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Boa Vista (Boa Vista)

Boa Vista (, literally Good View; figuratively "Fairview") is the capital of the Brazilian state of Roraima. Situated on the western bank of the Branco River, the city lies 220 km from Brazil's border with Venezuela. It is the only Brazilian state capital located entirely north of the equator.

Boa Vista is the most populous municipality in the state of Roraima; approximately half of the population of the state lives in the city. Commerce mostly occurs with Manaus, the capital of the State of Amazonas. Business also takes place between Boa Vista and with the cities of Lethem, in Guyana and Santa Elena de Uairén, in Venezuela. These two foreign cities are the only major cities that can be accessed from Boa Vista by road, although roads connect other smaller state municipalities with the capital city. Travel by airplane is the only means of transportation with other regions of the country.

As a modern city, Boa Vista stands out among the other capitals of the North Region of Brazil as it is a planned city with a radial plan. It was planned by the architect Darci Aleixo Derenusson who based his design for the city on one that is similar to that of Paris, France. The city was built under the direction of Captain Ene Garcez, the first governor of Roraima.

The municipality of Boa Vista formed the first urban area of the state of Roraima. The São Joaquim do Rio Branco Fort, founded in 1775, is located on the banks of the Uraricoera River about 32 km from the capital and is considered to be of great importance to the region.

The city was created on July 9, 1890, as Boa Vista do Rio Branco. It was founded by Augusto Villeroy (Amazonas's Governor). The first mayor was João Capistrano da Silva Mota, also known as Coronel Mota. After the mayor, two councillors (José Francisco Coelho and José Gonzaga de Souza Junior) were appointed.

In 1943, during the middle of World War II, Boa Vista became the capital of the recently created Federal Territory of Rio Branco. The territory grew from mining operations in the area. The then Federal Territory of Rio Branco was elevated to statehood, later being renamed as "Roraima". Later, machine-based mining was prohibited (because of the resulting damage to the landscape), which ended up hindering the economy of the state and the municipality.

In the 2010s, the crisis in Venezuela led to the population swelling by around 50,000 Venezuelan immigrants.