Divinópolis
Encyclopedia
Divinópolis is a city and municipality located in the centre-west 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...
state, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. 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
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...
. Divinópolis is the seat of the Regional Administration of the Upper São Francisco River.
Statistical Micro-region of Divinópolis
Divinópolis is a statistical micro-region including 11 municipalities: Carmo do CajuruCarmo do Cajuru
Carmo do Cajuru is a town and municipality in the state of Minas Gerais in the Southeast region of Brazil.-References:...
, Cláudio
Cláudio
Cláudio is a town and municipality in the state of Minas Gerais in the Southeast region of Brazil.-References:...
, Conceição do Pará
Conceição do Pará
Conceição do Pará is a town and municipality in the state of Minas Gerais in the Southeast region of Brazil.-References:...
, Divinópolis, Igaratinga
Igaratinga
Igaratinga is a town and municipality in the state of Minas Gerais in the Southeast region of Brazil.-References:...
, Itaúna
Itaúna
Itaúna is a town and municipality in the state of Minas Gerais in the Southeast region of Brazil.-References:...
, Nova Serrana
Nova Serrana
Nova Serrana is a town and municipality in the state of Minas Gerais in the Southeast region of Brazil.-References:...
, Perdigão
Perdigão, Minas Gerais
Perdigão, Minas Gerais is a town and municipality in the state of Minas Gerais in the Southeast region of Brazil.-References:...
, Santo Antônio do Monte
Santo Antônio do Monte
Santo Antônio do Monte is a town in the western central part of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Its coordinates are 20.0856/20° 5' 13" S and the longitude is 41.2495/41° 17' 38" W. It has 27,534 inhabitants . The city is located 194 km west of state capital Belo Horizonte...
, São Gonçalo do Pará
São Gonçalo do Pará
São Gonçalo do Pará is a city and municipality located in the center-west of Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The estimated population in 2006 was 8,285 inhabitants. The total area of the municipality is 265 km² and the elevation is 750 meters. It is located at 129 km from state capital Belo...
, and São Sebastião do Oeste
São Sebastião do Oeste
São Sebastião do Oeste is a town and municipality in the state of Minas Gerais in the Southeast region of Brazil.-References:...
. In 2000, the population was 379,122 inhabitants living in an area of 5,105.,50 km².
Geography
The characteristic vegetation of the municipality is cerradoCerrado
The Cerrado, is a vast tropical savanna ecoregion of Brazil, particularly in the states of Gioas and Minas Gerais...
but there are still some gallery forests along the rivers. The climate of the municipality is classified as subtropical mesothermic, characterised by dry winters and wet summers. The average temperature in winter is approximately 16°C and the average of the hottest month is about 25°C. The period between December and February is the rainiest. The driest months are from April to September. The lowest temperature set was in 1997 with 0.7°C (33°F).
Divinópolis is watered by the Pará and Itapecerica rivers. The basin of the Pará is one of the most important 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...
and crosses 16 municipalities.
Divinópolis is the seat of a diocese which covers 25 municipalities and over 600,000 people.
Location
The city centre of Divinópolis is located at an elevation of 712 meters approximately 120 km southwest of 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...
. Neighbouring municipalities are: Nova Serrana
Nova Serrana
Nova Serrana is a town and municipality in the state of Minas Gerais in the Southeast region of Brazil.-References:...
(N), São Gonçalo do Pará
São Gonçalo do Pará
São Gonçalo do Pará is a city and municipality located in the center-west of Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The estimated population in 2006 was 8,285 inhabitants. The total area of the municipality is 265 km² and the elevation is 750 meters. It is located at 129 km from state capital Belo...
and Carmo do Cajuru
Carmo do Cajuru
Carmo do Cajuru is a town and municipality in the state of Minas Gerais in the Southeast region of Brazil.-References:...
(E), Cláudio
Cláudio
Cláudio is a town and municipality in the state of Minas Gerais in the Southeast region of Brazil.-References:...
and São Sebastião do Oeste
São Sebastião do Oeste
São Sebastião do Oeste is a town and municipality in the state of Minas Gerais in the Southeast region of Brazil.-References:...
