Rio Quente () is a municipality in the south of the state of Goiás, Brazil. It is the site of a hot water spa known all over the country. Location Rio Quente is 178 km. south of the state capital Goiânia and 360 km. southwest of Brasília. Nearby cities are Morrinhos, 53 km. to the west, and Caldas Novas, 28 km. to the east. Connections with Goiânia are made by BR-352 / Bela Vista de Goiás / GO-147 / Piracanjuba / GO-217 / GO-139 / GO-213 / GO-507. For a complete list of distances see Seplan It became a municipality in 1989, dismembering itself from Caldas Novas. Rio Quente is in the Meia Ponte Microregion. Neighboring municipalities are: North: Caldas Novas South: Água Limpa East: Caldas Novas and Mairipotaba West: Morrinhos Rio Quente is famous for its hot water springs, which were discovered by Bartolomeu Bueno da Silva (son), in 1722 and received the name of Caldas Velhas. It is situated in a region of tropical climate—hot and humid—with rains in the months of November to March. The average annual temperature is 23 °C. Rio Quente is served by Nelson Ribeiro Guimarães located in the adjoining municipality of Caldas Novas. Demographics Population density: 11.24 inhabitants/km2 (2007) Urban population: 2,473(2007) Rural population: 486 (2007) Population growth or loss: 5.04% from 2000/2007 The economy Economic activity is almost exclusively based on tourism, especially with the attraction of the Rio Quente Resorts, but there is some agriculture, cattle raising, small transformation industries, and government employment Economic Data Industrial units: 3 (06/2007) Retail units: 57 Banking establishments: Itaú (01/06/2005) Cattle: 18,310 (2006) Main agricultural crops: rice, sugarcane, oranges, beans, manioc, corn, and soybeans. Farms: 203 Area of the farms: 8,763 ha. Area of crops: 370 ha. Area of natural pasture: 5,438 ha. Farms with tractors: 33 IBGE Education (2006) Schools: 2 with 886 students Higher education: none Adult literacy rate: 93.3% (2000) (national average was 86.4%) Health (2007) Hospitals: none (Caldas Novas is nearby) Hospital beds: none Ambulatory clinics: 1 Infant mortality rate: 23.4 (2000) (national average was 33.0). Profile of the City Despite the small territorial dimension of the municipality (257.6 km2) there is a developed agriculture with production of rice and corn and raising of dairy cattle. Nevertheless, the main source of income is in the touristic complex called Rio Quente Resorts which attracts thousands of tourists all year round. It has