Belo Horizonte

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Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais

Praça da Liberdade (Liberty Square)

Flag

Seal

Nickname: BH

Location in Brazil

Coordinates: 19°55′8.88″S, 43°56′19.2″W

Founded

Incorporated (as city)

December 12, 1897

Government

- Mayor

Fernando da Mata Pimentel (PT)

Area

- City

330.9 km² (127.7 sq mi)

- Metro

9,459.1 km² (3,652 sq mi)

Elevation

852.19 m (2,796 ft)

Population (2006)^[1]

- City

2,438,526

- Density

6,764.96/km² (17,521/sq mi)

- Metro

5,357,942

Time zone

UTC-3 (UTC-3)

- Summer (DST)

UTC-2 (UTC-2)

Website: Belo Horizonte

Belo Horizonte (a Portuguese name meaning "beautiful horizon", IPA: ['bɛlu oɾi'zõtʃi]) is the third largest metropolitan area in Brazil. It is the capital of Minas Gerais state, located in the southeastern region of the country. With a population of almost 2.4 million and over 5.3 million in the official metropolitan area, Belo Horizonte — or "Beagá" as it is more familiarly known from the sound of its initials BH in Portuguese — is a place of vibrant economic and cultural activity.

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. 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.

1 History
2 Economy
3 Transportation
4 Weather
5 Notable landmarks
6 Culture
7 Sports
8 Sister Cities
9 See also
10 Picture Gallery
11 References
12 External links

[edit] History

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 a pleasant weather, a nice landscape and a good soil for farming, the explorer settled in the region in 1701, leaving a gold hunting expedition. He then established a farm called "Curral d'el Rey" - archaic Portuguese for the "King's Corral." 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.

A small farm in Curral del Rey

Another important growth factor of the village were the immigrants from the São Francisco 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 Trip." Years later it was upgraded to a bigger church.

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. 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.

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.

The town planner from Pará Aarão Reis 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. 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.

An old picture of Belo Horizonte.

In 1906 the name was then changed to Belo Horizonte, and at that time the city was experiencing a considerable industrial expansion that increased the its commercial and service sectors.

The city's planners didn't count on its population growth afterwards, which proved especially intense in the last twenty years of the 20th century. The city now deals with a number of infrastructure problems: about 20% of the population has no access to the sewage network, and floods that usually occur during the rainy season (November to March) are a big problem in the local favelas, causing damage to substandard housing and resulting in the deaths of some favelistas.

[edit] Economy

An office building in the Savassi region

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 great amounts 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.

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, specially iron ore. The main industrial district of the city was set during the 1940s in Contagem, a part of greater Belo Horizonte. Multinational companies like FIAT, Arcelor, and Toshiba have subsidiaries in the region, along with other textile, cosmetic, food, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, furnishing and refractory companies.

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 Tim Maxitel, as well as the NYSE-listed electrical company CEMIG, which is said to have the best transmission quality of Brazil.

Modern office buildings at Afonso Pena Avenue

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.

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. Projects in these fields are likely to expand due to integration between universities, the oil company Petrobras and the Brazilian Government. 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.

[edit] Transportation

[edit] Highways

The main highways serving Belo Horizonte and neighboring cities.

The city is connected to the rest of Minas Gerais state and the country by a number of roadways. BR-040 connects Belo Horizonte to Rio de Janeiro, southern from Belo Horizonte, and Brasília, northwestern, and passes through 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. Links Belo Horizonte to Pará de Minas, Araxá, Manhuaçu, Uberaba, and Vitória, Espírito Santo's capital, among other cities. BR-381 - An important federal highway, goes from Belo Horizonte to São Paulo, the largest and richest city in Brazil. Minas Gerais has the country's largest federal highway network ^[2].

MG-010 - This state highway connects the capital to the Tancredo Neves International Airport, 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).^[3]

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. 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 a bad physical state, but in the last years many revitalization and rebuilding projects have been started.

[edit] Bus system

The system has a large number of bus lines, going through all parts in the city, administrated by BHTRANS. Among the upcoming projects are the expansion of the integration between bus lines and the metro.

[edit] Metro

Belo Horizonte Metro originated 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 commutinng 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. There is also a project for the expansion for the first line, from Vilarinho to Ribeirão das Neves and from Eldorado to Betim.

[edit] Weather

Belo Horizonte's climate can be classified as tropical altitude, with yearly average temperature between 18-19 and 22-23°C. 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. 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. The coldest month is generally July, with a lowest recorded temperature of 3.1°C (37.6ºF). The hottest month is usually January, with a highest recorded temperature of 35.4°C (95.7ºF).. There can be problems related with low air humidity during August.

The 852m elevation of Belo Horizonte helps a little in cooling the city, suppressing high maximum air temperatures experienced in nearby cities at lower altitudes. At its foundation, Belo Horizonte had one of the finest climates of all Brazilian cities^{[citation needed]}, but as time passed and the city grew it has come to suffer from typical urban phenomena known as the heat island and thermal inversion. However, its climate is still neither as hot as Rio de Janeiro's, nor as cold as Curitiba's in the winter.

