Ever since its founding, Cuiabá has been one of the most isolated cities in the world. Even today, one departing Cuiabá must travel over 800 kilometers to reach the nearest city of greater size. It was the furthest extremity to which bandeirantes traveled in their search of gold, closer to the Andes than the Atlantic, unbearably hot and humid, and effectively inaccessible over land before the invention of rail. Were it not made the capital of the enormous Mato Grosso, it is doubtful the city would have even survived past the end of its 18th century gold rush. Its population sat stagnant and citizens extremely poor well into the 20th century. But recent efforts to develop the interior have buoyed the fortunes of this city, which is now a fast-growing testament to the rapid pace of Brazilian agriculture's modernization.