Belo_Horizonte.pdf

About Global Documents

Global Documents provides you with documents from around the globe on a variety of topics for your enjoyment.
Global Documents utilizes edocr for all its document needs due to edocr's wonderful content features. Thousands of professionals and businesses around the globe publish marketing, sales, operations, customer service and financial documents making it easier for prospects and customers to find content.
Belo Horizonte city Minas Gerais de dezembro de encyclopedia Belo Horizonte free encyclopedia Belo de Belo Horizonte municip de Belo
About Global Documents

Global Documents provides you with documents from around the globe on a variety of topics for your enjoyment.
Belo Horizonte city Minas Gerais de dezembro de encyclopedia Belo Horizonte free encyclopedia Belo de Belo Horizonte municip de Belo
Belo Horizonte
Belo Horizonte
— Municipality —
The Municipality of Belo Horizonte
The city of Belo Horizonte, surrounded by mountains
Flag
Seal
Nickname(s): BH, The Garden City
Location in the State of Minas Gerais
Coordinates: 19°55′8.88″S 43°56′19.2″W /
19.9191333°S 43.938667°W / -19.9191333;
-43.938667
Country
Brazil
Region
Southeast
State
Minas Gerais
Founded
1701
Incorporated (as
city)
December 12, 1897
Government
- Mayor
Marcio Lacerda (PSB)
Area
- Municipality
330.9 km2 (127.7 sq mi)
- Metro
9,459.1 km2 (3,652 sq mi)
Elevation
852.19 m (2,796 ft)
Population (2009)
- Municipality
2,412,937 (6th)
- Density
7,290.8/km2 (17,521/
sq mi)
- Metro
6,174,005
- Demonym
Belorizontino
Time zone
BST (UTC-3)
- Summer (DST)
BDT (UTC-2)
Postal Code
30000-000
HDI (2000)
0.839 – high
Website
Belo Horizonte, Minas
Gerais
Belo Horizonte ("beautiful horizon"; Por-
tuguese pronunciation: [bɛloɾiˈzõtʃi][1]) is the cap-
ital of the state of Minas Gerais, located in
the southeastern region of Brazil. It is the
third-largest metropolitan
area
in
the
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Belo Horizonte
1
country. Belo Horizonte (or "Beagá", as it is
more familiarly known from the sound of its
initials "BH" in Portuguese) has a population
of almost 3 million, reaching over 6.1 million
in the official Metropolitan Area.
The first settlements in the region oc-
curred in the early 1700s, but the city as it is
known today was planned and constructed in
the 1890s, in order to replace Ouro Preto as
the capital of Minas Gerais. It is nowadays
well known for the contrast between contem-
porary and classical buildings, being in fact
the location of many modern Brazilian archi-
tectural icons, most notably the Pampulha
Complex. In planning it, Brazilian engineers
Aarão Reis and Francisco Bicalho found their
inspiration in the town plan of Washington
D.C.[2]
In the area surrounding Belo Horizonte
there are parks of great natural richness
such as Mangabeiras, located six kilometres
from the city in the Serra do Curral. This
park provides an astonishing view of the cap-
ital with an area of 2.35 million m2, of which
900 000 m2 are native forest. There is also
the Mata do Jambeiro nature reserve extend-
ing over 912 hectares, with vegetation typical
of the Atlantic Forest. In it live more than one
hundred species of birds and ten different
species of mammals. The city is also a lead-
ing cultural center, with more than nine uni-
versities, a historical museum, numerous lib-
raries, and sports stadiums. Belo is built on
several hills and completely surrounded by
mountains.[3] The constant rising and falling
of the streets sometimes makes navigation a
bit tricky, but the wide avenues lined with
trees are always easy guidelines.
Belo Horizonte is the distribution and pro-
cessing center of a rich agricultural and min-
ing region and the nucleus of a burgeoning
industrial complex. Its chief manufactures
are steel, steel products, automobiles, and
textiles. Gold, manganese, and gem stones of
the surrounding region are processed in the
city.[4]
The city offers interesting leisure areas,
theatres boasting an intense artistic-cultural
production, good and varied cuisine, exquis-
ite handcrafts available on the markets and
specialised shops, and maintains a traditional
characteristic: the typical regional hospital-
ity. Economic development has been pro-
ceeding through the professionalisation of
many different tourism segments, above all
the areas of events and business.
The Confins International Airport connects
Belo Horizonte with many Brazilian cities and
also operates international flights. Belo Hori-
zonte is home to the Federal University of
Minas Gerais.
Geography
Surrounding cities and metro-
politan area
Municipalities of the Metropolitan Region of
Belo Horizonte.
The nonspecific term "Grande BH" ("Greater
Belo Horizonte") denotes any of Belo Hori-
zonte’s metropolitan area definitions. The
legally defined Metropolitan Region of Belo
Horizonte consists of 34 municipalities in
total, and a population of 4,939,053 inhabit-
ants (as of 2007, according to IBGE)[5][6].
The intense process of conurbation that
currently occurs in the Metropolitan Region
of Belo Horizonte has made ineffective the
political boundaries between some municipal-
ities in the region, creating a city whose cen-
ter is in Belo Horizonte and reaches municip-
alities, such as Contagem, Betim, Nova Lima,
Ribeirão das Neves, Santa Luzia and Sabará,
among others.
The limits of the municipality is Vespasi-
ano on the north, Santa Luzia on the north-
east, Sabará on the east, Nova Lima on the
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Belo Horizonte
2
southeast, Brumadinho on the south and
Ribeirão das Neves, Contagem and Ibirité on
the west. The Metropolitan Region of Belo
Horizonte is composed also by the municipal-
ities of Baldim, Betim, Caeté, Capim Branco,
Confins, Esmeraldas, Florestal,
Igarapé,
Itaguara, Itatiaiuçu, Jaboticatubas, Juatuba,
Lagoa Santa, Mario Campos, Mateus Leme,
Matozinhos, Nova União, Pedro Leopoldo,
Raposos, Ribeirão das Neves, Rio Acima, Rio
Manso, São Joaquim de Bicas, São José da
Lapa, Sarzedo and Taquaraçu de Minas.
