Tocantins () is one of the
states of
Brazil. (From:
Tukã´,
Toucan +
tï,
beak. lit. "Toucan's beak" in
Tupi language). It is the newest of the 26 Brazilian states, formed in 1988 and encompassing what had formerly been the northern two-fifths of the state of
Goiás. Tocantins covers and has a population of 1,496,880 (2014 est.). Construction of its capital,
Palmas, began in 1989; most of the other cities in the state date to the
Portuguese colonial period. With the exception of
Araguaína there are few other cities with a significant population in the state. The government has invested in a new capital, a major hydropower dam, railroads and related infrastructure to develop this primarily agricultural area.