Bambuí
Encyclopedia
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the...
. Its population as of 2007 was 21,850 people living in a total area of 1,455 km². The city belongs to the meso-region of Oeste de Minas and to the micro-region of Piumhi. It became a municipality in 1881.
Location
The city center of Bambuí is located at an elevation of 706 meters on a plateau and straddles parallel 20º. Neighboring municipalities are: TapiraíTapiraí, Minas Gerais
For the municipality in São Paulo see Tapiraí.Tapiraí is a Brazilian municipality located in the west of the state of Minas Gerais. Its population as of 2007 was 1,841 people living in a total area of 412 km². The city belongs to the meso-region of Oeste de Minas and to the micro-region of...
and Córrego Danta
Córrego Danta
Córrego Danta is a town located in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil.Córrego Danta was once the district of another city, Luz, until it became autonomous on January 1, 1949...
(N) , Luz
Luz, Minas Gerais
Luz is a Brazilian municipality located in the West part of the state of Minas Gerais. Luz is located between the city of Araxa and the capital city of the state of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte. Its population as of 2007 was 17,173 people living in a total area of 1,171 km²...
(NE), Iguatama
Iguatama
Iguatama is a Brazilian municipality located in the west of the state of Minas Gerais. Its population as of 2007 was 7,632 people living in a total area of 627 km². The city belongs to the meso-region of Oeste de Minas and to the micro-region of Piumhi. It became a municipality in...
(E), Doresópolis
Doresópolis
Doresópolis is a Brazilian municipality located in the west of the state of Minas Gerais. Its population as of 2007 was 1,492 people living in a total area of 153 km². The city belongs to the meso-region of Oeste de Minas and to the micro-region of Piumhi. It became a municipality in...
(SE), Piumhi
Piumhi
Piumhi is a Brazilian municipality located in the west of the state of Minas Gerais. Its population as of 2007 was 30,984 people living in a total area of 902 km². The city belongs to the meso-region of Oeste de Minas and Alto Paranaíba and to the micro-region of Piumhi...
(S), São Roque de Minas
São Roque de Minas
São Roque de Minas is a Brazilian municipality located in the west of the state of Minas Gerais. Its population as of 2007 was 6,141 people living in a total area of 2,100 km². The city belongs to the meso-region of Oeste de Minas and to the micro-region of Piumhi...
and Medeiros
Medeiros, Minas Gerais
Medeiros is a Brazilian municipality located in the west of the state of Minas Gerais. Its population as of 2007 was 3,238 people living in a total area of 939 km². The city belongs to the meso-region of Oeste de Minas and to the micro-region of Piumhi...
(W).
Communications and Distances
Bambuí is connected to major population centers by highways MG-050, BR-354 and BR-262. The distance to Belo HorizonteBelo Horizonte
Belo Horizonte is the capital of and largest city in the state of Minas Gerais, located in the southeastern region of Brazil. It is the third largest metropolitan area in the country...
is 270 km.
Origin of the name
Some historians believe that the name of the city was given by the Negros who lived in the region and belonged to a runaway slave colony called Campo Grande. This hypothesis is reinforced by the existence of a city with the same name in CameroonCameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
, in Africa. Another interpretation for the name of the city is that it is of indigenous origen and means "river of dirty waters".
Economic activities
Services, mining of kaolin, and agriculture are the most important economic activities. The GDP in 2005 was approximately R$168 million, with 10 million reais from taxes, 86 million reais from services, 11 million reais from industry, and 61 million reais from agriculture. There were 1,361 rural producers on 90,000 hectares of land. 196 farms had tractors (2006). Approximately 4,000 persons were dependent on agriculture. The main crops are coffee (4,300 hectares in 2006), rice, beans, and corn. There were 76,000 head of cattle (2006), one quarter of which were raised for milk and cheese production.There were 3 banks (2007) and 3,950 automobiles (2007), giving a ratio of 5 inhabitants per automobile.
Working population in 2005
- Workers in 74 transformation industries: 264
- Workers in 395 units of commerce: 1,160
- Workers in public administration: 552
Health and education
In the health sector there were 9 public health clinics (2005) and 2 hospitals with 195 beds. Patients with more serious health conditions are transported to Araxá or to DivinópolisDivinópolis
Divinópolis is a city and municipality located in the centre-west of Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The estimated population in 2007 was 201,921 inhabitants. The total area of the municipality is 709 km² and the elevation is 712 metres. It is located at 120 km from state capital Belo Horizonte...
, which are connected by good roads. Educational needs of 4,400 students were met by 12 primary schools, 4 middle schools, and 6 pre-primary schools.
- Municipal Human Development IndexHuman Development IndexThe Human Development Index is a composite statistic used to rank countries by level of "human development" and separate "very high human development", "high human development", "medium human development", and "low human development" countries...
: 0.787 (2000) - State ranking: 84 out of 853 municipalities as of 2000
- National ranking: 872 out of 5,138 municipalities as of 2000
- Literacy rate: 88%
- Life expectancy: 73 (average of males and females)
In 2000 the per capita monthly income of R$246.00 was below the state and national average of R$276.00 and R$297.00 respectively.
The highest ranking municipality in Minas Gerais in 2000 was Poços de Caldas
Poços de Caldas
Poços de Caldas is a city and municipality in south-western Minas Gerais state, Brazil, in the microregion of the same name. Its estimated population in 2009 was 151,449 inhabitants...
with 0.841, while the lowest was Setubinha
Setubinha
Setubinha is a municipality in the northeast of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. As of 2007 the population was 10,834 in a total area of 536 km². The elevation is 729 metres. It is part of the IBGE statistical microregion of Teófilo Otoni...
with 0.568. Nationally the highest was São Caetano do Sul
São Caetano do Sul
São Caetano do Sul is a city in São Paulo state in Brazil, located in the Greater São Paulo Metropolitan Area. It is the city with the highest per capita income in Brazil and it also has the highest Human Development Index .-Geography:São Caetano do Sul is located on a plateau that is part of the...
in São Paulo with 0.919, while the lowest was Setubinha. In more recent statistics (considering 5,507 municipalities) Manari in the state of Pernambuco
Pernambuco
Pernambuco is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. To the north are the states of Paraíba and Ceará, to the west is Piauí, to the south are Alagoas and Bahia, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean. There are about of beaches, some of the most beautiful in the...
has the lowest rating in the country—0,467—putting it in last place.
See also
- List of municipalities in Minas Gerais