The South is My Country movement includes three stars which represent Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul. On 1 October 2016, Plebisul - an unofficial referendum - was held. Voters were asked if they wanted to secede from Brazil, forming a new country with the three states. A total of 616,917 votes (which represents less than 3% the number of registered voters in these states) were counted according to the organizers of the ballot, 95% voting "yes". They were hoping to reach up to a million votes throughout the three Brazilian states. Some academics claim that the movement bases its separatist claims in
Xingu-Tocantins-Araguaia moist forests ecoregion rises into the Carajás Mountains, where it becomes interspersed with areas of seasonal forest and cerrado. Population centers include São Félix do Xingu on the Xingu, Porto de Moz, Oeiras do Pará and Gurupá on the Amazon, and Marabá on the Tocantins. The Marajó várzea at the mouth of the Amazon lies to the north. To the west, on the other side of the Xingu River, is the Tapajós-Xingu moist forests. To the northeast is the Tocantins/Pindare moist forests. To the southeast and south the ecoregion blends into the Mato Grosso seasonal forests ecoregion, and in some places directly