(S), Santo Antônio do Monte
Santo Antônio do Monte
Santo Antônio do Monte is a town in the western central part of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Its coordinates are 20.0856/20° 5' 13" S and the longitude is 41.2495/41° 17' 38" W. It has 27,534 inhabitants . The city is located 194 km west of state capital Belo Horizonte...
and Perdigão
Perdigão, Minas Gerais
Perdigão, Minas Gerais is a town and municipality in the state of Minas Gerais in the Southeast region of Brazil.-References:...
(W).
Distances
- Bom DespachoBom Despacho, Minas GeraisBom Despacho is a Brazilian municipality located in the west of the state of Minas Gerais. Its population as of 2007 was 22,260 people living in a total area of 1,202 km². The city belongs to the meso-region of Central Mineira and to the micro-region of Bom Despacho...
: 102 km (north on BR-494 then west on BR-262) - UberabaUberabaUberaba is a city and municipality in the west of the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil. Its population is 296.000 with an area of 4529.7 km², giving a density of 60.71 people per km². It is located on a plateau at an elevation of 785 meters and is in the Uberaba River floodplain...
: 423 km (north on BR-494 then west on BR-262) - FormigaFormigaFormiga is a and municipality in central-west Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The population of the municipality in 2007 is 64,585. The area of the municipality is 1,504 km². It is located in the statistical meso-region of Centro-Oeste de Minas and the statistical micro-region of Formiga...
: 76 km southwest on MG-050
History
Divinópolis was founded in 1767 by fifty families who lived in the lands near the Itapecerica and Pará rivers. The first settlement took root near the waterfalls on the Itapecerica and was called Paragem da Itapecerica in reference to the river. In 1770 it became Espírito Santo da Itapecerica and was a district of Tamanduá. In 1912 it became a city with the name Divinópolis (City of the Holy Spirit) in homage to the older name of Espírito Santo.The arrival of the Estrada de Ferro Oeste de Minas
Estrada de Ferro Oeste de Minas
The Estrada de Ferro Oeste de Minas was a narrow gauge railway located in the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. At its peak the railway's route totalled...
, a narrow gauge railroad, in 1890 offered the city opportunities for the installation of siderurgic industries of iron and steel, providing a reasonable standard of living, as well as a high level of social development.
Economic activities
The main economic activities are services, industry, and agriculture. The GDP in 2005 was approximately 2 billion reais, with 244 million reais coming from taxes, 1 billion two hundred and 15 million reais from services, six hundred and three million reais from industry, and forty five million reais from agriculture. In 2005 there were 1,947 transformation industries employing 16,687 persons and 4,526 retail units employing 16,559 persons. Public administration employed 3,972 persons and health services employed 2,434 persons.In the rural area there were 942 farms on 31,000 hectares (2006). 1,200 persons were engaged in the agricultural sector. The main crops were citrus fruits, rice, beans, and corn. There were 43,000 head of cattle, of which 10,000 were dairy cattle.
At the end of the 1970s the economic problems of the steel industry caused factories to close and many workers to be laid off. The difficulties forced the appearance of clothing factories, which were an important economic alternative. In addition to clothing, the city produces beverages, dairy products, and meat products.
Health and education
In the health sector there were 94 establishments, of which 36 were public and 56 were private (2005). There were 36 specialized health clinics and 4 hospitals with 593 beds. (2005). Patients with more serious health conditions are transported 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...
. Educational needs of 44,000 students were met by 93 primary schools, 32 middle schools, and 92 pre-primary schools.
There are 5 institutions that provide higher education: Instituto Superior de Educação de Divinópolis - ISED, Faculdade de Arte e Design - FAD, Faculdade de Ciências Econômicas e Administrativas de Divinópolis - FACED, Instituto de Ensino Superior e Pesquisa - INESP, and Faculdades Integradas do Oeste de Minas - FADOM. There is also a satellite campus of the Federal University of São João del-Rei (UFSJ), which goes by the name of "Dona Lindu", in homage to president Lula's mother.
- 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...
: 0.831 (2000) - State ranking: 5 out of 853 municipalities as of 2000
- National ranking: 132 out of 5,138 municipalities as of 2000
- Literacy rate: 94%
- Life expectancy: 75 (average of males and females)
In 2000 the per capita monthly income of R$327.00 was above the state average of R$276.00 and also the national average of R$297.00. 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...
had the highest per capita monthly income in 2000 with R$435.00. 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 R$73.00.
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.