Relief
As a region of contact between different geo-
logical series of the Proterozoic, is composed
of crystalline rocks, which gives to the territ-
ory different landscapes. It’s located in a
large geological unit known as craton of San
Francisco, referring to extensive crustal nuc-
leus of central-eastern Brazil,
tectonicly
stable at the end of the Paleoproterozoic and
bordering areas that suffered the regenera-
tion at the Neoproterozoic.
Elevation map of Belo Horizonte.
The archean rocks members of Belo Hori-
zonte complex and supracrustais sequences
of the Paleoproterozoic is predominant. The
area of Belo Horizonte complex includes the
geomorphological unit called Depression of
Belo Horizonte, which represents about 70%
of the municipality area and has its greatest
expression in the northern Ribeirão Arrudas
(Rues Stream) pipeline. The metasediment-
ary rocks has its area of occurrence on the
south of Ribeirão Arrudas pipeline, constitut-
ing about 30% of the area of Belo Horizonte.
The characteristics of this area are lithologic-
al diversities and rugged topography, which
has its maximum expression in the Serra do
Curral
(Corral Mountain),
the southern
boundary of the municipality.
Its soil comprises a succession of layers of
rocks of varied composition, represented by
itabirite, dolomite, quartzite,
filities and
schists different from the general direction
northwest-southeast and dip to the southeast.
The hills of Belo Horizonte are ramifica-
tions of the Espinhaço Mountains and belong
to the group of the Itacolomi Mountains.
Around the city are the mountains of Jatobá,
José Vieira, Mutuca, Taquaril and Curral. The
highest point in the municipality is in the
Serra do Curral,
reaching 1,538 meters
(5,046 ft).
Hidrography
Elementary basins of Belo Horizonte.
Located in the San Francisco Basin, Belo Ho-
rizonte is not surrounded by any large river,
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Belo Horizonte
3
but on its soil there are several streams and
brooks, mostly channeled. The capital
is
served by two sub-basins, Ribeirão Arrudas
(Rues Stream) and Ribeirão da Onça (Jaguar
Stream), tributaries of the Rio das Velhas
(Velhas River). The two sub-basins are loc-
ated in the top of Rio das Velhas and covers
the municipalities of Belo Horizonte and
Contagem, in an area of 525.58 km² and loc-
ated on the left bank of the Rio das Velhas.
This is the most urbanized region of the
basin, with an estimated population of
2,776,543 million people, according to the
IBGE, 2000.[7]
The Ribeirão Arrudas crosses the city from
west to east. Further north, part of the basin
is in Ribeirão do Onça, dammed to form the
shell of the same name, one of the corners of
the city’s tourism and leisure. The Ribeirão
Arrudas ends in the municipality of Sabará
and the Ribeirão da Onça in Santa Luzia,
both in Rio das Velhas.
The Ribeirão Arrudas channelizated and
Serra do Curral in the background.
The Ribeirão Arrudas and Ribeirão da
Onça are responsible for drainage of most
sewers in the Metropolitan Region of Belo
Horizonte and still suffer with the decrease
in the areas of drainage and disorderly occu-
pation of hillsides and valley, problems
caused by the intense occupation of areas of
the sub-basin. When these rivers empty their
waters in the Rio das Velhas, is observed a
sharp deterioration in the quality of this
river.
The process of urbanization of the muni-
cipality tried hiding the water courses. The
channelization was a practice but the orienta-
tion of the current municipal administration
is not to channelizate the water courses.
In these streams are not found fish in
most of its length. As in some tributaries in
better conditions, such as in drainages in the
Mangabeiras Park may still be found some
small catfishes and others. In the Pampulha
dam, belonging to the sub-basin of the Riber-
ão do Onça, there are about 20 species, some
exotics such as tilapia, of African origin.[7]
With two sewage treatment stations run-
ning, Belo Horizonte and Contagem have the
capacity to treat 100% of their effluent.[7][8]
Climate
Belo Horizonte’s climate can be classified as
Tropical of altitude, with yearly average tem-
perature between 9°C (48.2°F) and 35°C
(95°F). The Köppen climate classification of
the region is Cwa (Tropical on high altitudes,
humid/warm summer and a dry/cool winter).
As a city located in the southern Hemisphere,
Belo Horizonte’s spring starts in September,
its summer in December,
its autumn in
March, and its winter in June. Belo Horizonte
is located about 300 km (186 mi) distant from
the sea.
The Serra do Curral mountains are the sym-
bol of the city.
Even though inter-seasonal differences
are not as pronounced as they are in temper-
ate places, and many people believe that, as
in much of Brazil, there are just two seasons
(a hot and humid one from October to March,
and a colder and drier one from April to
September), there is a contrast between
spring and summer, and between fall and
winter.
The coldest month is generally July, with a
lowest
recorded
temperature of
-4.1°C
(24.62F). The hottest month is usually Janu-
ary, with a highest recorded temperature of
35.4°C (95.7°F).
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Belo Horizonte
4
There can be problems related with low
air humidity during August. The 852 m (2795
ft) elevation of Belo Horizonte helps a little in
cooling the city, suppressing high maximum
air temperatures experienced in nearby cities
at lower altitudes.
Belo
Horizonte’s
climate
is
mild
throughout the year. Temperatures vary
between 11°C (51.8°F) and 31°C (87.8°F),
the average being 20°C (68°F). Winter is dry,
and summer is rainy.
History
Station Square in Belo Horizonte.
The metropolis was once a small village,
founded by João Leite da Silva Ortiz, a
bandeirante explorer from São Paulo. Having
found a location with pleasant weather, a
nice landscape and good soil for farming, the
explorer settled in the region in 1701, leaving
a gold hunting expedition. He then estab-
lished a farm called "Curral d’el Rey", archaic
Portuguese for the "King’s Corral, which in
modern Portuguese would be spelled Curral
do Rei." The farm’s wealth and success en-
couraged people from surrounding places to
move into the region, and Curral del Rey be-
came a village surrounded by farms.
