Uberaba

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Uberaba is a city and municipality in the west of the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil. Its population is 285,581 (2004) with an area of 4529.7 km², which yields a density of 60.71 people per km². It is located on a plateau at an elevation of 785 meters and is watered by the Uberaba River. It became a city in 1856.

1 History
2 Economy
3 Higher education
4 References
5 External links

[edit] History

The town was founded in 1809 by sergeant-mor Antonio Eustáquio Da Silva e Oliveira. It was classified as Indian territory on February 1811 and then as a freguesia on March 2, 1820 with the name of Santo Antônio e São Sebastião do Uberaba. Uberaba became a city on February 22, 1836.

The region known as Triângulo Mineiro, where Uberaba is located, was part the Territory of Goiás until 1816, when it was joined with Minas Gerais. Uberaba was settled by geralistas as the inhabitants of the territories of Minas Gerais in colonial times. They settled the area in search of fertile land.

The district of Peirópolis, located 19km from hte city's centre, is an important Cretaceous paleontological site, first studied by the Brazilian paleontologist Llewellyn Price^[1].

[edit] Economy

Uberaba is the trade centre of an important agricultural area, producing cattle (the largest source of income), rice, oranges, corn (maize), beans, coffee, sugarcane, and bananas. A well-known cattle and agricultural exhibition is held there each May. The city's well-developed industry includes cement and phosphate fertilizer plants, processed foods (sweets), cosmetics, shoe factories, and furniture factories.

Twenty four chemical companies are the largest producers of phosphated fertilisers in Latin America. Among them are Fosfertil, FMC, Sipcam Agro, Bunge, Agronelli and DuPont.

Uberaba is known nationally as a center of livestock genetic improvement and as a important producer of grains in Minas Gerais.

Freight is transported by rail and road to Belo Horizonte, the state capital 422 km east, and to neighbouring communities in Minas Gerais and São Paulo states. Uberlândia, a city near Uberaba, is the seat of the economic district called Triângulo Mineiro (Minas Triangle), and also the seat of the Regional Centre for Economic and Social Research on Latin America.

The city is one of the largest promotional centers of cattle auctions in the country. During the expositions of zebu cattle, there are many events, which attract Brazilians and foreigners. During the year there are about 300 auctions with the sale of about 200,000 animals for reproduction, fattening, and milk. The most famous is the Expozebu, the greatest exposition of zebu in the world, which takes place every year in May.

[edit] Higher education

Uberaba is an important university city. The nine colleges and universities offer approximately 94 courses at the undergraduate level and 49 at the graduate level. The main schools are: