Current Time in Palmas, Brazil

Palmas lies in the centre of Brazil, on the eastern bank of the Tocantins River, between the Serra do Lajeado escarpment and a vast reservoir created by a hydroelectric dam. The setting is one of open cerrado savanna, with twisted trees, red earth and enormous skies. The climate is tropical with a sharp division between a rainy season from October to April and a long dry season when the air turns hazy and the horizon shimmers with heat.

The city is the capital of Tocantins and has grown to more than three hundred thousand inhabitants. What makes it exceptional is its age, for Palmas was founded in 1989, making it the youngest state capital in Brazil and one of the last great planned cities built anywhere in the world. When Tocantins was carved out of the north of Goiás, the new state needed a capital, and rather than adapt an existing town the government laid out an entirely new city on empty savanna.

The plan is unmistakable. Wide avenues run north to south and east to west in a strict grid, dividing the city into large residential blocks known as quadras, each identified by a code rather than a name, an arrangement that puzzles newcomers and delights urban planners. At the centre lies the Praça dos Girassóis, the square of sunflowers, one of the largest public squares in the world, containing the state government palace, monuments to the founding of Tocantins, a memorial to the priest and reformer known as Padre Josimo, and a striking sundial. Palm lined boulevards, roundabouts and generous green space give the city an airy, unhurried feel.

The reservoir has given Palmas an unexpected asset, a shoreline of freshwater beaches with fine sand, calm water and rows of restaurants serving grilled fish. Praia da Graciosa and Praia da Prata fill with families at weekends, and boats, kayaks and jet skis crisscross the lake. Beyond the city, waterfalls tumble from the escarpment at Taquaruçu, and a few hours to the east lies Jalapão, a wilderness of golden dunes, crystal clear springs and table mountains that has become one of the most sought after destinations for adventure travel in Brazil.

Cultural life centres on the state cultural centre, regional music and the exuberant June festivals, along with a cuisine that draws on river fish, cassava and the fruits of the cerrado such as pequi and buriti. The Federal University of Tocantins and several private institutions bring a large student population, and the economy rests on public administration, services, commerce, agriculture and energy.

An airport connects Palmas to Brasília, São Paulo and other capitals, highways run north and south along the Tocantins valley, and the flat grid makes cycling practical, though buses and cars dominate.

Palmas is a fascinating example of a modern Brazilian city created from nothing and now serving as the gateway to one of the country's last great wild landscapes.