MINAS
GERAIS GEOGRAPHY |
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| Minas Gerais is the source of some of the biggest rivers in Brazil, most
markedly the São Francisco , Paraná and to a lesser extent, the Rio Doce.
The state also holds a big number of hydroelectric power plants, including
Furnas. Some of the highest peaks in Brazil are located at 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 2890m. The state also has huge reserves
of iron, and sizeable reserves of gold and gemstones, including emerald,
topaz and aquamarine mines. |
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Each region of the state has a distinct character, geographically and to a
certain extent, culturally.
The central and the eastern area of the state is hilly and rocky, with
little vegetation over the mountains. 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, specially in the regions surrounding Belo
Horizonte, the state capital. To the east of the capital, there is a region
known as Vale do Aço (meaning steel valley), which holds a great number of
iron and steel processing companies along the course of the Rio Doce.
The South and Southeast 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 freezing point
during the winter. The region is also famed for its mineral water resorts,
including the cities of Poços de Caldas, São Lourenço e Caxambu. Many
industries are located at Varginha and Pouso Alegre.
The West of Minas Gerais, also known as "Triângulo Mineiro" (which means
"Minas's Triangle", due to the particular geographic shape of this region),
is composed of a particular type of savanna, also known as cerrado by the
brazilian people. This region was initially occupied by great free-wheeling
cattle farms for meat, which is 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 drained
from its basin at the central area of the state, which is subject to a
regular rain regime. The diamond mines at this region attracted miners but
are now exhausted, and the remaining population live in poor conditions,
specially at the valley of the Jequitinhonha river. The main cities of this
region are Montes Claros, Governador Valadares and Teófilo Otoni. |
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