The table below shows Belo Horizonte temperature data, per month:

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Avg high °C (°F)

28.2 (82.8)

28.8 (83.8)

28.6 (83.5)

27.5 (81.5)

26 (78.8)

25 (77.0)

24.6 (76.3)

26.5 (79.7)

27.2 (81.0)

27.7 (81.9)

27.5 (81.5)

27.3 (81.1)

Avg low °C (°F)

18.8 (65.8)

19 (66.2)

18.8 (65.8)

17.3 (63.1)

15 (59.0)

13.4 (56.1)

13.1 (55.6)

14.4 (57.9)

16.2 (61.2)

17.5 (63.5)

18.2 (64.8)

18.4 (65.1)

Record High °C(°F)

35.8 (96.4) 2006

33.6 (92.5) 1973

33.4 (92.1) 1963

32.3 (90.1) 1986

31.4 (88.5) 1989

30 (86.0)1973

30.4 (86.7)1990

33.8 (92.8)1963

34.7 (94.5)1961

36.9 (98.4)1987

34.4 (93.9)1982

34.4 (93.9)1963

Record Low °C(°F)

15.1 (59.2)1970

14.7 (58.5)1976

12.8 (55.0)1961

10.8 (51.4)1972

7.5 (45.5)1977

3.1 (37.6)1979

5.4 (41.7) 1975

7.2 (44.5)1978

9.2 (48.6)1979

11.4 (52.5)1975

9.1 (48.4) 1986

13.5 (56.3)1972

Rainfall mm (in.)

296.3 (11.7)

188.4 (7.4)

163.5 (6.4)

61.2 (2.4)

27.8 (1.1)

14.1 (0.6)

15.7 (0.6)

13.7 (0.5)

40.5 (1.6)

123.1 (4.8)

227.6 (9.0)

319.4 (12.6)

UV Index Average (Based on UV-B)

Information: SMG and INPE

[edit] Notable landmarks

Liberty Square

Belo Horizonte has plenty of significant cultural landmarks, many of them situated in the Pampulha district, where there are very symbolic examples of Brazilian contemporary architecture. These include one of the largest football stadiums of 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. In Pampulha there is also the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais campus, whose buildings themselves are important contributions to the city's architecture. 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, there are the neo-Gothic Boa Viagem Cathedral, the Lourdes Basilica, the São José Cathedral, the Praça da Estação, which is an old train station that now is also the Museum of Arts and Workmanship, the Municipal Park, and the Nossa Senhora de Fátima church situated in Carlos Chagas square, both referred to as Assembléia Church and Assembléia Square due to their proximity to the state's legislative assembly.

Next to downtown is the famous Savassi region, where most of gastronomic and cultural activities occur, as well as the best of the city's nightlife. Many landmarks are located there, such as the Praça da Liberdade (Liberty Square), and its surrounding buildings, including the old Governor's house (Liberty Palace), the first building to be finished during the city's planned development in the 1890s.

A very recent contribution to the urban landscape of Belo Horizonte is a giant temple from the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God. During its construction, three historical buildings, which were under evaluation as cultural heritage sites, were demolished in August 2005 without authorization and with full knowledge that those buildings were under consideration for protection by the municipal government. The organization and its leaders now face criminal charges for violating environmental regulations^[4]^[5].

The Serra do Curral mountains are the symbol of the city

Last but not least is the "Rua do Amendoim" (Peanut Street), where parked automobiles appear to roll upwards, defying gravity. Whether this is an illusion or a magnetic phenomenon is left to the visitor to decide. However, most of the effect seems to have disappeared due to housing development in the area, yet 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 outside the municipal area, where one can seize a spectacular view of the entire city. It has this name because while visiting Belo Horizonte, Pope John Paul II himself went to this specific plaza and said: "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.

[edit] Culture

There are many notable Brazilian artistic groups which have its origins in Belo Horizonte. Grupo Corpo, which is perharps 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 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.

A slogan that has become as popular among Belo Horizontinians as I ♥ NY to New Yorkers

Belo Horizonte is not different from other major Brazilian cities, as seen here with the contrast between a favela and small villas denoting social inequalty

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 and Tianastácia. But the band that achieved most international success is certainly the thrash metal group Sepultura.

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.

Annually, 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."

[edit] 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 England v United States (1950) and [2]

Cruzeiro was founded in 1921 by the members of the local Italian community. Cruzeiro has been one of Brazil´s most successful 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. Cruzeiro is the most popular team in the state and city since 1993.^[6].

Atlético Mineiro, one the oldest football clubs in the city, was founded in 1908, and has a reputation as the most popular one. Atlético Mineiro was the first Brazilian champion, in 1971, and has also won two CONMEBOL Cups (nowadays called Copa Sudamericana), and 38 State Championships (Atlético is the biggest winner of State Championships). It also won two other National Championships, the Champions Cup in 1937 and Champions of Champions in 1978. 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 will be back to Série A in 2007. It's the city's highest ranked CBF team. ^[7].

The city is also home to América Mineiro, which unlike Atlético and Cruzeiro has its own playing field, the Independência Stadium. It was a major team in Brazil decades ago, but it is now striving to leave the Brazilian Série C.

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 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.