Belo Horizonte
City skyline, with Serra do Curral as background
Flag Seal
Nickname: BH, The city garden. A nickname is a Name of an entity or thing that is not its Proper name.
Motto: There is no place better than BH. A motto (from the Italian word motto, meaning witticism sentence is a phrase meant to formally describe the general motivation or intention of a social group
Location of Belo Horizonte
Coordinates: 19°55′8.88″S 43°56′19.2″W / -19.9191333, -43.938667
Country	Brazil
Region	Southeast
State	Minas Gerais
Founded	1901
Incorporated (as city)	December 12, 1897
Government
- Mayor	Fernando da Mata Pimentel (PT)
Area
- City	330. Wikipedia talkFeatured lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below -->This list of countries, arranged alphabetically |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld Brazil is currently divided into five Regions (also called Macroregions by the Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica ( IBGE) The Southeast Region of Brazil is composed by the states of Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. The Federative Republic of Brazil is a union of twenty-six estados ("states" singular estado) and formed by the states and one district the Distrito Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, the second most populous and fourth largest by area in the federation A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including (but not necessarily limited to cities, counties, Towns Events 627 - Battle of Nineveh: A Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeats Emperor Khosrau II 's Persian Year 1897 ( MDCCCXCVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning "greater" is a modern title used in many countries for the highest ranking officer in a municipal government Fernando da Mata Pimentel is Mayor of Belo Horizonte in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil. The Workers' Party ( Partido dos Trabalhadores, PT is a left-wing Political party in Brazil. Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. 9 km² (127. To help compare different Orders of magnitude and geographical regions we list here areas between 100 km² and 1000 km² 7 sq mi)
- Metro	9,459. The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. 1 km² (3,652 sq mi)
Elevation	852. The elevation of a Geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point often the mean sea level. 19 m (2,796 ft)
Population (2006)[1]
- City	2,438,526
- Density	6,764. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume 96/km² (17,521/sq mi)
- Metro	5,357,942
Time zone	UTC-3 (UTC-3)
- Summer (DST)	UTC-2 (UTC-2)
HDI (2000)	0. A metropolitan area is a large population center consisting of a large Metropolis and its adjacent zone of influence or of more than one closely adjoining neighboring central Areas using UTC−3 Single zone countries without DST Suriname Single zone countries with DST Areas using UTC−3 Single zone countries without DST Suriname Single zone countries with DST Daylight saving time ( DST UTC−2 is used as offset for Argentina (DST only except for San Luis Province) Brazil: Ocean Islands - UTC−2 is used as offset for Argentina (DST only except for San Luis Province) Brazil: Ocean Islands - The Human Development Index ( HDI) is an index combining normalized measures of Life expectancy, Literacy, Educational attainment, and GDP 839 – high
Website: Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais

Belo Horizonte (Portuguese for "beautiful horizon", (IPA: [bɛloɾiˈzõtʃi]^[2] ) is the capital of Minas Gerais state, located in the southeastern region of Brazil. Portuguese ( or língua portuguesa) is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia (Spain and northern Portugal. Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, the second most populous and fourth largest by area in the federation |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld It is the third largest metropolitan area in the country. In Political geography and International politics, a country is a Political division of a geographical entity Belo Horizonte or "Beagá" as it is more familiarly known from the sound of its initials BH in Portuguese; has a population of almost 2. 4 million and over 5. 3 million in the official Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte.

The first settlements in the region occurred 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. Vila Rica do Ouro Preto (from Portuguese, Rich Village of the Black Gold is a city in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, a former colonial Mining Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, the second most populous and fourth largest by area in the federation It is nowadays well known for the contrast between contemporary and classical buildings, being in fact the location of many modern Brazilian architectural icons, most notably the Pampulha Church.