Another important growth factor of the vil-
lage were the migrants from the São Fran-
cisco river region, who had to pass through
Curral d’el Rey in order to reach southern
parts of Brazil. Travelers usually visited a
small wooden chapel, where they prayed for
a safe trip. Due to that, the chapel was
named Capela da Nossa Senhora da Boa
Viagem, which means "Chapel of Our Lady of
the Good Journey." After the construction of
Belo Horizonte, the old baroque chapel was
replaced by a neo-gothic church which be-
came the city’s cathedral.
The previous capital of Minas Gerais, Ouro
Preto, was a symbol of both the monarchic
Brazilian Empire and the period when most
of Brazilian income was due to mining, and
that never pleased the members of the Incon-
fidência Mineira,
republican
intellectuals
who conspired against the Portuguese domin-
ion of Brazil. In 1889, Brazil became a repub-
lic, and it was agreed that a new state capit-
al, in tune with a modern and prosperous Mi-
nas Gerais, had to be set.
A small farm in Curral del Rey.
In 1893, due to good climatic and topo-
graphic conditions, Curral Del Rey was elec-
ted by Minas Gerais governor Afonso Pena
from other cities as the spot for the new eco-
nomical and cultural center of the state, un-
der the new name of "Cidade de Minas," or
Minas City.
Aarão Reis, an urbanist from the State of
Pará, was then set to design the first planned
city of Brazil, and then Cidade de Minas was
inaugurated finally in 1897, with many unfin-
ished constructions as the Brazilian Govern-
ment set a deadline for its completion. Inhab-
itation of the city was subsidized by the local
government, through the concession of free
empty lots and funding for building houses.
An interesting feature of Belo Horizonte Reis
designed was the downtown street plan, fea-
turing a regular array of perpendicular and
diagonal streets, named after Brazilian states
and Brazilian indigenous tribes.
In 1906, the name was then changed to
Belo Horizonte, and at that time the city was
experiencing a considerable industrial expan-
sion that increased its commercial and ser-
vice sectors. From its very beginning, the
city’s original plan prohibited workers to live
inside the urban area which was defined by
Avenida do Contorno (a long avenue which
goes around the city’s central areas), re-
served for the public sector functionaries
(hence the name of the still trendy neighbor-
hood
"Funcionários"),
and
causing
an
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Belo Horizonte
5
accelerated occupation outside the city’s
area well provided with infrastructure since
its very beginning.
Afonso Pena Avenue.
Obviously,
the city’s original planners
didn’t count on its population growth after-
wards, which proved especially intense in the
last twenty years of the 20th century.
In the 1940s, a young Oscar Niemeyer de-
signed the Pampulha Neighborhood to great
acclaim, a commission he got thanks to then-
mayor, soon-to-be-president Juscelino Ku-
bitschek. These two men are largely respons-
ible for the wide avenues, large lakes, parks
and jutting skylines that characterize the city
today.
Belo Horizonte is fast becoming a regional
center of commerce, Google has their Latin
American headquarters there, from where
the popular social networking website Orkut
is fully managed and operated. It continues
to be a trendsetter in the arts, particularly
where music, literature, architecture and the
avant-garde are concerned. There are plans
underway to move a complex of government
ministries north of the center, onto the road
to Confins International Airport, liberating
space around beautiful palm-fringed Praça da
Liberdade to house the city’s symphony or-
chestra and other arts organizations.
Demographics
According to the IBGE of 2008, there were
6,082,776 people residing in the Metropolit-
an Region of Belo Horizonte. The population
Savassi Neighborhood, a major financial cen-
ter of Belo Horizonte.
density was 7,290.8 inhabitants per square
kilometre (18,883 /sq mi). The last PNAD
(National Research for Sample of Domiciles)
census revealed the
following numbers:
2,380,644 Pardo (brown) people (46.9%),
2,065,932 White people (40.7%), 604,044
Black people (11.9%), 25,380 Asian or Amer-
indian people (0.5%).[10]
The Metropolitan Region of Belo Hori-
zonte is the 3rd most populous of Brazil, after
São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. The city is the
6th most populous of the country.
During the 18th century, Minas Gerais re-
ceived many Portuguese immigrants, mainly
from Northern Portugal as well as a huge
number of slaves from Africa.[11]
Belo Horizonte has a notable Italian influ-
ence, around 30% of the city’s population
have some Italian origin.[12] The Italian cul-
ture is present in the cuisine, dance, and lan-
guage.[13] People of German, Spanish, and
Syrian-Lebanese ancestries make up sizeable
groups.[14][15]
Religion
Source: IBGE 2000.[16]
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Belo Horizonte
6
Religion
Percentage
Number
Catholic
68.84%
1,541,185
Protestant
18.10%
405,265
No religion
8.04%
179,995
Economy
Office buildings at Afonso Pena Avenue.
Despite its lack of beaches, Belo Horizonte
annually receives large numbers of visitors,
as it is in the Brazilian main economic axis,
exerting influence even on other states. Both
multinational and Brazilian companies, like
Google and Oi, maintain their headquarters
in the city. The service sector plays a very im-
portant role in the economy of Belo Hori-
zonte, being responsible for 85% of the city’s
GDP, with the industry making up for most of
the remaining 15%. Belo Horizonte has a de-
veloped industrial sector, being traditionally
a pole of the Brazilian siderurgical and metal-
lurgical industries, as the state of Minas
Gerais has always been very rich in minerals,
specifically iron ore.
The main industrial district of the city was
set during the 1940s in Contagem, a part of
greater Belo Horizonte. Multinational com-
panies like FIAT (which opened its plant in
Betim in 1974), Arcelor, and Toshiba have
subsidiaries in the region, along with other
textile, cosmetic, food, chemicals, pharma-
ceuticals, furnishing and refractory compan-
ies. Between the companies headquartered in
the city we can list siderurgicals Açominas
(held by Gerdau, one of the largest multina-
tionals originated in Brazil); Usiminas; Belgo-
Mineira (held by Arcelor); Acesita (partially
held by Arcelor); mobile communication Vivo;
and Telecom Italia Mobile, as well as the
NYSE-listed electrical
company CEMIG,
which is said to have the best transmission
quality of Brazil. Leading steel product
makers Sumitomo Metals of Japan and Val-
lourec of France have also recently an-
nounced plans to construct an integrated
steel works on
the outskirts of Belo
Horizonte.
