Minas Gerais

Geography

Minas Gerais is the source of some of the biggest rivers in Brazil, most notably the São Francisco, the Paraná and to a lesser extent, the Rio Doce. The state also holds many hydroelectric power plants, including Furnas. Some of the highest peaks in Brazil are in the mountain ranges that mark the borders between Minas Gerais and its neighbours São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. The most notable one is the Pico da Bandeira, the third highest mountain in Brazil at 2890 m. The state also has huge reserves of iron and sizeable reserves of gold and gemstones, including emerald, topaz and aquamarine mines.

Related Topics:
São Francisco - Paraná - Rio Doce - Furnas - São Paulo - Rio de Janeiro - Pico da Bandeira - Iron - Gold - Gemstones - Emerald - Topaz - Aquamarine

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Each region of the state has a distinct character, geographically and to a certain extent culturally.

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• The central and eastern area of the state is hilly and rocky, with little vegetation on the mountains. Around Lagoa Santa and Sete Lagoas a typical Karst topography with caves and lakes is found. Some of the mountains are almost entirely iron ore, which led to extensive mining (in some places at the expense of the environment). Recent advances in environmental policy helped to put limits to mining. To the east of the state capital Belo Horizonte, there is a region known as Vale do Aço (steel valley), which holds a great number of iron and steel processing companies along the course of the Rio Doce.
• The South of Minas Gerais is hilly and green, with coffee and milk production. This region is much colder than the rest of the state and at some locations is subject to temperatures just above the freezing point during the winter. The region is also famed for its mineral-water resorts, including the cities of Poços de Caldas, São Lourenço and Caxambu. Many industries are located at Varginha and Pouso Alegre.
• The southeast of the state, called Zona da Mata (Forest Zone) was the richest region until the mid 20th century but nowadays only the biggest city, Juiz de Fora, remains an important industrial center, the second largest in the state.
• The West of Minas Gerais, also known as "Triângulo Mineiro" (which means "the Minas Triangle", due to the geographic shape of this region), is composed of a particular type of savanna, known as cerrado by the Brazilian people. This region was initially occupied by great free-wheeling beef ranches, which are still important for the economy of the region. Over the 1990s, extensive soy and corn farms occupied most of the farming land available. The main cities of this region are Uberlândia and Uberaba.
• The North of Minas Gerais is arid, being subject to frequent droughts. Recent irrigation projects use the water from the São Francisco river for agriculture; the river crosses the northern region carrying water from its basin at the central area of the state, which is subject to a regular rainfall pattern. The diamond mines of this region attracted miners but are now exhausted, and the remaining population lives in poor conditions, especially in the valley of the Jequitinhonha River. The main cities of this region are Montes Claros, Governador Valadares and Teófilo Otoni.