The city offers interesting leisure areas, theatres boasting an intense artistic-cultural production, good and varied cuisine, exquisite handcrafts available on the markets and specialised shops, and maintains a traditional characteristic: the typical regional hospitality. Theatre (or theater, see spelling differences) is the branch of the Performing arts defined by Bernard Beckerman as what "occurs when one Cuisine (from French cuisine, "cooking culinary art kitchen" ultimately from Latin coquere, "to cook" is a specific set Sao Paulo Stock Exchangejpg|thumb| Virtual market arena where buyer and seller are not present and trade via intemediates and electronical information Economic development has been proceeding 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. Tancredo Neves International Airport, popularly known as Confins International Airport, is located 38 km from downtown Belo Horizonte.

The city is home to the Federal University of Minas Gerais. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais ( Federal University of Minas Gerais, abbreviated as UFMG) is a public University located in Belo Horizonte

Contents 1 Geography 1.1 Climate 2 History 3 Demographics 4 Economy 5 Education 5.1 Educational institutions 6 Culture 7 Infrastructure 7.1 International airport 7.2 Highways 7.3 Distances 7.4 Bus system 7.5 Metro 8 Tourism and recreation 9 Sports 10 Human Development 11 Sister Cities 12 See also 13 References 14 External links 14.1 Official 14.2 Education 14.3 Photos 14.4 Tourism

Geography

Climate

Belo Horizonte's climate can be classified as Tropical altitude, with yearly average temperature between 9°C (48. 2ºF) and 35°C (95ºF). The Köppen climate classification of the region is Cwa (Tropical on high altitudes, humid/warm summer and a dry/cool winter). The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems It was developed by Wladimir Köppen, a German climatologist 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. Southern Hemisphere is the half of a Planet that is South of the Equator —the word hemisphere literally means 'half ball'

Climate chart for Belo Horizonte
J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
296   28 18	188   28 19	163   28 18	61   27 17	27   26 15	14   25 13	15   24 13	13   26 14	40   27 16	123   27 17	227   27 18	319   27 18
temperatures in °C • precipitation totals in mm source: MSN Weather
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     11. 7   82 64     7. 4   82 66     6. 4   82 64     2. 4   81 63     1. 1   79 59     0. 6   77 55     0. 6   75 55     0. 5   79 57     1. 6   81 61     4. 8   81 63     8. 9   81 64     12. 6   81 64 temperatures in °F • precipitation totals in inches

Even though inter-seasonal differences are not as pronounced as they are in temperate 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. |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld

The coldest month is generally July, with a lowest recorded temperature of 3. 1°C (37. 6°F). The hottest month is usually January, with a highest recorded temperature of 35. 4°C (95. 7°F). There can be problems related with low air humidity during August.

The 852m (2795ft) 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 16°C (60. 8°F) and 31°C (87. 8°F), the average being 21°C (69. 8°F). Winter is dry and summer is rainy.

However, its climate is still neither as hot as Rio de Janeiro's, nor as cold as Curitiba's in the winter. Rio de Janeiro ("River of January" ˈhiw dʒi ʒʌˈnejɾu in Brazilian Portuguese, /ˈriːoʊ di ʒəˈnɛroʊ/ in English is the second largest city of Brazil Curitiba (pron kuɾi'tibɐ or kuɾi'tʃibɐ is the capital City of the Brazilian state of Paraná.

History

The metropolis was once a small village, founded by João Leite da Silva Ortiz, a bandeirante explorer from São Paulo. A metropolis (from the Greek μήτηρ mētēr meaning 'mother' and πόλις pólis meaning 'city/town' is a big City, in most cases with A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet, but smaller than a Town or City. The Bandeirantes were Portuguese colonial Scouts who took part in the Bandeiras exploration expeditions São Paulo ( is the largest city in Brazil, with its metropolitan area ranking among the largest urban areas in the world 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. The weather is a set of all the phenomena occurring in a given Atmosphere at a given Time. He then established a farm called "Curral d'el Rey" - archaic Portuguese for the "King's Corral, which in modern Portuguese would be spelled Curral do Rei. Portuguese ( or língua portuguesa) is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia (Spain and northern Portugal. " The farm's wealth and success encouraged people from surrounding places to move into the region, and Curral del Rey became a village surrounded by farms.

