Estrela do Sul
Encyclopedia
Estrela do Sul is a Brazilian municipality located in the northwest of the state of Minas Gerais
. Its population as of 2007 was 7,136 people living in a total area of 820 km². The city belongs to the mesoregion
of Triângulo Mineiro
e Alto Paranaíba and to the microregion
of Patrocínio
. It became a municipality in 1856.
, which dams up the Paranaíba River
. The elevation of the town center is 713 meters. Highway connections are made by MG-223, which connects south to BR-365. Neighboring municipalities are: Grupiara
and Cascalho Rico
(N); Araguari
(E); Indianópolis
and Nova Ponte
(S); Iraí
and Monte Carmelo
(W).
, Estrela do Sul, is considered one of the most preserved historical cities in Minas Gerais. Here was found one of the largest diamonds in the world, the Estrela do Sul; here is buried Dona Beija, the famous lady of Imperial Brazil. This is the only city in the Triângulo Mineiro
which still preserves houses from the colonial period of Brazi. The city became known after 1984 when the Rosa brothers, a teacher, a film-maker, and a journalist, brought it into the national limelight as a historical site. In 1997, Pedro Divio Rosa wrote “Dona Beija”, which traces the history of the historical character.
Estrela do Sul has a small municipal area and therefore little available land for agriculture. In the rural area there were 492 establishments (2006) occupying 103,000 hectares (planted area—10,000 ha, natural pasture—33,000 ha., and woodland—55,000 ha.). About 1,600 persons were dependent on agriculture. 117 of the farms had tractors, a ratio of one in 04 farms. There were 55,000 head of cattle in 2006. The main crops were coffee (2,200 ha.), corn (4,500 ha.), rice, and soybeans (4,000 ha.).
The highest ranking municipality in Minas Gerais in 2000 was Poços de Caldas
with 0.841, while the lowest was Setubinha
with 0.568. Nationally the highest was São Caetano do Sul
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
has the lowest rating in the country—0,467—putting it in last place.
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 7,136 people living in a total area of 820 km². The city belongs to the mesoregion
Mesoregion (Brazil)
Mesoregions are subdivisions of Brazilian states, grouping together various municipalities in proximity and with common characteristics. They were created by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics for statistical purposes and do not, therefore, constitute an administrative area....
of Triângulo Mineiro
Triângulo Mineiro
The Triangle Mineiro Portuguese pronunciation: [tɾiɐɡulu minejru] is an officer in the region west of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The area is 93.500 km ² and is limited by the Serra da Canastra and Marcela, east, south of Sao Paulo, Goias in the north and west of the junction of the rivers...
e Alto Paranaíba and to the microregion
Microregion (Brazil)
Microregions are legally defined administrative areas in Brazil consisting of groups of municipalities bordering urban areas. Microregions are grouped together into mesoregions....
of Patrocínio
Patrocínio
Patrocínio is a municipality in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil. The population of the municipality in 2007 was 81,589. The area is 2,867 km² and the elevation is 965 mts.-Highway connections:...
. It became a municipality in 1856.
Location
The municipality is located in the region of the Alto Paranaíba, on the edge of the Emborcação ReservoirEmborcação Dam
The Emborcação Dam, also known as Theodomiro Sampaio, is an embankment dam on the Paranaíba River near Araguari in Minas Gerais, Brazil. It was constructed for hydroelectric power production and flood control.-Background:...
, which dams up the Paranaíba River
Paranaíba River
The Paranaíba River is a Brazilian river whose source lies in the state of Minas Gerais in the Mata da Corda mountains, municipality of Rio Paranaíba, at an altitude of 1,148 meters; on the other face of this mountain chain are the sources of the Abaeté river, tributary of the São Francisco River...
. The elevation of the town center is 713 meters. Highway connections are made by MG-223, which connects south to BR-365. Neighboring municipalities are: Grupiara
Grupiara
Grupiara is a Brazilian municipality located in the northwest of the state of Minas Gerais. Its population as of 2007 was 1,412 people living in a total area of 192 km². The city belongs to the mesoregion of Triângulo Mineiro e Alto Paranaíba and to the microregion of Patrocínio...
and Cascalho Rico
Cascalho Rico
Cascalho Rico is a Brazilian municipality located in the west of the state of Minas Gerais. Its population as of 2007 was 2,799 living in a total area of 368 km². The city belongs to the statistical mesoregion of Triângulo Mineiro and Alto Paranaíba and to the statistical microregion of Uberlândia....
(N); Araguari
Araguari
Araguari is a city and municipality in northwestern Minas Gerais state, Brazil. It is located in the northern Triângulo Mineiro region, on the Jordão River, a tributary of the Paranaíba River, at an elevation between 940 and 1,087 meters....
