Ipatinga
Encyclopedia
Ipatinga is a city and municipality located in eastern Minas Gerais
state, Brazil
. The city was founded in 1962 and covers a total area of 166.5 km². Its population is 240,338 (IBGE
2001). It is part of the Vale do Aço Metropolitan Area
(population 430,700).
Ipatinga is located at the site where the Piracicaba River flows into the Doce River
, 217 km. from the state capital of Belo Horizonte
. It is served by highway and railroad connections (Minas-Vitória). There is also a medium sized airport, Usiminas Airport
in the area of the neighbor city Santana do Paraíso
, that serves the Steel Valley and can receive small and medium sized planes, including jets like the Boeing 737 and the Fokker 100.
.
, the city's principal football
club won the state championship
in 2005 and reached the Copa do Brasil
semi-finals in 2006. In 2007, it placed 2nd on the National Championship's Serie B, climbing to the first division.
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 city was founded in 1962 and covers a total area of 166.5 km². Its population is 240,338 (IBGE
IBGE
The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics or IBGE , is the agency responsible for statistical, geographic, cartographic, geodetic and environmental information in Brazil...
2001). It is part of the Vale do Aço Metropolitan Area
Vale do Aço metropolitan area
The Vale do Aço Metropolitan Region is a metropolitan area in Minas Gerais, Brazil, comprising only the four municipalities of Coronel Fabriciano, Ipatinga, Santana do Paraíso and Timóteo, but have an influence area of 22 other municipalities.-History:The name means Steel Valley in Portuguese...
(population 430,700).
Ipatinga is located at the site where the Piracicaba River flows into the Doce River
Doce River
The Doce River is a river in southeast Brazil, which has an extension of 853 km.It is formed by the junction of the Piranga and the Carmo near the historical city of Ouro Preto, whose sources are located in the foothills of the Mantiqueira and Espinhaço mountain chains at altitudes of about 1,200...
, 217 km. from the state capital of 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...
. It is served by highway and railroad connections (Minas-Vitória). There is also a medium sized airport, Usiminas Airport
Usiminas Airport
Usiminas Airport is the airport serving Ipatinga, Brazil, located in the adjoining municipality of Santana do Paraíso.Though privately-owned and operated by the steel manufacturer Usiminas, it is open for public use.-Airlines and destinations:...
in the area of the neighbor city Santana do Paraíso
Santana do Paraíso
Santana do Paraíso is a Brazilian municipality situated in the state of Minas Gerais which was founded in 1992. It forms part of the Vale do Aço metropolitan area. Its estimated population in 2004 was of 20.760 inhabitants....
, that serves the Steel Valley and can receive small and medium sized planes, including jets like the Boeing 737 and the Fokker 100.
Industry
It is the most important city of the Vale do Aço (Steel Valley) and is the headquarters for one of the largest steel making complexes in Brazil, Usina Siderúrgica de Minas Gerais – UsiminasUsiminas
Usiminas is a large producer of steel in the Americas, with major steel mills in Brazil with a total capacity of 9.5 million metric tons of steel per year. The company accounts for 28 % of total steel output in Brazil. Usiminas has an installed capacity of producing 9.5 million tons of crude...
.
Environment
Despite the steel complex's presence, Ipatinga has 127 m2 of green area per inhabitant, one of the highest averages in the country. Parque Ipanema, Ipatinga's main park, has about one million square meters of green space with 12 thousand trees planted, one of the largest in the country.Sport
Ipatinga Futebol ClubeIpatinga Futebol Clube
Ipatinga Futebol Clube, commonly known as Ipatinga, is a Brazilian football club, based in Ipatinga, Minas Gerais. They were founded on May 21, 1998.-History:...
, the city's principal football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
club won the state championship
Campeonato Mineiro
Campeonato Mineiro is the state football league of the state of Minas Gerais and is controlled by the Minas Gerais Football Federation FMF ....
in 2005 and reached the Copa do Brasil
Copa do Brasil
The Copa Kia do Brasil, commonly known as Copa do Brasil , is a knockout competition played by 64 association football teams, representing all 26 Brazilian states plus the Federal District...
semi-finals in 2006. In 2007, it placed 2nd on the National Championship's Serie B, climbing to the first division.
Statistics
- Elevation: 220 m
- Climate: Tropical sub-hot and sub-dry
- Average annual temperature: 23º C
- Latitude South 19°28'46"
- Longitude West: 42°31'18"
- Distances from major cities:
- Belo Horizonte: 217 km
- Rio de Janeiro: 661 km
- São Paulo: 808 km
- Campinas: 830 km
- Vitória: 401 km
- Brasília: 935 km
- Salvador: 1140 km