Another important growth factor of the village were the migrants from the São Francisco river region, who had to pass through Curral d'el Rey in order to reach southern parts of Brazil. Immigration refers to the movement of people among countries While the movement of people has existed throughout human history at various levels modern immigration implies long-term For other uses see São Francisco (disambiguation The São Francisco River is a river in Brazil with a length of 3160 kilometres Travelers usually visited a small wooden chapel, where they prayed for a safe trip. A chapel is a holy place or area of Worship for Christians, which may be attached to an institution such as a large church, a College, a 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 became 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 Inconfidência Mineira, republican intellectuals who conspired against the Portuguese dominion of Brazil. The Empire of Brazil was a political entity that comprised present-day Brazil under the rule of Emperors Pedro I and his son Pedro II. The Inconfidência Mineira (Minas Conspiracy of 1789, was a Brazilian Independence movement. In 1889 Brazil became a republic, and it was agreed that a new state capital, in tune with a modern and prosperous Minas Gerais, had to be set. A republic is a State or Country that is not led by a hereditary Monarch, but in which the people (or at least a part of its people have impact on its

In 1893, due to good climatic and topographic conditions, Curral Del Rey was elected by Minas Gerais governor Afonso Pena from other cities as the spot for the new economical and cultural center of the state, under the new name of "Cidade de Minas," or Minas City. Afonso Augusto Moreira Pena ( Santa Bárbara, November 30, 1847 &ndash Rio de Janeiro, June 14, 1909) was a Brazilian

Aarão Reis, an urbanist from Pará, was then set to design the first planned city of Brazil, and then Cidade de Minas was inaugurated finally in 1897, with many unfinished constructions as the Brazilian Government set a deadline for its completion. Pará (pa'ɾa is one of the states of Brazil, located in the northern part of the country A new town, planned community or planned city is a City, Town, or Community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically Year 1897 ( MDCCCXCVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Politics of Brazil takes place in a framework of a federal presidential representative democratic Republic, whereby the President of Brazil Inhabitation 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, featuring 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 expansion that increased its commercial and service sectors. Year 1906 ( MCMVI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting For other uses of this term see Industry (disambiguation An industry (from Latin industrius, "diligent industrious" 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), reserved for the public sector functionaries (hence the name of the still trendy neighborhood "Funcionários"), and causing an accelerated occupation outside the city's area well provided with infrastructure since its very beginning. Infrastructure typically refers to the technical structures that support a society such as Roads Water supply, Wastewater, Power grids Obviously, the city's original planners didn't count on its population growth afterwards, which proved especially intense in the last twenty years of the 20th century. The twentieth century of the Common Era began on

Demographics

According to the IBGE of 2007, there were 4,982,000 people residing in the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte. The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics or IBGE (Instituto Brasileiro de Gehjgygmmliografia e Estatística is the agency responsible for Statistical Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The population density was 6. 764,96 inh. /km². The last PNAD (National Research for Sample of Domiciles) census revealed the following numbers: 2,321,612 Brown people (46. In Brazil, the Pardos are a mixture of Whites Blacks and Amerindians, varying from light to dark complexion as used by the Brazilian Institute 6%), 2,117,350 White people (42. According to the 2006 census White Brazilians make up 497% of Brazil's population or around 93 million people 5%), 513,000 Black people (10. Afro-Brazilian, or Black Brazilian, is the term used to racially categorize Brazilian citizens who are black or Multiracial 3%), 29,000 Asian or Amerindian people (0. An Asian Brazilian is a Brazilian born person of Asian ancestry The Indigenous peoples in Brazil ( Portuguese: povos indígenas) comprise a large number of distinct Ethnic groups who inhabited the country prior to 6%). ^[3]

Economy

Belo Horizonte has never been a popular destination among tourists, as it lacks one of the main touristic features of Brazil - beaches. However, it annually receives large numbers of visitors, as it is in the Brazilian main economic axis with economic influence even on regions of other states. Both multinational and Brazilian companies, like Google and Oi, maintain their headquarters in the city. Google Inc is an American public corporation, earning revenue from advertising related to its Internet search, e-mail, online Initially Telemar was allowed to offer only local voice and data services and interstate long distance voice services

The service sector plays a very important role in the economy of Belo Horizonte, being responsible for 85% of the city's GDP, with the industry making up for most of the remaining 15%.

