Place:Minas Gerais, Brazil

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NameMinas Gerais
Alt namesMG
TypeState
Coordinates18°S 44°W
Located inBrazil     (1891 - )
Contained Places
Inhabited place
Abadia dos Dourados
Abaeté
Abel
Abre Campo
Acaiaca
Aguanil
Aimorés
Aiuruoca
Alagoa
Albertina
Alfenas
Alfredo Vasconcelos
Almenara
Alpercata
Alpinópolis
Alterosa
Alto Caparaó
Alto Jequitibá
Alto Rio Doce
Alvarenga
Alvinópolis
Alvorada de Minas
Além Paraíba
Amparo do Serra
Andradas
Andrelândia
Angelândia
Angustura
Antônio Carlos
Aracitaba
Araguari ( 1800 - )
Arantina
Araxá
Araçuaí
Araújos
Arceburgo
Arcos
Arcângelo
Areado
Argirita
Astolfo Dutra
Açucena
Baependi
Baldim
Bambu
Bambuí
Bandeira do Sul
Barbacena ( 1700 - )
Barão de Cocais
Bateia
Belmiro Braga
Belo Horizonte ( 1800 - )
Belo Vale
Benjamim Constant
Bias Fortes
Bicas do Meio
Bicas
Biquinhas
Boa Esperança
Boa Vereda
Bocaiúva
Bom Despacho
Bom Jardim de Minas
Bom Repouso
Bom Retiro
Borda da Mata
Botelhos
Brasília de Minas
Brazópolis
Braúnas
Brumadinho
Bueno Brandão
Buenópolis
Buritizeiro
Cabo Verde
Cachoeira de Minas
Caetanópolis
Caeté
Cafundó
Caldas
Camanducaia
Cambuquira
Cambuí
Campanha
Campestre
Campina Verde
Campo Belo
Campo Florido
Campo da Bocaina
Campolide
Campos Altos
Campos Gerais
Candeias
Canápolis
Capelinha do Embirazal
Capelinha
Capinópolis
Caquende
Carandaí
Carangola
Caratinga
Caraí
Careaçu
Carlos Alves
Carlos Chagas
Carmo da Cachoeira
Carmo de Minas
Carmo do Paranaíba
Carmópolis de Minas
Carrancas
Carvalhos
Cascalho Rico
Cataguarino
Cataguases
Caxambu
Centralina
Chiador
Chácara
Coimbra
Coluna
Colômbia
Comendador Gomes
Comercinho
Conceição da Aparecida
Conceição da Ibitipoca
Conceição da Pedra
Conceição das Alagoas
Conceição de Ipanema
Conceição do Formoso
Conceição do Mato Dentro
Conceição do Rio Verde
Conceição dos Ouros
Congonhal
Congonhas
Conquista
Conselheiro Lafaiete ( 1700 - )
Conselheiro Pena
Consolação
Coração de Jesus
Cordisburgo
Corinto
Coroaci
Coromandel
Coronel Fabriciano
Coronel Murta
Coronel Pacheco
Corrego do Bom Jesus
Correia de Almeida
Costas
Cristina
Crisólia
Crucilândia
Cruzília
Curvelo
Cássia
Córrego do Ouro
Delfim Moreira
Delfinópolis
Descoberto
Diamante de Ubá
Diamantina ( 1400 - )
Dias
Dionísio
Divino
Divinópolis ( 1880 - )
Divisa Nova
Dom Cavati
Dom Joaquim
Dom Silvério
Dom Viçoso
Dona Euzébia
Dores do Indaiá
Dores do Paraibuna
Douradinho
Elói Mendes
Emboabas
Entre-Rios de Minas
Eremita
Espera Feliz
Espinosa
Espírito Santo do Dourado
Estiva
Estrêla do Indaiá
Estrêla do Sul
Eubanque
Extrema
Felixlândia
Ferros
Florestina
Formiga
Francisco Sá
Francês dos Carvalhos
Fronteira
Frutal
Galiléia
Goianá
Gonzaga
Gonçalves
Gouveia
Governador Valadares ( 1900 - )
Gramínea
Grão Mogol
Guaipava
Guanhães
Guaraciama
Guarani
Guaranésia
Guarará
Guaxupé
Guiricema
Góis
Heliodora
Iapu
Ibertioga
Ibiraci
Ibirapuã
Ibitiguaia
Ibitiúra De Minas
Ibiá
Ilicínea
Inconfidentes
Indianópolis
Ingaí
Inhapim
Inhaúma
Inimutaba
Ipatinga
Ipuiúna
Itabira
Itaboca
Itaguara
Itaim
Itajubá ( 1800 - )
