Campos Gerais is a municipality in the south of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais

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...

. The population was 28,954 in 2007 in a total area of 769 km². The elevation is 1,026. It became a municipality in 1901.

Campos Gerais is located in the IBGE statistical microregion of Varginha

Varginha

Varginha is a city and municipality in southwest Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The estimated population is approximately 120,000 inhabitants and the area of the municipality is 396.39 km²...

. Surrounding municipalities are Alfenas

Alfenas

Alfenas is a city and municipality in the southern part of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais state. In 2007 its population was 71,628 and the area of the municipality is 849 km2. The elevation is 888m. It is served by highways MG 179, BR 491 and BR 369. The distance to the state capital...

, Três Pontas

Três Pontas

Três Pontas is a city and municipality in southern Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The population in 2007 was 51,121 inhabitants in a total area of 689 km²....

, Boa Esperança

Boa Esperança

-In Brazil:* Boa Esperança, a municipality northeastern of Pará state.* Boa Esperança, a town southwest of Pará state.* Boa Esperança, a municipality in Espírito Santo state.* Boa Esperança, a municipality in Minas Gerais state....

, Paraguaçu

Paraguaçu

Paraguaçu is a municipality in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil. The population in 2007 was 19,603 in a total area of 425 km². The elevation of the municipal seat is 825 mts. It became a municipality in 1911....

, Campo do Meio

Campo do Meio

Campo do Meio is a town and municipality in the state of Minas Gerais in the Southeast region of Brazil.-References:...

, Santana da Vargem

Santana da Vargem

Santana da Vargem is a municipality in the south of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. In 2007 the population was 7,092 in a total area of 173 km². The elevation of the municipal seat is 804 meters. Santana da Vargem became a municipality in 1962...

 and Fama

Fama

-Biography:Formed in 1989 by brothers Javier, Oscar, and Edgar Galvan, and friend Eddie Gonzalez, the band gained prominence in the mid-1990s with a string of hit albums. They were given the nickname "The Golden Boys" by Tejano music DJs...

. It is 295 kilometers from Belo Horizonte

Belo 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...

 and 34 kilometers from the important coffee center of Alfenas

Alfenas

Alfenas is a city and municipality in the southern part of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais state. In 2007 its population was 71,628 and the area of the municipality is 849 km2. The elevation is 888m. It is served by highways MG 179, BR 491 and BR 369. The distance to the state capital...

. The great reservoir of Furnas lies to the south.

The main economic activity is coffee growing. In 2006 there were 19,500 hectares planted. There was also production of rice, potatoes, beans, and corn. There were 2,270 rural properties with an agricultural area of 60,464 hectares. More than 10,000 people worked in agriculture. In the city there were several small industries including soft drink bottling plant.

The main tourist sites are the nearby Serra do Paraíso with waterfalls, a 32 meter high statue of Christ the Redeemer, the Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Carmo, built imitating the Spanish Gothic style, Vale dos Ipês Water Park, and the Praia das Amoras, a beach located on the banks of the Furnas lake. Campos Gerais is known nationally for its Festa do Peão, a celebration occurring annually, and which is dedicated to the Brazilian cowboy.

Campos Gerais has 29 primary schools, of which 2 are private (2006). There are 3 middle schools, 2 public and 1 private. In addition there are 2 private institutes of higher learning-- FACICA and ISEC, which have courses in Pharmacy, Nursing, Biology, and Pedagogy. Enrollment was 246 students in 2005.

In the health sector there were 12 clinics and 1 private hospital with 65 beds.

Municipal Human Development Index

Human Development Index

The 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...

• MHDI. .750 (2000)
• State ranking: 280 out of 853 municipalities
• National ranking: 1,866 out of 5138 municipalities
• Life expectancy: 72
• Literacy rate: 85