Belo Horizonte has a developed industrial sector, being traditionally a pole of the Brazilian siderurgical and metallurgical industries, as the state of Minas Gerais has always been very rich in minerals, specifically iron ore. Metallurgy is a domain of Materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their A mineral is a naturally occurring substance formed through geological processes that has a characteristic chemical composition a highly ordered atomic structure and specific The main industrial district of the city was set during the 1940s in Contagem, a part of greater Belo Horizonte. Contagem is a city in the center of the state of Minas Gerais, in Brazil. Multinational companies 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, pharmaceuticals, furnishing and refractory companies. Fiat SpA (an Acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino (Italian Automobile Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer Arcelor SA ( was the world's largest Steel producer in terms of turnover and the second largest in terms of steel output with a turnover of €30 ( is a multinational conglomerate manufacturing company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. A textile is a flexible material comprised of a network of natural or artificial Fibres often referred to as thread or Yarn. Food is any substance usually composed primarily of Carbohydrates Fats water and/or Proteins that can be eaten or drunk by an A chemical substance is a Material with a definite chemical composition. A drug, broadly speaking is any chemical substance that when absorbed into the body The decorative arts are traditionally defined as ornamental and functional works in Ceramic, Wood, Glass, Metal, or Textile. A refractory is a material that retains its strength at high Temperatures ASTM C71 defines refractories as "non-metallic materials having those chemical and physical

Between the companies headquartered in the city we can list siderurgicals Açominas (held by Gerdau, one of the largest multinationals originated in Brazil); Usiminas; Belgo-Mineira (held by Arcelor); Acesita (partially held by Arcelor); mobile communication Telemig Celular; and Telecom Italia Mobile, as well as the NYSE-listed electrical company CEMIG, which is said to have the best transmission quality of Brazil. Gerdau SA ( Bovespa: GGBR3 / GGBR4 ( NYSE: GGB ( TSX: GNA ( Latibex: XGGB is the largest producer of long Steel in the Usiminas is a large producer of Steel in the Americas, with major Steel mills in Brazil with a total capacity of 9 Arcelor SA ( was the world's largest Steel producer in terms of turnover and the second largest in terms of steel output with a turnover of €30 ArcelorMittal Inox Brasil, formerly known as Acesita, is a biggest Brazilian manufacturer of specialty Telemig Celular SA ( nowadays known as VIVO MINAS) was a regional Brazilian Telecommunications company headquartered in Belo Horizonte. TIM (Telecom Italia Mobile is Telecom Italia 's Mobile phone brand and runs a GSM, EDGE, UMTS and HSDPA network in The New York Stock Exchange ( NYSE) is a Stock exchange based in New York City. Leading steel product makers Sumitomo Metals of Japan and Vallourec of France have also recently announced plans to construct an integrated steel works on the outskirts of Belo Horizonte.

There are also a large number of small enterprises in the technological sector with regional to nationwide success, such as biotechnology Biomm, information technology firms RM Sistemas and Paiva Piovesan, and industrial automation company IHM, among others. Biotechnology is Technology based on Biology, especially when used in Agriculture, Food science, and Medicine. Information technology ( IT) as defined by the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA is "the study design development implementation support

Due to both governmental and private funding 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 Biodiesel fuel. Biodiesel refers to a non-petroleum-based Diesel fuel consisting of short chain Alkyl ( Methyl or ethyl) Esters made by Projects in these fields are likely to expand due to integration between universities, the oil company Petrobras and the Brazilian Government. Petrobras ( Bovespa: PETR3 / PETR4 ( NYSE: PBR / PBRA( Latibex: XPBR / XPBRA short for Petróleo Brasileiro S Over 16% of the Brazilian biotechnological 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 Inter-American Development Bank (preferred abbreviation IDB, although sometimes found as IADB) was established and headquartered in Washington D

The GDP for the city was R$ 28,386,694,000 (2005). Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ^[4]

