Japonvar 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 8,232 in a total area of 376 km². It became a municipality in 1997.

Location and distances

Japonvar is located on BR-135 which connects 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...

 and Januária

Januária

Januária, known as "The Queen of the Beautiful Waters" is a city and municipality in northern Minas Gerais state, Brazil. It is located on the left bank of the São Francisco River...

. The elevation of the municipal seat is 700 meters. Japonvar 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...

. Neighboring municipalities are: Lontra

Lontra

Lontra is a genus of otters from the American continent.The genus comprises four species:*North American River Otter *Southern River Otter *Neotropical Otter...

, São João da Ponte

São João da Ponte

São João da Ponte is a municipality in the north of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. As of 2007, the population numbered 26,091 within the total area of 1,849 km². The elevation is 561 meters. It became a municipality in 1943....

, Patis

Patis

Patis may refer to:*Paattinen, a Finnish village*Pais, a standard abbreviation for the Buddhist Pali Canon's Patisambhidamagga*Patis, a fish sauce used as a cooking ingredient or a condiment in the Philippines...

, Brasília de Minas

Brasília de Minas

Brasília de Minas is a Brazilian municipality located in the north of the state of Minas Gerais. In 2007 the population was 42,165 in a total area of 1,398 km². It became a municipality in 1923....

, and São Francisco

São Francisco, Minas Gerais

For São Francisco in the state of Pernambuco see São Francisco, PernambucoSão Francisco is a municipality in the north of the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil. As of 2007 the population was 52,985 in an area of 3,300 km². The elevation of the municipal seat is 695 meters. It became a...

.

Economic activities

The most important economic activities are cattle raising, commerce, and subsistence agriculture. The GDP in 2005 was R$ 19,043,000. Japonvar is in the bottom tier of municipalities in the state with regard to economic and social development. It suffers from isolation, poor soils, and periodic drought. 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 646 establishments employing about 1,700 workers. Only 04 of the farms had tractors. There were 80 automobiles in all of the municipality. There were 8,700 head of cattle in 2006. The crops with a planted area of more than 100 hectares were beans, sugarcane, manioc, and corn.

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...
  
  : 0.618 (2000)
• State ranking: 807 out of 853 municipalities as of 2000
• National ranking: 4,339 out of 5,138 municipalities as of 2000
• Literacy rate: 66%
• Life expectancy: 66 (average of males and females)
• Urbanization rate: 31.73 (2000)
• Percentage of urban houses served by sewage system: 98.10
• Infant mortality rate: n/a

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 06 clinics and no hospitals. In the educational sector there were 08 primary schools and 01 middle school.

Origin of the name

The name Japonvar came about because the settlement began at the junction of three rural roads, which led to Januária, São João da Ponte e Varzelândia.

See also

• List of municipalities in Minas Gerais