City Hall
There are also a large number of small en-
terprises in the technological sector with re-
gional to nationwide success, particularly in
the fields of computing and biotechonology.
Due to both governmental and private fund-
ing in the diversification of its economy, the
city has become an international reference in
Information Technology and Biotechnology,
and is also cited because of the advanced
corporate and university research in Biodies-
el fuel.
Projects in these fields are likely to ex-
pand due to integration between universities,
the oil company Petrobras and the Brazilian
Government. Over 16% of the Brazilian bio-
technological industries are located in Belo
Horizonte, with annual revenues of more
than US$ 550 million. During the past few
years, the city has made investments in
"Business-Tourism", by promoting more than
3,000 national or international events yearly.
One of the largest events that ever took place
in the city, the IDB meeting, occurred in
2005 and attracted people from everywhere
in the world.
The two most important industrial clusters
of the State of Minas Gerais are around the
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Belo Horizonte
7
Niemeyer building.
cities of Juiz de Fora and Belo Horizonte. In
southern Minas Gerais, near Juiz de Fora,
there is a concentration of textile industries,
which started to be established in the 19th
century. Belo Horizonte and vicinities (Cont-
agem, Betim, Nova Lima, Pedro Leopoldo,
Raposo, Rio Acima, Sabará, Santa Luzia e
Vespasiano) have a diversified industrial
complex; even though minerals processing
still have a large importance, there are im-
portant industries of vehicles, food products,
textile, chemicals and others. Several steel
producers are established all around the
State: Mannesmann, Belgo-Mineira, Acesita,
Usiminas; there is an oil refinery in Betim,
directly connected by pipes to the producing
areas off shore the Rio de Janeiro coast;
vehicle makers,
like Fiat (in Betim) and
Mercedes-Benz (in Juiz de Fora) have plants
in Minas Gerais.
For a long time it was marked by the pre-
dominance of its industrial sector, but from
the 1990s there has been a constant expan-
sion of the service sector economy, particu-
larly
in computer science, biotechnology,
business tourism, fashion and the making of
jewelry. The city is considered to be a stra-
tegic leader in the Brazilian economy.
The
GDP
for
the
city
was
R$
28,386,694,000 (2005).[17]
The per capita income for the city was R$
11,951 (2005).[18]
Education
Portuguese is the official national language,
and thus the primary language taught in
schools. But English and Spanish are part of
the official high school curriculum.
Educational institutions
• Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
(UFMG);
Federal University of Minas Gerais.
• Universidade do Estado de Minas Gerais
(UEMG);
• Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas
Gerais (PUC-MG);
• Centro Universitário (UNA);
• Universidade FUMEC (FUMEC);
• Universidade José do Rosário Vellano
(UNIFENAS);
• Centro Universitário Newton Paiva;
• Centro Federal de Educação Tecnológica
de Minas Gerais (CEFET-MG);
• and many others.
Culture
Modern Art in the city.
There are many notable Brazilian artistic
groups which have their origins in Belo Hori-
zonte. Grupo Corpo, which is perhaps the
most famous contemporary dance group in
the country, was created in the city in 1975,
travel
internationally and are acclaimed
throughout the world. Giramundo is an im-
portant group, specialized in performing pup-
pet shows. They maintain the museum of the
puppets they created since their foundation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Belo Horizonte
8
in 1970, first launched a complete album in
1981, and has released 11 works since that
year.
Another innovative artistic group is Uakti.
They create their own musical instruments
using materials like PVC, wood, metals and
glass. The origin of their name is based in a
myth by the Tukano Indians, and reflects the
indigenous feeling present in their works.
Many important rock groups were founded in
Belo Horizonte, being among them Jota
Quest, Pato Fu, Skank, 14 Bis, Sepultura and
Tianastácia.
Statue in Pampulha Art Museum.
Clube da Esquina is a musical movement
that originated in the mid 1960s, and since
that time their members have been con-
sidered influent in Minas Gerais culture and
have important artists such as Tavinho
Moura, Wagner Tiso, Milton Nascimento, Lô
Borges, Beto Guedes, Flávio Venturini, Ton-
inho Horta, Márcio Borges, Fernando Brant
and 14 Bis, among others.
Every two years, the city realizes the FIT
BH, The International Theater Festival of
Belo Horizonte, which attracts artists from all
over Brazil and many parts of the world. In
2006, there was an extreme sports event in
Belo Horizonte with a slogan that became
very popular in Belo Horizonte: "Eu amo BH
radicalmente", or "I
love Belo Horizonte
radically."
The regional food and the "Cachaça", in-
ternational drink from the State of Minas
Gerais are the most top rated of this city.[19]
Museum
Belo Horizonte has a number of museums,
among them: Mineiro Museum, Abílio Bar-
reto Historic Museum, Arts and Workman-
ship Museum, Natural History Museum and
the UFMG Botanic Gardens, Telephone Mu-
seum, Pampulha Art Museum, Mineralogy
Museum Prof. Taylor Gramke, UFMG Conser-
vatory, Giramundo Museum.
Events
Street in the city.
BH at evening.
Comida di Buteco
In January and February, a specialist jury
selects 31 bars which, in the months of April
and May, compete to see which one makes
the best appetizers.
International Theater Festival
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Belo Horizonte
9
With the merger of two projects that
would happen separately in 1994, one stage
based, organized by the Francisco Nunes
Theater, and the other street based, idealized
by Grupo Galpão, came FIT-BH Palco & Rua.
Produced every two years, under responsibil-
ity
from the Belo Horizonte City Hall,
through the Municipal Culture Office and the
Association Movimento Teatro de Grupo of
Minas Gerais, in the program there are street
and stage shows, and also seminars, work-
shops, courses, talks, etc.