The per capita income for the city was R$ 11,951 (2005). Per capita income means how much each individual receives in monetary terms of the yearly income generated in the country Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ^[5]

Education

Portuguese is the official national language, and thus the primary language taught in schools. Portuguese ( or língua portuguesa) is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia (Spain and northern Portugal. But English and Spanish are part of the official high school curriculum. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States High school is the name used in some parts of the world (in particular Scotland, North America and Australia) to describe an institution

Educational institutions

• Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG);
• 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 Ensino Tecnológico de Minas Gerais (CEFET-MG);
• and many others. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais ( Federal University of Minas Gerais, abbreviated as UFMG) is a public University located in Belo Horizonte The Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais (Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais PUC-MG is a private and non-profit Catholic university

Culture

There are many notable Brazilian artistic groups which have its origins in Belo Horizonte. |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld 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. Grupo Corpo are a Brazilian Dance Theatre company founded in 1975. Contemporary dance is the name given to a group of 20th century Concert dance forms Giramundo is an important group, specialized in performing puppet shows. They maintain the museum of the puppets they created since their foundation in 1970. first launched a complete album in 1981, and has released 11 works since that year.

Another innovative artistic group is Uakti. Uakti (WAHK-chee is a Brazilian instrumental musical group that is composed of Marco Antônio Guimarães, Artur Andrés Ribeiro, Paulo Sérgio Santos They create their own musical instruments using materials like PVC, wood, metals and glass. Wood is hard fibrous lignified structural tissue produced as secondary Xylem in the stems of Woody plants notably trees but also shrubs The M acro E xpansion T emplate A ttribute L anguage complements TAL, providing macros which allow the reuse of code across Glass in the common sense refers to a Hard, Brittle, transparent Solid, such as that used for Windows many The origin of their name is based in a myth by the Tukano Indians, and reflects the indigenous feeling present in their works. Tucano (also Tukana, Tucana, Tukano, Dasea, Jurutí, Jurití, Yurutí, Tariana, Tariano For indigenous peoples in the United States other than Hawaii and Alaska see also Native Americans in the United States. Many important rock groups were founded in Belo Horizonte, being among them Jota Quest, Pato Fu, Skank, 14 Bis and Tianastácia. Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. Jota Quest is a Brazilian Pop rock / Funk band The band was founded in 1995, in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. Pato Fu is a Brazilian Musical band from Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. But the band that achieved most international success was thrash metal group Sepultura. Thrash metal (sometimes referred to simply as thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized by its fast tempo and aggression Sepultura ( Portuguese: Grave) are a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, formed in 1984

Clube da Esquina is a musical movement that originated in the mid 1960s, and since that time their members have been considered influent in Minas Gerais culture and have important artists such as Tavinho Moura, Wagner Tiso, Milton Nascimento, Lô Borges, Beto Guedes, Flávio Venturini, Toninho Horta, Márcio Borges, Fernando Brant and 14 Bis, among others. Clube da Esquina (in English "Corner Club" was a Brazilian music artists collective originating in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, the second most populous and fourth largest by area in the federation Milton Nascimento (born October 26, 1942) is a self-taught Grammy Award -winning Singer, Songwriter, and Guitarist Toninho Horta is a virtuoso electric and nylon-string Guitar player his music could be defined as (jazz influenced Brazilian music. Márcio Borges (born on January 21, 1973 in Rio de Janeiro) is a retired Brazilian football defender

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. |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld

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. "

Infrastructure

International airport

Main article: Tancredo Neves International Airport

Tancredo Neves / Confins International Airport is located in the municipalities of Lagoa Santa and Confins, 38 km from Belo Horizonte, and was opened in January 1984. Tancredo Neves International Airport, popularly known as Confins International Airport, is located 38 km from downtown Belo Horizonte. It was planned from the start for future expansion 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.

The Tancredo Neves International Airport has both domestic and international flights (to some locations in South America and Europe).

