The Federal Territory of Guaporé was created in 1943, in lands separated from the states of Amazonas and Mato Grosso. The territory was named Rondônia in 1956, as a way to honour Cândido Rondon, a pioneer in the region.
With a 237,576.167 Km² area, currently ranging as the 15th largest state in territorial area, in Brazil, and the 3rd largest of the Northern region, Rondônia officially became a State in 1981, initially having 13 municipalities, but currently comprising 52 cities and an estimate population of 1,534,594 inhabitants.
Porto Velho, state capital, emerged altogether with the construction of the Madeira-Mamoré Railroad, which was used as means of transportation for the rubber region.
The state has 8 major rivers, among which the Madeira River, the Mamoré and the Guaporé River, the first of which is an important waterway which passes by Manaus, state of Amazonas, to reach the Atlantic ocean.
The Madeira river, with its 3,240 kilometres of extension, has the 3rd larger water output among the Brazilian rivers, only left behind by the rivers Amazon and Solimões. It is along this river, that part of the Brazilian soy is transported on barges until the city of Itacoatiara (AM), where it is shipped, since 1998, from a private terminal located by the Amazon River.
The time in the state of Rondônia is normally one hour behind Brasilia, that is, four hours behind London. But when the Brazilian summer saving time is in force, this difference in relation to Brasilia is increased to two hours.
The state of Rondônia borders the state of Amazonas (North and Northeast), Bolivia (South and Southwest), Mato Grosso (East and Southeast) and, finally, the state of Acre and also Amazonas (Northwest).