Itamarandiba
Itamarati de Minas
Itambacuri
Itamonte
Itanhandu
Itanhomi
Itaobím
Itapajipe
Itapecerica
Itapeva
Itaúna
Itinga
Itueta
Ituiutaba ( 1850 - )
Itumirim
Iturama
Itutinga
Ituí
Jacaré
Jacinto
Jacutinga
Janaúba
Januária
Jequeri
Jequitaí
Jequitinhonha
Jesuânia
Joanésia
Joaíma
Jordânia
João Pinheiro
Juiz de Fora
Juramento
Juruaia
Juréia
Ladainha
Lagoa Dourada
Lagoa Formosa
Lagoa Santa
Lagoa da Prata
Laje
Lajinha
Lambari
Laranjal
Lassance
Lavras
Leopoldina
Liberdade
Lima Duarte
Lourenço Velho
Luminosa
Luminárias
Luz
Machado
Machados
Madre de Deus de Minas
Malacacheta
Manga
Manhuaçu
Manhumirim
Mar de Espanha
Maria da Fé
Mariana
Marins
Maripá de Minas
Martinho Campos
Matias Barbosa
Matipó
Mato Verde
Matozinhos
Matutina
Medina
Mercês
Mesquita
Milagre
Minas Novas
Minduri
Miradouro
Mirantão
Miraí
Moeda
Moema
Moinhos
Monsenhor Paulo
Monte Alegre de Minas
Monte Azul
Monte Belo
Monte Santo de Minas
Monte Sião
Montes Claros ( 1800 - )
Morada Nova de Minas
Morro do Pilar
Munhoz
Muriaé
Mutum
Nanuque
Natércia
Nazareno
Nepomuceno
Nova Era
Nova Lima
Nova Ponte
Nova Resende
Nôvo Cruzeiro
Olaria
Olegário Maciel
Oliveira Fortes
Oliveira
Olímpio Noronha
Ouro Fino
Ouro Preto
Padre Brito
Padre Paraíso
Pains
Paiol da Vargem
Paiolinho
Paiva
Palma
Palmeiral
Panamá
Paracatu
Paraguaçu
Paraisópolis
Paraopeba
Paraty
Paraíso Garcia
Paraíso
Paredes do Sapucaí
Passa Quatro
Passa Vinte
Passos ( 1700 - )
Patos de Minas
Patrocínio
Paula Lima
Paulistas
Pedra Azul
Pedralva
Pedro Leopoldo
Pedro Teixeira
Penha Longa
Pequeri
Perdizes
Pereiras
Peçanha
Piacatuba
Piau
Piedade do Rio Grande
Pinheirinhos
Pintos Negreiros
Pirajuba
Piranga
Piranguinho
Pirapetinga
Pirapora
Piraúba
Pitangui
Pocinhos do Rio Verde
Pocrane
Pompéu
Pontalete
Ponte Nova
Pontes
Porciúncula
Porteirinha
Porto Velho do Cunha
Porto das Flôres
Posses
Poté
Pouso Alegre
Pouso Alto
Poço Fundo
Poços de Caldas
Prados
Prata
Pratinha
Pratápolis
Pregos
Presidente Olegário
Protestantes
Providência
Pântano
Pé do Morro
Raul Soares
Recreio
Resplendor
Ribeiro Junqueira
Ribeiros
Ribeirão Fundo
Ribeiŗao Vermelho
Rio Casca
Rio Espera
Rio Novo
Rio Pardo de Minas
Rio Piracicaba
Rio Pomba
Rio Prêto
Rio Vermelho
Rio do Prado
Rocha
Rochedo de Minas
Rodeiro
Roseiras
Rosário de Minas
Roça Grande
Rubim
Sabará
Sabinópolis
Sacramento
Salinas
Santa Bárbara do Monte Verde
Santa Cruz do Prata
Santa Juliana
Santa Luísa de Baixo
Santa Maria Madalena
Santa Maria de Itabira
Santa Maria do Suaçuí
Santa Rita de Caldas
Santa Rita de Jacutinga
Santa Rita do Ibitipoca
Santa Rita do Sapucaí
Santa Vitória
Santana da Vargem
Santana de Caldas
Santana de Cataguases
Santana do Capivari
Santana do Deserto
Santana do Garambéu
Santo Antônio da Boa Vista
Santo Antônio do Amparo
Santo Antônio do Aventureiro
Santos Dumont
Sapucaí
Sapucaí-Mirim
Sapé
Sarandira
Saudade
Senador Amaral
Senador Côrtes
Senador Firmino
Senador José Bento
Senhora do Pôrto
Sereno
Seritinga
Serra do Salitre
Serranos
Serraria
Serrânia
Sertãozinho
Sete Lagoas
Silvianópolis
Simão Pereira