Highways

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. ^[6]

• BR-040 connects Belo Horizonte to Rio de Janeiro (going south) and Brasília (going northwest). The Brazilian Highway System is the Highway system of Brazil, the fourth largest such system in the world Rio de Janeiro ("River of January" ˈhiw dʒi ʒʌˈnejɾu in Brazilian Portuguese, /ˈriːoʊ di ʒəˈnɛroʊ/ in English is the second largest city of Brazil Brasília (bɾaˈziliɐ is the Capital of Brazil. The city and its District are located in the Central-West region of the country along a Plateau It also links other cities in the state, such as Juiz de Fora, Conselheiro Lafaiete, Santos Dumont, Sete Lagoas, and Paracatu. Juiz de Fora is a city in the southeast of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, close to the state border with Conselheiro Lafaiete is a city of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Sete Lagoas (meaning 'Seven Lakes' in Portuguese) is a city in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais.

• BR-262 begins in Mato Grosso do Sul and ends in Espírito Santo, crossing Minas Gerais from west to east. BR-262 is an east-west Highway connecting the Brazilian states of Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, São Paulo and Mato Grosso do Mato Grosso do Sul (ˈmatu ˈgɾosu du ˈsuw is one of the states of Brazil. For the Portuguese company see Espírito Santo Financial Group Espírito Santo (is Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, the second most populous and fourth largest by area in the federation It links Belo Horizonte to Pará de Minas, Araxá, Manhuaçu, Uberaba, and Vitória, the capital of Espírito Santo state. Pará de Minas is a Brazilian municipality located in the state of Minas Gerais. Araxá is a city and municipality in southwest Minas Gerais state Brazil. Manhuaçu is a City and Municipality in Eastern Minas Gerais state in Brazil. Uberaba is a city and municipality in the west of the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil. Vitória is the capital of the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil. For the Portuguese company see Espírito Santo Financial Group Espírito Santo (is

• BR-381 is an important federal highway. The Rodovia Fernão Dias (official designation BR-381 is a federal Highway which runs in the Brazilian states of São Paulo and southern region of It connects Belo Horizonte to São Paulo. São Paulo ( is the largest city in Brazil, with its metropolitan area ranking among the largest urban areas in the world

• 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. Tancredo Neves International Airport, popularly known as Confins International Airport, is located 38 km from downtown Belo Horizonte. For Lagoa Santa a municipality in Goiás see Lagoa Santa Goiás Lagoa Santa is a municipality and region in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil Starting in 2005, several flights were transferred from the Pampulha Regional Airport to the international airport. Belo Horizonte Airport is an Airport located in the Pampulha region eight Kilometers from the city center of Belo Horizonte, in the state To improve access to the international airport, MG-010 is being expanded (effectively duplicating its lanes). ^[7]

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 ca. Contagem is a city in the center of the state of Minas Gerais, in Brazil. Betim is a city in Minas Gerais, Brazil. It is located at around. 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

• 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. A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway or metro(politan system is an electric passenger railway

Metro

Belo Horizonte Metro originated at the end of 1970s, and is one of the oldest urban railways in the country. The Belo Horizonte Metro is operated by CBTU / Metrobh is currently 20 stations and 28 Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. 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 (a part of this line, from Carlos Prates to Barreiro, is being built), and from Pampulha to Savassi, are being planned. Pampulha is a man-made lagoon located in Belo Horizonte, Brazil There is also a project for the expansion for the first line, from Vilarinho to Ribeirão das Neves and from Eldorado to Betim. Ribeirão das Neves is a Brazilian municipality located in the state of Minas Gerais. Betim is a city in Minas Gerais, Brazil. It is located at around.

