Claro dos Poções is a Brazilian municipality located in the north of the 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...

. In 2007 the population was 8,131 in a total area of 706 km². It became a municipality in 1962.

Location and distances

Claro dos Poções is located east of the São Francisco River

São Francisco River

The São Francisco is a river in Brazil. With a length of , it is the longest river that runs entirely in Brazilian territory, and the fourth longest in South America and overall in Brazil...

, about halfway between Pirapora

Pirapora

Pirapora is a municipality in northcentral Minas Gerais in Brazil. Its population in 2007 was 51,636 in a total area of 577 km². The name Pirapora comes from the Tupi words for "fish" + "jump", referring to the piracema season when a mass migration of fishes ascends the São Francisco River...

 and Montes Claros

Montes Claros

Montes Claros is a city located in northern Minas Gerais state, in Brazil. The estimated population in 2010 was 412,284 inhabitants and the total area of the municipality was 3,470 km²...

. It is 116 km. from Pirapora and 78 km. from Montes Claros. It is 18 km. from federal highway BR-365, linked by a paved road. The elevation of the municipal seat is 650 meters. The distance to 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...

 is 462 km. Neighboring municipalties are: Montes Claros

Montes Claros

Montes Claros is a city located in northern Minas Gerais state, in Brazil. The estimated population in 2010 was 412,284 inhabitants and the total area of the municipality was 3,470 km²...

, Jequitaí

Jequitaí

Jequitaí is a Brazilian municipality located in the north of the state of Minas Gerais. In 2007 the population was 8,029 in a total area of 1,268 km². It became a municipality in 1948.-Location and Distances:...

, Francisco Dumont

Francisco Dumont

Francisco Dumont is a Brazilian municipality located in the north of the state of Minas Gerais. Its population as of 2007 was 4,759 people living in a total area of 1,553 km². The city belongs to the mesoregion of North of Minas and to the microregion of Bocaiúva. It became a municipality in 1962...

, and Bocaiúva

Bocaiúva

Bocaiúva is a Brazilian municipality located in the northwest of the state of Minas Gerais. Its population as of 2007 was 44,657 people living in a total area of 3,232 km². The city belongs to the mesoregion of North of Minas and to the microregion of Bocaiúva...

. Claro dos Poções is part of the statistical microregion of Montes Claros

Montes Claros

Montes Claros is a city located in northern Minas Gerais state, in Brazil. The estimated population in 2010 was 412,284 inhabitants and the total area of the municipality was 3,470 km²...

.

Geographical data

• Highest point: 1012 meters, at the source of Córrego Lajinha
• Lowest point: 575 meters, at the junction of the Rio São Lamberto with the Rio Jequitaí
• Elevation of the center of the town: 650 m
• Average annual temperature: 22.4 °C
• Average annual maximum temperature: 29.3 °C
• Average annual minimum temperature: 16.7 °C
• Average annual rainfall index: 1082.3 mm

Economic activities

The most important economic activities are cattle raising and agriculture. The GDP in 2005 was R$ 31,323,000. Claro dos Poções is in the bottom tier of municipalities in the state with regard to economic and social development. It suffers from isolation, poor soils, drought, and inadequate transport connections. As of 2007 there were no banking agencies in the town. There was a small retail commerce serving the surrounding area of cattle and agricultural lands. In the rural area there were 578 establishments employing about 1,500 workers. Only 33 of the farms had tractors. There were 97 automobiles in all of the municipality.

Health and education

• 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...
  
  : 0.685 (2000)
• State ranking: 611 out of 853 municipalities as of 2000
• National ranking: 3,232 out of 5,138 municipalities as of 2000
• Literacy rate: 79%
• Life expectancy: 67 (average of males and females)

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 the health sector there were 5 clinics and no hospitals. In the educational sector there were 7 primary schools and 2 middle schools.

Origin of the name

The town appeared around 1900, serving cattle ranches that belonged to the municipality of Coração de Jesus

Coração de Jesus

Coração de Jesus is a Brazilian municipality located in the north of the state of Minas Gerais. In 2007 the population was 26,131 in a total area of 2,236 km². It became a municipality in 1912.-Location and distances:...

. In the area there were a lot of clearings in the woodland, where the cattle would drink water in the pools of water. Joining these characteristics the name Claro (clearing) dos Poções (pools) was chosen.

See also

• List of municipalities in Minas Gerais