FID - Circulando BH
Between March and April, is the new per-
formance program from FID aiming the wide
dissemination of contemporary dance in the
city of Belo Horizonte. It’s the program that
makes feasible presentations of groups from
Belo Horizonte in their hometown. For this
project the priority invitations went to the
shows created by groups and choreographers
living in the city of Belo Horizonte: Raquel
Pires, Meia Ponta Dance Company, Camaleão
Dance Group, Idéia de Dança, Cia SeraQue?,
Gabriela Christófaro, Mário Nascimento
Dance Company, Dudude Herrmann and
Palácio das Artes Dance Company. The pur-
pose is to take shows and other activities
such as workshops, talks and video screen-
ings to the less privileged regions of the city
regarding access to cultural assets.
Infrastructure
International Airport
Tancredo Neves/Confins International Airport
is located in the municipalities of Lagoa
Santa and Confins, 38 km (23 mi) from Belo
Horizonte, and was opened in January 1984.
It was planned from the start for future ex-
pansion in steps to meet growing demand.
The airport has one of the lowest rates of
shutdown for bad weather in the country.
However, the Confins airport was not using
much of its capacity until 2005, when it was
decided that a large part of the Pampulha
Airport flights (which is smaller and located
inside Belo Horizonte’s urban area) would
move to Confins. It was planned from the
start for future expansion in steps to meet
growing demand. The Tancredo Neves Inter-
national Airport has both domestic and inter-
national flights to Miami, United States, Lis-
bon, Portugal, Buenos Aires, Argentina,
Panama city, Panama.
Highways
The Viaduto Santa Tereza is dated from the
foundation of Belo Horizonte and is still a
very important connection between Floresta
and Downtown.
The city is connected to the rest of Minas
Gerais state and the country by a number of
roadways. Minas Gerais has the country’s
largest federal highway network.[20]
• BR-040 connects Belo Horizonte to Rio de
Janeiro (going south) and Brasília (going
northwest). It also links other cities in the
state, such as Juiz de Fora, Conselheiro
Lafaiete, Santos Dumont, Sete Lagoas,
and Paracatu.
• BR-262 begins in Mato Grosso do Sul and
ends in Espírito Santo, crossing Minas
Gerais from west to east. It links Belo
Horizonte to Pará de Minas, Araxá,
Manhuaçu, Uberaba, and Vitória, the
capital of Espírito Santo state.
• BR-381 is an important federal highway. It
connects Belo Horizonte to São Paulo.
• MG-010 is a state highway that connects
the capital to the Tancredo Neves
International Airport, itself located in the
municipalities of Confins and Lagoa Santa,
which are part of the metropolitan area of
Belo Horizonte. Starting in 2005, several
flights were transferred from the
Pampulha Regional Airport to the
international airport. To improve access to
the international airport, MG-010 is being
expanded (effectively duplicating its
lanes).[21]
The city is also served by other minor roads
such as state highways MG-020, MG-050,
MG-030, and MG-433. There is also an East-
West Express Way, which goes from the city
to the nearby industrial centers of Contagem
and Betim (together having a population of
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Belo Horizonte
10
ca. 900,000), and Anel Rodoviário, a kind of
"beltway" - indeed it is not circumferential,
but connects many highways, such as the
federal (BR-ones) so it is not necessary for a
large number of cars and trucks to pass
through the city center. Many of these roads
are in poor condition, but in the last years
many revitalization and rebuilding projects
have been started.
Distances
View of Belo Horizonte.
View of Belo Horizonte.
• Nova Lima: 22 km (13.6 mi)
• São Sebastião das Águas Claras: 23 km
(14.2 mi);
• Sabará: 25 km (15.5 mi);
• Santa Luzia: 26 km (16.1 mi);
• Contagem: 27 km (16.7 mi);
• Ravena: 30 km (18.6 mi);
• Betim: 31 km (19.2 mi);
• Rio Acima: 34 km (21.1 mi);
• Caeté: 46 km (28.5 mi);
• Juatuba: 49 km (30.4 mi);
• Esmeraldas: 50 km (31 mi);
• Brumadinho: 58 km (36 mi);
• Moeda: 60 km (37.2 mi);
• Florestal: 63 km (39.1 mi);
• Sete Lagoas: 76 km (47 mi).
Bus system
The bus system has a large number of bus
lines going through all parts in the city, and
is administrated by BHTRANS. Among the
upcoming projects are the expansion of the
integration between bus lines and the metro.
Belo Horizonte Metro.
Metro
Belo Horizonte Metro started operating at
the end of 1970s, and is one of the oldest
urban railways in the country. There is still
just one line, with 19 stations, from Vilarinho
to Eldorado Station, in Contagem, but it is
now insufficient to address the commuting
needs of the entire city. Two new lines, from
Santa Tereza to Barreiro, which is being
built, and from Pampulha to Savassi, are be-
ing planned. There is also a project for the
expansion for the first line, from Vilarinho to
Ribeirão das Neves and from Eldorado to
Betim.
Tourism and recreation
Liberty Square.
Belo Horizonte has several of significant cul-
tural landmarks, many of them situated in
the Pampulha district, where there are not-
able examples of Brazilian contemporary ar-
chitecture. These include one of the largest
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Belo Horizonte
11
The Municipal Park (Américo Reneé Gian-
netti) in downtown Belo Horizonte.
Built in 1897 with the city foundation.
São Francisco de Assis Church (Pampulha’s
Church).
soccer stadiums in the world, the Mineirão
stadium, and the São Francisco de Assis
Church, widely known as Igreja da Pampulha,
designed by Brazilian Modernist architect
Oscar Niemeyer. In Pampulha there is also
the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
campus, whose buildings themselves are im-
portant contributions to the city’s architec-
ture. Other notable Pampulha buildings in-
clude the Mesbla and Niemeyer buildings, in
addition to the headquarters of corporations
such as Usiminas, Seculus, and Telemig
Celular.