Tourism and recreation

Belo Horizonte has plenty of significant cultural landmarks, many of them situated in the Pampulha district, where there are very wonderful examples of Brazilian contemporary architecture. Pampulha is a man-made lagoon located in Belo Horizonte, Brazil These include one of the largest soccer stadiums in the world, the Mineirão stadium, and the São Francisco de Assis Church, widely known as Igreja da Pampulha, designed by famous Brazilian Modernist architect Oscar Niemeyer. Estádio Mineirão (meaning Big Mineiro Stadium) officially Estádio Governador Magalhães Pinto ( Governor Magalhães Pinto Stadium) established in The Church of Saint Francis of Assisi (Igreja de Sao Francisco de Asis commonly known as the Igreja da Pampulha is a church in Pampulha district of Belo Horizonte, in Modernism describes an array of Cultural movements rooted in the changes in Western society in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century Oscar Ribeiro de Almeida Niemeyer Soares Filho (born December 15, 1907) is a Brazilian Architect who is considered one of the most important In Pampulha there is also the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais campus, whose buildings themselves are important contributions to the city's architecture. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais ( Federal University of Minas Gerais, abbreviated as UFMG) is a public University located in Belo Horizonte Other remarkable Pampulha buildings include 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 famous Sete de Setembro Square, where an Obelisk built in 1922 marks the one hundred years of Brazilian independence from Portugal.

Near downtown, in Lourdes neighborhood, locates the Lourdes Basilica, a beautiful building in the Gothic Style and the Nossa Senhora de Fátima Church, in Santo Agostinho neighborhood, situated in Carlos Chagas square, both 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 Liberdade (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 development in the late 1890s.

Last but not least is the "Rua do Amendoim" (Peanut Street), an example of a gravity hill, where parked automobiles appear to roll uphill, defying gravity. Whether this is an illusion or a magnetic phenomenon is left to the visitor to decide. Though most of the effect seems to have disappeared 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 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

As in the rest of Brazil, football is the most popular sport among locals. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered 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. Estádio Mineirão (meaning Big Mineiro Stadium) officially Estádio Governador Magalhães Pinto ( Governor Magalhães Pinto Stadium) established in

The older Independência Stadium hosted a legendary victory of the United States World Cup Team 1950 in a 1-0 triumph over England. The Estádio Raimundo Sampaio, usually known as Estádio Independência is a football stadium inaugurated on June 29, 1950 in Belo See England v United States (1950) and^[8] Atlético Mineiro, which is also called by its nickname and mascot "Galo" (rooster) . On June 29, 1950, at the 1950 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, the United States defeated the English team 1–0 in group play Clube Atlético Mineiro, usually known as Atlético, is a football club based in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. A rooster (also called a cock or chanticleer) is a male Chicken ( Gallus gallus) the female being called a Hen. Yet, one of the oldest football clubs in the city and was founded in 1908. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered Atlético Mineiro was the first Brazilian champion, in 1971, and has also won two CONMEBOL Cups (nowadays called Copa Sudamericana) and 39 State Championships. Clube Atlético Mineiro, usually known as Atlético, is a football club based in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Format The competition was a knockout tournament All ties were two-legged including the final The Copa Sudamericana ( English: South American Cup, Portuguese: Copa Sul-Americana) also known as Copa Nissan Sudamericana Campeonato Mineiro is the state football league of the state of Minas Gerais and is controlled by the Minas Gerais Football Federation FMF (Federação In spite of so much tradition, the team has suffered through very difficult times recently and was relegated to the Brazilian Série B. However, the club won the championship in 2006 and is back to Série A in 2007. The Série A (informally called Brasileirão) is the highest division of Brazilian football.

Cruzeiro was founded in 1921 by the members of the local Italian community. This article is about the football (soccer team For the currency see Brazilian cruzeiro. The' Italian people' are a Southern European Ethnic group located primarily in Italy, Switzerland, France and by virtue of a wide-ranging Cruzeiro has been one of Brazil´s most victorius clubs in the 1990s and early 2000s, winning 4 National Cups, 1 National League, 2 Copa Libertadores, and 2 Supercopa Libertadores, and is also the winner of Taça Brasil in 1966 and 34 State Championships including Supercampeonato Mineiro in 2002. |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld The Copa do Brasil (or Cup of Brazil) is a knockout competition played by 64 football teams representing all 26 Brazilian states plus the Federal The Série A (informally called Brasileirão) is the highest division of Brazilian football. The Copa Santander Libertadores, also known as Copa Libertadores de América, ( Taça Libertadores da América) is a football cup competition played Supercopa Sudamericana ( English: South American Supercup, Portuguese: Supercopa Sul-americana) also known as Supercopa João Havelange The Taça Brasil (or Brazil Trophy) was a Brazilian national football competition which was contested from 1959 to 1968 Campeonato Mineiro is the state football league of the state of Minas Gerais and is controlled by the Minas Gerais Football Federation FMF (Federação