Soledade de Minas
São Bento de Caldas
São Domingos da Bocaina
São Domingos
São Francisco
São Gonçalo do Abaeté
São Gonçalo do Pará
São Gonçalo do Sapucaí
São Gonçalo
São José do Alegre
São José do Goiabal
São José dos Campos ( 1767 - )
São José dos Lopes
São João Evangelista
São João Nepomuceno
São João da Fronteira
São João da Mata
São João da Ponte
São João da Serra
São João del Rei ( 1500 - )
São João do Paraíso
São Lourenço
São Mateus de Minas
São Miguel do Anta
São Romão
São Sebastião da Bela Vista
São Sebastião da Vitória
São Sebastião do Barreado
São Sebastião do Maranhão
São Sebastião do Paraíso
São Sebastião do Rio Verde
São Sebastião dos Peitudos
São Sebastião dos Robertos
São Simão
São Tiago
São Tomás de Aquino
São Tomé das Letras
São Vicente de Minas
Sêrro
Tabuleiro
Tabuão
Taiobeiras
Tapiraí
Taruaçu
Tarumirim
Tebas
Teixeiras
Tenentes
Teófilo Otôni
Tiradentes
Tiros
Tocos do Mogi
Toledo
Tombos
Torreões
Trimonte
Três Corações
Três Ilhas
Três Pontas
Tugúrio
Tumiritinga
Tupaciguara
Turmalina
Ubaí
Uberaba ( 1800 - )
Uberlândia ( 1800 - )
Ubá
Unaí
Vargem do Laje
Varginha
Vazante
Veríssimo
Vespasiano
Vieiras
Virgem da Lapa
Virginópolis
Virgolândia
Virgínia
Visconde do Rio Branco
Vista Alegre
Viçosa
Volta Grande
Várzea da Palma
Wenceslau Braz
Água Boa
Água Comprida
Água Viva
Águas Formosas
Águas Vermelhas
Águas de Contendas
Éngenho Novo
Unknown
Acuruí
Amanhece
Araponga
Araporã
Bandeirantes
Barra Longa
Barroso
Bação
Betim
Bocaina de Minas
Bom Jesus da Penha
Bom Sucesso
Bonfim
Cachoeira do Brumado
Cachoeira do Campo
Camargos
Campo do Meio
Cana Verde
Capela Nova
Capetinga
Carmo da Mata
Carmo do Cajuru
Carmo do Rio Claro
Carvalhópolis
Cassiterita
Catas Altas de Noruega
Catas Altas
Cipotânea
Claraval
Cláudio
Conceição do Pará
Contagem
Coqueiral
Coronel Xavier Chaves
Cristais
Córrego Danta
Desterro de Entre Rios
Diogo de Vasconcelos
Dores de Campos
Dores do Turvo
Emboadas
Fama
Fortaleza de Minas
Furquim
Glaura
Goianases
Guapé
Guaraciaba
Guardinha
Ibituruna
Igaratinga
Ijaci
Itabirito
Itacambira
Itatiaiuçu
Itaverava
Jacuí
Lamim
Macaúbas
Maravilhas
Marilândia
Mateus Leme
Monsenhor Horta
Morro Vermelho
Morro do Ferro
Muzambinho
Nova Serrana
Onça de Pitangui
Ouro Branco
Padre Viegas
Paineiras
Pará de Minas
Passa Tempo
Passagem de Mariana
Patos
Paula Cândido
Pedra Bonita
Pedra do Indaiá
Perdigão
Perdões
Picatuba
Piedade dos Gerais
Pinheiros Altos
Piracema
Piranguçu
Piuí
Ponte Alta
Porto Novo
Presidente Wenceslau Braz
Pôrto dos Mendes
Raposos
Resende Costa
Rio Acima
Rio das Mortes
Ritápolis
Romaria
Sant'Ana dos Montes
Santa Bárbara
Santa Cruz do Escalvado
Santa Luzia
Santa Quitéria
Santa Rita Durão
Santana de Capivari
Santana do Jacaré
Santo Antônio dos Campos
Silveirânia
São Bento de Tamanduá
São Gotardo
São José da Barra
São José de Paraopeba
São João Batista do Glória
São Pedro da União
São Sebastião do Oeste
Taquaraçu de Minas
Turvolândia
source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
source: Family History Library Catalog