In downtown Belo Horizonte, are located
the neo-Gothic Boa Viagem Cathedral, the
church of São José, the Praça da Estação
(Station Square), which is an old train station
that now is also the Museum of Arts and
Workmanship, the Municipal Park, the fam-
ous Sete de Setembro Square, where an
Obelisk built in 1922 marks the one hundred
Praça Sete de Setembro (September Seven
Square) with an obelisk that celebrates
Brazilian independence.
years
of
Brazilian
independence
from
Portugal.
Near downtown, in the Lourdes neighbor-
hood, the Lourdes Basilica is located, which
is an example of Gothic Revival style. The
Nossa Senhora de Fátima Church, in Santo
Agostinho neighborhood, is situated in Carlos
Chagas Square. Both churches are referred
to as
the Assembléia Church and the
Assembléia Square due to their proximity to
the state’s legislative assembly.
Next to downtown is the famous Savassi
region, known for fine restaurants and as a
center of cultural events as well as the best
of the city’s nightlife. Many landmarks are
located there, such as the Praça da Liber-
dade (Liberty Plaza), and its surrounding
buildings, including the Executive Offices of
the governor called the Palace of Liberty
(Palácio da Liberdade), the first building to
be finished during the city’s planned develop-
ment in the late 1890s. Last but not least is
the "Rua do Amendoim" (Peanut Street), an
example of a gravity hill, where parked auto-
mobiles appear to roll uphill, defying gravity.
Whether this is an illusion or a magnetic phe-
nomenon is left to the visitor to decide.
Though most of the effect seems to have dis-
appeared due to housing development in the
area, many people still believe that the street
is magic.
Another important landmark is Praça do
Papa (Plaza of the Pope), located at a high
point just south of the downtown area, with
its spectacular view of the entire city. It is
named for the July 1, 1980 visit by John Paul
II, who held a youth mass there. Afterwards,
he stood and remarked over the sea of
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Belo Horizonte
12
youthful faces, "Que Belo Horizonte!" or
"What a beautiful horizon!" The nearby
Parque das Mangabeiras (Mangabeiras Park)
boasts extensive wildlife, with an area so
huge it has its own internal bus service. It is
not uncommon for tourists to see monkeys
and other animals, and a few people have
even managed to get lost inside its woods.
Sports
The Mineirão Stadium with the Mineirinho
arena next to it.
As in the rest of Brazil, football is the most
popular sport among locals. Belo Horizonte
has two of the most successful teams in the
country, and the city also has one of the
biggest football stadiums in the world, the
Mineirão,
opened
in 1965. The older
Independência Stadium hosted a legendary
victory of the United States World Cup Team
1950 in a 1-0 triumph over England. See Eng-
land v United States (1950) and[22] Atlético
Mineiro, which is also called by its nickname
and mascot "Galo" (rooster) . Yet, one of the
oldest football clubs in the city and was foun-
ded in 1908. Atlético Mineiro was the first
Brazilian champion, in 1971, and has also
won two CONMEBOL Cups (nowadays called
Copa Sudamericana) and 39 State Champion-
ships. In spite of so much tradition, the team
has suffered through very difficult times re-
cently and was relegated to the Brazilian
Série B. However, the club won the champi-
onship in 2006 and is back to Série A in
2007.
Cruzeiro was founded in 1921 by the
members of the local Italian community.
Cruzeiro has been one of Brazil´s most vic-
torius clubs in the 1990s and early 2000s,
winning 4 National Cups, 1 National League,
2 Copa Libertadores, and 2 Supercopa Liber-
tadores, and is also the winner of Taça Brasil
in 1966 and 34 State Championships includ-
ing Supercampeonato Mineiro in 2002. The
city is also home to América Mineiro, which
has its own playing field, the Independência
Stadium. It was a major team in Brazil dec-
ades ago, but passed three years striving to
leave Brazilian League Série C. Things came
worse at the beginning of 2007. The team
was relegated to the Módulo II of Campe-
onato Mineiro and didn’t even qualify for
playing the Série C, being completely out of
Campeonato Brasileiro.
Besides football, Belo Horizonte has one of
the largest attendances at volleyball matches
in the whole country. Crowds usually go to
Mineirinho in order to watch either the Brazil
national volleyball team or Minas Tênis Clube
matches. Minas Tênis Clube is a sport associ-
ation with various modalities. Besides Mineir-
inho, the clubs also plays on its own ground,
the modern Vivo Arena. Both its male and fe-
male volleyball teams have already won the
Brazilian Superleague of Volleyball titles.
Belo Horizonte is one of the proposed cities
to host games in the 2014 FIFA World Cup,
which will be held in Brazil.
Human Development
Belo Horizonte at night.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Belo Horizonte
13
The human development of Belo Horizonte
varies greatly by locality, reflecting the city’s
spatial segregation and vast socioeconomic
inequalities. There are neighborhoods that
had very high human development indexes in
2000 (equal to or greater than the indexes of
some Scandinavian countries), but also those
in the lower range (in line with, for example,
North Africa).[23]
Highest-scoring neighborhoods and
localities:
• Carmo/Sion (0.973) - (Greater than
Iceland - 0.968)
• Cruzeiro/Anchieta (0.970) - (Greater than
Iceland - 0.968)
• Grajau/Gutierrez (0.965) - (Greater than
Australia - 0.962)
• Belvedere/Mangabeiras/Comiteco (0.964) -
(Greater than Australia - 0.962)
• Serra/São Lucas (0.953) - (Equal to Japan,
Netherlands - 0.953)
Food as a right
In 1993, under mayor Patrus Ananias de
Souza, the city started a series of innovations
based on its citizens having the "right to
food". These include, for example, creating
farmers’ markets in the town to enable direct
sales, and regularly surveying current market
prices and posting the results across the city.
