CUIAB

city, capital of Mato Grosso estado (state), southwestern Brazil. It lies along the Cuiab River, a tributary of the Paraguay River, at 541 feet (165 m) above sea level. Founded by gold hunters in 1719, the settlement was given the status of a town in 1727 and of a city in 1818. Agriculture and stock raising are now the main economic activities in the surrounding area; the city is a collecting centre for rubber and palm nuts. Thermal electric and hydroelectric plants are located in the area. The city is the seat of the Federal University of Mato Grosso (1970). Cuiab can be reached by riverboat from Corumb (400 miles south-southwest) and by road from Campo Grande (550 miles south-southeast); it is also on the road from Braslia to Prto Velho and Rio Branco. Pop. (1980 prelim.) 167,894.