the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Minas Gerais is a state in Southeastern Brazil. It ranks as the second most populous, the third by gross domestic product (GDP), and the fourth largest by area in the country. The state's capital and largest city, Belo Horizonte, is a major urban and finance center in Latin America, and the sixth largest municipality in Brazil, after the cities of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Brasília and Fortaleza, but its metropolitan area is the third largest in Brazil with just over 5,800,000 inhabitants, after those of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Nine Brazilian presidents were born in Minas Gerais, the most of any state. The state has 10.1% of the Brazilian population and is responsible for 8.7% of the Brazilian GDP.

With an area of —larger than Metropolitan France—it is the fourth most extensive state in Brazil. The main producer of coffee and milk in the country, Minas Gerais is known for its heritage of architecture and colonial art in historical cities such as São João del-Rei, Congonhas, Ouro Preto, Diamantina, Tiradentes, Mariana, Sabará and Serro. In the south, the tourist points are the hydro mineral spas, such as Caxambu, Lambari, São Lourenço, Poços de Caldas, São Thomé das Letras, Monte Verde (a district of the municipality of Camanducaia) and the national parks of Caparaó and Canastra. The landscape of the state is marked by mountains, valleys, and large areas of fertile lands. In the Serra do Cipó, Sete Lagoas, Cordisburgo and Lagoa Santa, the caves and waterfalls are the attractions. Some of Brazil's most famous caverns are located there.

Contents

History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Indigenous inhabitation

The region where Minas Gerais is today was inhabited by indigenous peoples as long ago as 11,400 to 12,000 years ago, based on the estimated age of Luzia, the name of the oldest human fossil found in the Americas. Luzia was found in excavations in Lapa Vermelha, a cave in the region of Lagoa Santa and Pedro Leopoldo, in the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte. In the region of the municipalities of Januária, Montalvânia, Itacarambi and Juvenília, in the north of the state of Minas Gerais, archaeological excavations have led to estimates that the initial settlement occurred between 11,000 and 12,000 years ago. Starting in this period, cultural characteristics emerged, such as the use of stone or bone, the creation of cemeteries and small grain silos, as well as cave paintings. Later, about four thousand years ago, it is speculated that vegetable cultivation occurred, in particular corn, and that two thousand years ago, ceramic products were already being manufactured.

The discovery of Luzia in the 1970s led to the hypothesis that the settlement of the Americas was begun with the migration of hunter gatherers from Asia, probably through the Bering Strait, by way of a land bridge called Beringia (which was left by the recession of the sea during the last ice age).[1][2] The indigenous peoples of Minas Gerais, as well as throughout Brazil and South America, are descendants of the groups who migrated there through North America.

More than a hundred indigenous groups inhabited the state of Minas Gerais. The region was occupied until the 16th century by indigenous peoples of the Macro-Jê such as the Xakriabá, the Maxakali, the Crenaques, the Aranãs, the Mocurins, the Atu-auá-araxás and the Purí. A few decades after Portuguese colonization, however, they became targets of enslavement, and were, for centuries, captured by Bandeirantes to work on their farms or to be sold; those who revolted were subject to genocide. There are currently five groups: the Xakriabá, the Crenaques, the Maxakalis, the Pataxós and the Pankararus.[3]

Colonial era

In the colonial era, the Brazilian interior was colonized by Portuguese and bandeirantes. The Brazilian gold rush ushered in an influx of new settlers in search of veins of gold (discovered 1693) and gems, and later diamonds which come from the naturally occurring itacolumite rock that can be found in great numbers in the region. These helped to boost occupation of the inner lands and led to the foundation of several new villages. In 1697, the Portuguese used enslaved African labor to start building the Estrada Real, the "royal road," that would connect the ports of cities of Rio de Janeiro and Paraty to the mineral-rich regions of Ouro Preto, Serro, and, at the northernmost point, Diamantina. In 1753 Rosa Egipcíaca was enslaved and forced to work as a prostitute in a mine in the region, until she became ill and began to have religious visions. These visions led to her arrest and imprisonment and ultimately interrogation by the Inquisition. She recorded them in the first book to be written by a black woman in Brazil - Sagrada Teologia do Amor Divino das Almas Peregrinas.

