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- Minas Gerais
is one of Brazil's largest states and the home of Tiradentes, hero
of the Inconfidκncia Mineira (The Revolution of Minas Gerais), of
Aleijadinho, the sculptor; of the composer Milton Nascimento; the
writer Guimarγes Rosa and of the two Brazilian presidents, Juscelino
Kubitschek and Tancredo Neves - among so many other artists, political
leaders, musicians, writers and presidents of the Republic. With extremely
varied relief and vegetation, its valleys and mountains reveal historic-baroque
towns inhabited by warm-hearted and hospitable people. The second
state in Brazil in terms of its economy (it loses out only to the
state of Sγo Paulo) Minas Gerais is also known for its good and rich
culinary art, famous for its tasty dishes like pγo-de-queijo and typical
dishes such as tutu in the Minas Gerais style and chicken with dark
sauce. Minas Gerais not only has a coastline, it also has therapeutic
waters that spring from its mineral-rich soil. With its hydro-mineral
and thermal resorts it forms the water circuit, an ideal tour for
the winter months of June and July.
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- The occupation
of the soil of Minas Gerais by the Portuguese began right after the
discovery of Brazil, in the XVI and XVII centuries. The discovery
of gold and precious stones attracted many explorers who transformed
the state into the Brazilian economic centre of the day. Today, there
is no longer an abundance of gold, but unforgettable landscapes remain,
with buildings from the period, mountains, woods, pure air, lakes,
caves, stories and legends.
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- Since the colonial
era, Minas Gerais has stood out in Brazil because of its culture.
Music, architecture, literature and the plastic arts are some of the
sectors successfully developed by artists from the state. In the towns
of the gold circuit, where the XVIII century music from Minas Gerais
grew, buildings of the XVI and XVIII centuries are preserved and express
the art of the Minas Gerais' baroque. The most famous of these towns,
Ouro Preto, was the stage for the Inconfidκncia Mineira, the first
movement for the independence of Brazil, and today, like Diamantina
e the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus de Matosinhos, located in Congonhas do
Campo, it has been recognized by the UNESCO as a Cultural Heritage
of Mankind.
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- Minas Gerais
also offers the waters of the Sγo Francisco river forming a strategic
and fundamental water resource for regional development. The electricity-generating
capacity of Minas Gerais is 10,877 MW, corresponding to about 18%
of the national capacity. The state consumes 75% of the electricity
it produces and exports the balance to other centres of consumption.
Companhia Energιtica de Minas Gerais (Cemig), a mixed-economy organization,
is responsible for the largest distribution network in Latin America
and is 240,000 kilometres long.
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- MMinas Gerais
occupies 588 000 km2 of Brazilian territory, an area greater than
that of countries like France (544 000 km2) or Japan (378 000 km2).
Despite being the biggest national producer of coffee (10 million
bags processed in 1994) and milk (2.7 billion litres annually), farming
represents only 14.1% of its GDP. The industrial sector, which is
wide and varied, is at present responsible for 26.3% of state production
- mining and metallurgy are among the chief activities in the sector,
alongside the automobile sector established around Fiat Automσveis.
The remaining 59.9% of the GDP is divided among services, commerce
and financial institutions, amongst others. The state has forty five
industrial estates in operation, thirty four of which located in the
interior and eleven in the Belo
Horizonte metropolitan region. Altogether they accommodate approximately
1,200 industries.
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