The city’s process of participatory budgeting
was linked with these innovations, as a result
of which the infant mortality rate was re-
duced by 50% in a decade.[24]
Sister cities
Belo Horizonte’s sister cities are:[25]
•
Austin,
United States
(1965)[26]
•
Luanda,
Angola (1968)[27]
•
Zahle,
Lebanon
(1974)[28]
•
Granada,
Spain (1975)[29]
•
Porto,
Portugal
(1986)[30]
•
Minsk,
Belarus (1987)[31]
•
Bethlehem,
Palestine
(2001)[33]
•
Hims, Syria
(2001)[34]
•
Masaya,
Nicaragua
(2002)[35]
•
Tripoli, Libya
(2003)[36]
•
Fort
Lauderdale,
United States
(2003)[37]
•
Tegucigalpa,
Honduras
(2004)[38]
•
Havana, Cuba
(1995)[32]
•
Nanjing,
China (1996)[32]
•
Cuenca,
Ecuador
(2004)[39]
•
Newark, New
Jersey, United
States (2006)[40]
See also
A view of Belo Horizonte.
• List of Mayors of Belo Horizonte
• Praça da Liberdade
• Tancredo Neves International Airport
• Sepultura
• Minas Gerais
• Clube da Esquina
• Pato Fu
• List of municipalities in Minas Gerais
• Liliane Ferrarezi
• Inconfidência Mineira
References
[1] This is the local pronunciation.
Elsewhere in Brazil it is pronounced
[bɛlu oɾiˈzõtʃi], ([bɛlu oɾiˈzõti], or [bɛlu
oɾiˈzõte]
[2] Belo Horizonte in Brazil Travel
[3] About Belo Horizonte
[4] BH city
[5] "Estimativas / Contagem da População
2007". 2007-11-14.
http://www.ibge.gov.br/home/estatistica/
populacao/contagem2007/
popmunic2007layoutTCU14112007.xls.
Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
[6] "Tabela 793 - População residente, em 1º
de abril de 2007: Publicação Completa".
2007-11-14.
http://www.sidra.ibge.gov.br/bda/tabela/
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Belo Horizonte
14
listabl.asp?z=cd&o=17&i=P&c=793.
Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
[7]^ Projeto Manuelzão-(UFMG). Arrudas e
Onça agravam situação do Rio das
Velhas: Condições ambientais das sub-
bacias refletem impacto da região
metropolitana. Boletim das subbacias
do Rio das Velhas, Belo Horizonte, n.5,
p. 1-3, September 17th, 2003.
[8] Projeto Manuelzão-(UFMG). "BH
inaugura nova estação de tratamento de
esgotos". http://www.manuelzao.ufmg.br/
folder_informa/folder_release/
07-06-2006-bh-inaugura-nova-estacao-de-
tratamento-de-esgotos. Retrieved on
January 30th, 2009.
[9] "Average Conditions - Belo Horizonte".
MSN Weather.
http://weather.uk.msn.com/
monthly_averages.aspx?wealocations=wc:BRXX0033.
Retrieved on 2008-09-27.
[10] (in Portuguese) (PDF) Síntese de
Indicadores Sociais 2008. Belo
Horizonte, Brazil: IBGE. 2008. ISBN
85-240-3919-1. http://www.ibge.gov.br/
home/estatistica/populacao/
condicaodevida/indicadoresminimos/
sinteseindicsociais2008/
indic_sociais2008.pdf. Retrieved on
2009-01-31.
[11]Portuguese immigration
[12] Italian origin in BH
[13] Italian Culture in BH
[14]German immigration
[15]Arab immigration
[16]Sistema IBGE de Recuperação
Automática - SIDRA
[17] (in Portuguese) (PDF) GDP. Belo
Horizonte, Brazil: IBGE. 2005. ISBN
85-240-3919-1. http://pt.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Belo_Horizonte. Retrieved on
2007-07-18.
[18] (in Portuguese) (PDF) per capita income.
Belo Horizonte, Brazil: IBGE. 2005. ISBN
85-240-3919-1. http://pt.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Belo_Horizonte. Retrieved on
2007-07-18.
[19]Regional food and drink in BH
[20] (in Portuguese) (PDF) Tempo bom e
trânsito lento marcam volta de feriado.
Belo Horizonte, Brazil: Terra. 2007.
ISBN 85-240-3919-1.
http://noticias.terra.com.br/brasil/
interna/0,,OI1422832-EI306,00.html.
Retrieved on 2007-02-22.
[21] (in Portuguese) (PDF) Linha Verde. Belo
Horizonte, Brazil: Governo do Estado de
Minas Gerais. 2007. ISBN
85-240-3919-1.
http://www.linhaverde.mg.gov.br/.
Retrieved on 2007-01-30.
[22] (in Portuguese) (PDF) Soccerhall. Belo
Horizonte, Brazil: Soccerhall. 2005.
ISBN 85-240-3919-1.
http://national.soccerhall.org/
Monthly%20Column/MC.May.2005.htm.
Retrieved on 2007-07-18.
[23] (in Portuguese) (PDF) HDI. Belo
Horizonte, Brazil: PNUD. 2000. ISBN
85-240-3919-1. http://www.pnud.org.br/
pobreza_desigualdade/reportagens/
index.php?id01=2480&lay=pde.
Retrieved on 2008-01-09.
[24]FRANCIS MOORE LAPPÉ,
CounterPunch, 18 March 2009, The City
That Ended Hunger
[25] "Mayor’s International Council Sister
Cities Program". Belo Horizonte, Minas
Gerais. http://www.pbh.gov.br/bh-
internacional/bhz-acordos_irmas.htm.
Retrieved on 2008-08-18.
[26]Câmara Municipal de Belo Horizonte.
"Lei nº 1.999, de 27 de agosto de 1965".
http://cmbhapweb.cmbh.mg.gov.br:8080/
silinternet/consultaNormas/
detalheNorma.do?id=2c907f76166df5df01167099e6
Retrieved on 29 de dezembro de 2008.
[27]Câmara Municipal de Belo Horizonte.
"Lei n° 1.485 de 7 de maio de 1968".
http://cmbhapweb.cmbh.mg.gov.br:8080/
silinternet/consultaNormas/
detalheNorma.do?id=2c907f76166df5df011670e158
Retrieved on 29 de dezembro de 2008.