Prior to 1720, Minas Gerais was part of the captaincy of São Vicente (later renamed São Paulo e Minas de Ouro). The first capital of Minas Gerais, and seat of the local see, was the city of Mariana; it was later moved to Vila Rica. In the late 18th century, Vila Rica was the largest city in Brazil and one of the most populous in the Americas. As the gold mines were exhausted over the 19th century, the city lost its importance; it was later renamed Ouro Preto and remained the state capital until the construction of the all-new, planned city of Belo Horizonte at the turn of the 20th century. The gold cycle left its mark in cities such as Mariana, Ouro Preto, Diamantina, Sabará, Tiradentes and São João del Rei. The relative isolation from European influence, added to the huge influx of gold and other valuable minerals, helped the local people to develop their own style of art, which became known as Barroco Mineiro. Prime examples of this period are the richly decorated churches in the colonial cities. The most important artist of this period was Antônio Francisco Lisboa, who became known as Aleijadinho. His sculptural and architectural work, as exhibited in the Twelve Prophets and The Church of Saint Francis of Assisi in Ouro Preto, are highly valued by experts as one of the most refined artistic expressions outside Europe at that time.

In addition to art and architecture, there was an explosion of musical activity in Minas Gerais in the 18th century. Printed copies of European music, as well as accomplished musicians, made the journey to the area, and soon a local school of composition and performance was born and achieved considerable sophistication. Several composers worked in Minas Gerais in the 18th century, mainly in Vila Rica (now Ouro Preto), Sabará, Mariana, and other cities. Some of the names which have survived include José Joaquim Emerico Lobo de Mesquita, Marcos Coelho Neto, Francisco Gomes da Rocha and Ignácio Parreiras Neves; they cultivated a style related to the classical European style but marked by more a more chordal, homophonic sound, and they usually wrote for mixed groups of voices and instruments.

Guimarães Rosa's literature is mostly situated in Minas Gerais, with locations widely located across the State (hence the term General, although more concentrated in its north) rather than delimited and identifiable. This northern area began to be colonized (with brutal conflicts with the large Amerindian population who lived in some parts, especially in Vale do Jequitinhonha) and became accessible to colonists departing from Bahia up north, which made the Portuguese crown insert the region within the state of Minas Gerais's borders in order to prevent gold and diamond smuggling from people trying to avoid colonial taxation and oversight; thus the captaincy of Minas Gerais was closely watched by the crown because of its tax revenue.


During the 18th century, mining exploration was strongly controlled by the Portuguese Crown, which imposed heavy taxes on everything extracted (one fifth of all gold would go to the Crown). Several rebellions were attempted by the colonists, always facing strong reaction by the imperial crown. One of the most important was the that ended with his execution but also with the separation of Minas Gerais from the captaincy São Paulo e Minas de Ouro. The most notable one, however, was the Minas Gerais conspiracy, started in 1789 by a group of middle-class colonists, mostly intellectuals and young officers. They were inspired by the American and French Enlightenment ideals. The conspiracy failed and the rebels were arrested and exiled. The most famous of them, Joaquim José da Silva Xavier (known as Tiradentes), was hanged by order of Queen Maria I of Portugal, becoming a local hero and a national martyr of Brazil. The Minas Gerais flag—a red triangle on a white background, along with the Latin motto "Libertas quæ sera tamen", "freedom albeit late"—is based on the design for the national flag proposed by the "Inconfidentes", as the rebels became known.

In the economic history of Brazil, Minas Gerais plays a pivotal role in shifting the economic axis from the Brazilian northeast (based on sugarcane, that starts declining in the 18th century) to the southeast of the country, which still remains the major economic center. The large amounts of gold found in the region attracted the attention of Portugal back to Brazil, progressively turning Rio de Janeiro into an important port city, from where these would be shipped to Portugal and where the Portuguese crown would eventually move its administration in 1808 after Napoleon Bonaparte's invasion of Portugal (see Transfer of the Portuguese Court to Brazil).

Due to the economic importance of the state and the particular traits of the local population—famed for its reserved and balanced character—Minas Gerais has also played an important role on national politics. During the 19th century, politicians such as José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva were instrumental in the establishment of the Brazilian Empire under the rule of Dom Pedro I and later his son, Dom Pedro II. After the installation of the First Brazilian Republic, during the early 20th century, Minas Gerais shared the control of the national political scene with São Paulo in what became known as the "Coffee with Milk politics" (coffee being the major product of São Paulo, and milk representing Minas Gerais' dairy industry, despite the latter also being an important coffee producer).

Minas Gerais was also home to two of the most influential Brazilian politicians of the second half of the 20th century. Juscelino Kubitschek was president from 1956 to 1961, and he was responsible for the construction of Brasília as the new capital of Brazil. Tancredo Neves had an extensive political career that culminated with his election in 1984 to be the first civil president after the 1964 military coup. However, he died after a series of health complications just as he was about to assume the position. Also, Itamar Franco, former president of Brazil, lived there, though he was not born in Minas Gerais.

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This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at Minas Gerais. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with WeRelate, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.