Balsas, Maranhão

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

Balsas
Municipality
The Municipality of Balsas
Flag of Balsas Flag Seal
Nickname(s): "Bls", "Balsinhas de Açúcar", "Princesinha do Sul do Maranhão", "Capital da Agricultura e da Lavoura Mecanizada" ("Bls", "Little Sugar Ferries", "Little Princess of Southern Maranhão", "Capital of the Mechanized Agriculture")
Location of Balsas in the State of Maranhão
Coordinates:
Country	Brazil
Region	Northeast
State	Maranhão
Founded	March 22, 1918
Government
• Mayor	Francisco de Assis Milhomem Coelho (PMDB)
Area
• Total	13,141.637 km2 (5,074.014 sq mi)
Elevation	283 m (928 ft)
Population (2012)
• Total	87,057
• Density	6.6/km2 (17/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-3 (UTC-3)
HDI (2000)	0.696 – medium
Website	www.balsas.ma.gov.br

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 largest municipality in Maranhão. The median elevation of the city is 283 meters (810 ft).

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

Balsas River, crossing the city of Balsas.

There are many streams and rivers in the municipality, but the most important is Rio Balsas, which crosses the city.

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%. In 2007 the population was over 78,000 inhabitants. The city is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Balsas.