[28]Câmara Municipal de Belo Horizonte.
"Lei n° 2.380, de 11 de dezembro de
1974".
http://cmbhapweb.cmbh.mg.gov.br:8080/
silinternet/consultaNormas/
detalheNorma.do?id=2c907f76166df5df0116713432
Retrieved on 29 de dezembro de 2008.
[29]Câmara Municipal de Belo Horizonte.
"Lei n° 2.492, de 22 de julho de 1975".
http://cmbhapweb.cmbh.mg.gov.br:8080/
silinternet/consultaNormas/
detalheNorma.do?id=2c907f76166df5df01167188d2
Retrieved on 29 de dezembro de 2008.
[30]Câmara Municipal de Belo Horizonte.
"Lei n° 4.574, de 15 de outubro de
1986".
http://cmbhapweb.cmbh.mg.gov.br:8080/
silinternet/consultaNormas/
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Belo Horizonte
15
detalheNorma.do?id=2c907f76166df5df01166f419d17020a&metodo=detalhar#.
Retrieved on 29 de dezembro de 2008.
[31]Câmara Municipal de Belo Horizonte.
"Lei n° 4.926, de 18 de dezembro de
1987".
http://cmbhapweb.cmbh.mg.gov.br:8080/
silinternet/consultaNormas/
detalheNorma.do?id=2c907f76166df5df01166eec0ec65c99&metodo=detalhar#.
Retrieved on 29 de dezembro de 2008.
[32]^ Prefeitura Municipal de Belo
Horizonte. "Relações Internacionais -
Cidades Irmãs".
http://portalpbh.pbh.gov.br/pbh/ecp/
comunidade.do?evento=portlet&pIdPlc=ecpTaxonomiaMenuPortal&app=relacoesinternacionais&tax
Retrieved on 29 de dezembro de 2008.
[33]Câmara Municipal de Belo Horizonte.
"Lei n° 8.150, de 04 de janeiro de 2001
(que altera a Lei nº 7.737, de 27 de maio
de 1999)".
http://cmbhapweb.cmbh.mg.gov.br:8080/
silinternet/consultaNormas/
detalheNorma.do?id=2c907f76166df5df01166f2751047715&metodo=detalhar#.
Retrieved on 29 de dezembro de 2008.
[34]Câmara Municipal de Belo Horizonte.
"Lei nº 8.272, de 26 de dezembro de
2001".
http://cmbhapweb.cmbh.mg.gov.br:8080/
silinternet/consultaNormas/
detalheNorma.do?id=2c907f76166df5df01166f6286e30f57&metodo=detalhar#.
Retrieved on 29 de dezembro de 2008.
[35]Câmara Municipal de Belo Horizonte.
"Lei nº 8.443, de 25 de novembro de
2002".
http://cmbhapweb.cmbh.mg.gov.br:8080/
silinternet/consultaNormas/
detalheNorma.do?id=2c907f76166df5df01166f8b76051f06&metodo=detalhar#.
Retrieved on 29 de dezembro de 2008.
[36]Câmara Municipal de Belo Horizonte.
"Lei nº 8.559, de 17 de junho de 2003".
http://cmbhapweb.cmbh.mg.gov.br:8080/
silinternet/consultaNormas/
detalheNorma.do?id=2c907f76166df5df01166faa87422a64&metodo=detalhar#.
Retrieved on 29 de dezembro de 2008.
[37]Câmara Municipal de Belo Horizonte.
"Lei n° 8.591, de 18 de junho de 2003".
http://cmbhapweb.cmbh.mg.gov.br:8080/
silinternet/consultaNormas/
detalheNorma.do?id=2c907f76166df5df01166fae67962bc7&metodo=detalhar#.
Retrieved on 29 de dezembro de 2008.
[38]Câmara Municipal de Belo Horizonte.
"Lei nº 8.729, de 06 de janeiro de 2004".
http://cmbhapweb.cmbh.mg.gov.br:8080/
silinternet/consultaNormas/
detalheNorma.do?id=2c907f76166df5df01166fc44b7
Retrieved on 29 de dezembro de 2008.
[39]Câmara Municipal de Belo Horizonte.
"Lei nº 8.867, de 17 de junho de 2004".
http://cmbhapweb.cmbh.mg.gov.br:8080/
silinternet/consultaNorms/
detalheNorma.do?id=2c907f76166df5df01166fd3e81
Retrieved on 29 de dezembro de 2008.
[40]Câmara Municipal de Belo Horizonte.
"Lei nº 9.156, de 12 de janeiro de 2006".
http://cmbhapweb.cmbh.mg.gov.br:8080/
silinternt/consultaNormas/
detalheNorma.do?id=2c907f76166df5df01167005a5
Retrieved on 29 de dezembro de 2008.
External links
Official
• (Portuguese) Official homepage
• (Portuguese) Estado de Minas Gerais
Newspaper
Education
• (Portuguese) PUC-MG - the Pontifical
Catholic University of Minas Gerais
• (Portuguese) UFMG - Federal University
of Minas Gerais
• (English) Escola Americana de Belo
Horizonte - (American School of Belo
Horizonte)
• (Italian) Escola Internacional Fundação
Torino (School of Torino International
Foundation)
Photos
• Images of Belo Horizonte
Tourism
• Belo Horizonte travel guide from
Wikitravel
• Information about Belo Horizonte
• Travel Information
• (Portuguese) Maplink - Belo Horizonte
Street Guide and Maps
• (Portuguese) Belo Horizonte Yellow Pages
• (Portuguese) Culture in Belo Horizonte
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belo_Horizonte"
Categories: Cities, towns and villages in Minas Gerais State, State capitals in Brazil, Settle-
ments established in 1701, Planned cities in Brazil
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Belo Horizonte
16
This page was last modified on 16 May 2009, at 19:55 (UTC). All text is available under the
terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details.) Wikipedia® is a
registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a U.S. registered 501(c)(3) tax-
deductible nonprofit charity. Privacy policy About Wikipedia Disclaimers
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Belo Horizonte
17