 82.9%. In the health sector there were 5 hospitals with 141 beds. The infant mortality rate was 26.53 Municipal Human Development Index