(E); Indianópolis
Indianópolis
Indianópolis is a Brazilian municipality located in the west of the state of Minas Gerais. Its population as of 2007 was 6,244 living in a total area of 834 km². The city belongs to the statistical mesoregion of Triângulo Mineiro and Alto Paranaíba and to the statistical microregion of Uberlândia. ...
and Nova Ponte
Nova Ponte
Nova Ponte is a Brazilian municipality located in the west of the state of Minas Gerais. Its population as of 2007 was estimated to be 11,586 people living in a total area of 1,105 km². The city belongs to the mesoregion of Triângulo Mineiro and Alto Paranaíba and to the micro-region of Araxá...
(S); Iraí
Iraí
Iraí is a municipality in the state Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.-See also:*List of municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul...
and Monte Carmelo
Monte Carmelo
Monte Carmelo is a Brazilian municipality located in the northwest of the state of Minas Gerais. Its population as of 2007 was 44,367 people living in a total area of 1,354 km². The city belongs to the mesoregion of Triângulo Mineiro e Alto Paranaíba and to the microregion of Patrocínio...
(W).
Distances
- Monte CarmeloMonte CarmeloMonte Carmelo is a Brazilian municipality located in the northwest of the state of Minas Gerais. Its population as of 2007 was 44,367 people living in a total area of 1,354 km². The city belongs to the mesoregion of Triângulo Mineiro e Alto Paranaíba and to the microregion of Patrocínio...
: 28 km - CoromandelCoromandel, Minas GeraisCoromandel is a Brazilian town, located in the southeast region of the country, in the state of Minas Gerais. Its population is over 28,000 people according the 2004 census. The municipality of Coromandel is located 495 km from the state capital Belo Horizonte, and 673 km from São Paulo...
: 77 km - AraguariAraguariAraguari is a city and municipality in northwestern Minas Gerais state, Brazil. It is located in the northern Triângulo Mineiro region, on the Jordão River, a tributary of the Paranaíba River, at an elevation between 940 and 1,087 meters....
: 65 km - UberlândiaUberlândiaUberlândia is the main town in the Triangle region, west of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. With a population of 604,013 inhabitants, according to 2010 estimates, the city is the second largest in the state second only to Belo Horizonte...
: 90 km - Belo HorizonteBelo HorizonteBelo 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...
: 514 km
History
Settled in 1772 by the bandeirante João Leite da Silva Ortiz, on one of his expeditions into GoiásGoiás
Goiás is a state of Brazil, located in the central part of the country. The name Goiás comes from the name of an indigenous community...
, Estrela do Sul, is considered one of the most preserved historical cities in Minas Gerais. Here was found one of the largest diamonds in the world, the Estrela do Sul; here is buried Dona Beija, the famous lady of Imperial Brazil. This is the only city in the Triângulo Mineiro
Triângulo Mineiro
The Triangle Mineiro Portuguese pronunciation: [tɾiɐɡulu minejru] is an officer in the region west of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The area is 93.500 km ² and is limited by the Serra da Canastra and Marcela, east, south of Sao Paulo, Goias in the north and west of the junction of the rivers...
which still preserves houses from the colonial period of Brazi. The city became known after 1984 when the Rosa brothers, a teacher, a film-maker, and a journalist, brought it into the national limelight as a historical site. In 1997, Pedro Divio Rosa wrote “Dona Beija”, which traces the history of the historical character.
Economic activities
The most important economic activities are cattle raising, commerce, and agriculture. The GDP in 2005 was R$ R$63 million, with 23 million generated by services, 03 million generated by industry, and 35 million generated by agriculture. Estrela do Sul is in the middle tier of municipalities in the state with regard to economic and social development. As of 2007 there was one banking agency in the town. There was a modest retail infrastructure serving the surrounding area of cattle and agricultural lands. There were 726 automobiles in all of the municipality (2007), about one for every 10 inhabitants.Estrela do Sul has a small municipal area and therefore little available land for agriculture. In the rural area there were 492 establishments (2006) occupying 103,000 hectares (planted area—10,000 ha, natural pasture—33,000 ha., and woodland—55,000 ha.). About 1,600 persons were dependent on agriculture. 117 of the farms had tractors, a ratio of one in 04 farms. There were 55,000 head of cattle in 2006. The main crops were coffee (2,200 ha.), corn (4,500 ha.), rice, and soybeans (4,000 ha.).
Health and education
In the health sector there were 05 health clinics and 01 hospital with 12 beds. In the educational sector there were 10 pre-primary schools, 10 primary schools, and 01 middle school.- 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...
: 0.746 (2000) - State ranking: 314 out of 853 municipalities as of 2000
- National ranking: 1,985 out of 5,138 municipalities as of 2000
- Literacy rate: 86%
- Life expectancy: 73 (average of males and females)
- Infant mortality rate: 16.26 in 1,000 live births (1998)
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