The city is also home to América Mineiro, which has its own playing field, the Independência Stadium. América Futebol Clube, or América (or América Mineiro) as they are usually called is a traditional Brazilian football team from Belo Horizonte The Estádio Raimundo Sampaio, usually known as Estádio Independência is a football stadium inaugurated on June 29, 1950 in Belo It was a major team in Brazil decades ago, but passed three years striving to leave Brazilian League Série C. History and Past Champions The Campeonato Brasileiro has existed ever since 1971 Things came worse at the beginning of 2007. The team was relegated to the Módulo II of Campeonato Mineiro and didn't even qualify for playing the Série C, being completely out of Campeonato Brasileiro. Campeonato Mineiro is the state football league of the state of Minas Gerais and is controlled by the Minas Gerais Football Federation FMF (Federação

Besides football, Belo Horizonte has one of the largest attendances at volleyball matches in the whole country. Volleyball is an Olympic team sport in which two teams of 6 active players (5 normal players and one 'libero' are separated by a net that is usually four feet Crowds usually go to Mineirinho in order to watch either the Brazil national volleyball team or Minas Tênis Clube matches. Mineirinho, officially Ginásio Jornalista Felipe Drumond, is an indoor sporting arena located in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The Brazil men's national volleyball team is the national team of Brazil.

Minas Tênis Clube is a sport association with various modalities, and its volleyball team has some of the most advanced training facilities in the country. Besides Mineirinho, the clubs also plays on its own ground, the modern Telemig Celular Arena. Both its male and female 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. The 2014 FIFA World Cup will be the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship

Human Development

The human development of Belo Horizonte varies greatly by locality. 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 medium range (in line with, for example, North Africa). The Human Development Index ( HDI) is an index combining normalized measures of Life expectancy, Literacy, Educational attainment, and GDP Terminology and usage As a cultural term "Scandinavia" has no official definition and is subject to usage by those who identify with the culture in question as well The Maghreb (المغرب العربي al-Maġrib al-ʿArabī) also rendered Maghrib (or rarely Moghreb) meaning "place of Sunset ^[9]

Highest-scoring neighborhoods and localities:

• Carmo/Sion (0. 973)
• Cruzeiro/Anchieta (0. 967)
• Grajau/Gutierrez (0. 965)
• Belvedere/Mangabeiras/Comiteco (0. 965)
• Serra/São Lucas (0. 965)

Lowest-scoring neighborhoods and localities:

• Favela Cabeça de Porco (0. 685)

Sister Cities

• Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• Porto, Portugal (1986)
• Milan, Italy
• Havana, Cuba
• São Paulo, Brazil
• Bethlehem, Palestine
• Boston, USA (2007)
• Fort Lauderdale, USA (2003)
• Newark, New Jersey, USA (2006)
• Masaya, Nicaragua (2002)
• Granada, Spain (1975)
• Minsk, Belarus (1987)
• Luanda, Angola (1968)
• Tegucigalpa, Honduras (2004)
• Zahle, Lebanon (1974)
• Homs, Syria (2001)
• Tripoli, Libya (2003)
• Cuenca, Ecuador (2004)
• Córdoba, Argentina (2007)
• Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Lisboa, Portugal (2007)
• Wuxi, China (1996)

See also

• Tancredo Neves International Airport
• Sepultura
• Clube da Esquina
• Pato Fu
• List of municipalities in Minas Gerais

References

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
• (Portuguese) Maplink - Belo Horizonte Street Guide and Maps
• (Portuguese) Belo Horizonte Yellow Pages
• (Portuguese) Culture in Belo Horizonte

Wikitravel is a Web -based project "to create a free, complete up-to-date and reliable worldwide travel guide.

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic