Ji-Paraná is the second most populous municipality in the Brazilian state of

Rondônia Rondônia () is one of the 26 states of Brazil, located in the northern subdivision of the country (central-western part). To the west is a short border with the state of Acre, to the north is the state of Amazonas, in the east is Mato Grosso, ...

, with a population of 130,009, and the 16th most populous city of the Brazilian North Region, the 210th most populous city of Brazil, and the 113th of the Brazilian interior. It has an area of 6,897 km². The city is divided by the Ji-Paraná River. The city economy is industry and dairy production. The city was also the first of Rondônia State to invest in high technology of data transmission, when it connected, through a wireless network, the City Hall. The municipality name comes from

tupi Tupi may refer to: * Tupi people of Brazil * Tupi or Tupian languages, spoken in South America ** Tupi language, an extinct Tupian language spoken by the Tupi people * Tupi oil field off the coast of Brazil * Tupi Paulista, a Brazilian municipalit ...

, meaning "great river of axes", through the junction of ''yî'' (axe) ''e paranã'' (sea, great river). It is a reference to the great amount of rocks in the river looking like indigenous axes. The municipality is also known as the Heart of Rondônia, due to the central city location and the existence of a heart shaped island, located in the confluence of the Machado and Urupá River. Located in central

, the city attracted many settlers from the 1970s onward. As a result of corruption, lawlessness and a general lack of regulation, Ji-Paraná has been at the centre of Rondônia's extreme deforestation, which today extends up to the border with Bolivia. The area between Ji-Paraná and Porto Velho, the regional capital 373 km away, is now largely deforested. The deforestation expands along smaller illegally built roads stemming from the

BR-364 BR-364 is an inter-state highway in Brazil connecting the southeast state of São Paulo to the western state of Acre. The highway was opened in the 1960s and paved in the 1980s. It has brought economic development and population growth in the Amaz ...

highway. The city is served by José Coleto Airport. The municipality contains part of the

Jaru Biological Reserve Jaru Biological Reserve ( pt, Reserva Biológica do Jaru) is a biological reserve in the state of Rondônia, Brazil. It is part of the Southern Amazon Conservation Corridor. Location The conservation unit was originally created in 1961 as the Ja ...

, a fully protected conservation unit created in 1984. Jesualdo Pires Ferreira Junior is the city's current mayor, his term expires in 2016.
- City Hall of Ji-Paraná

References

External links

Prefeitura Municipal de Ji-Paraná (official page of Ji-Paraná)

Cidade Ji-Paraná
Municipalities in Rondônia {{Rondônia-geo-stub