Três Marias
Encyclopedia
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...
ian city in northwestern 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 26,431 in a total area of 2,763 km².
Climate
The climateClimate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
is tropical semi-humid, with an annual average temperature
Temperature
Temperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...
of 22.5 degrees Celsius, and an average annual maximum of 28.8 °F; average annual minimum: 16.5 °C; average annual rainfall: 1442 mm. The altitude varies between 504 and 975 meters.
Location
Três Marias is located at the north end of one of the largest reservoirs in Brazil—the Represa Três Marias--and is close to the damDam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
which controls water entering the São Francisco river. The city lies on the important federal highway BR-040, which links 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...
to Brasília
Brasília
Brasília is the capital city of Brazil. The name is commonly spelled Brasilia in English. The city and its District are located in the Central-West region of the country, along a plateau known as Planalto Central. It has a population of about 2,557,000 as of the 2008 IBGE estimate, making it the...
. Neighboring municipalities are: Buritizeiro
Buritizeiro
Buritizeiro is a municipality in the north of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. Its population in 2007 was 26,133 inhabitants in a total area of 7,226 km². It is a major producer of cattle and grains.-Location:...
, Lassance
Lassance
Lassance is a Brazilian municipality located in the north of the state of Minas Gerais. In 2007 the population was 6,458 in a total area of 3,213 km². It became a municipality in 1953.-Location and Distances:...
, (N), Felixlândia
Felixlândia
Felixlândia is a Brazilian municipality located in the northeast of the state of Minas Gerais. Its population as of 2007 was 13,618 living in a total area of 1,553 km². The city belongs to the statistical mesoregion of Central Mineira and to the statistical microregion of Curvelo. It became a...
(S), Corinto
Corinto
Corinto may refer to any of the following:Brazil*Corinto, Minas GeraisColombia*Corinto, CaucaEl Salvador*Corinto, MorazánNicaragua*Corinto, Nicaragua...
(E) Morada Nova
Morada Nova
Morada Nova is a town and municipality in the state of Ceará in the Northeast region of Brazil.-References:...
and São Gonçalo do Abaeté
São Gonçalo do Abaeté
São Gonçalo do Abaeté is a municipality in the north of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. Its population in 2007 was 6,156 inhabitants in a total area of 2,687 km². It is a large producer of cattle and grains....
(W)
Distances
- 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...
: 276 km - BrasíliaBrasíliaBrasília is the capital city of Brazil. The name is commonly spelled Brasilia in English. The city and its District are located in the Central-West region of the country, along a plateau known as Planalto Central. It has a population of about 2,557,000 as of the 2008 IBGE estimate, making it the...
: 438 km - João Pinheiro: 130 km
- Patos de MinasPatos de MinasPatos de Minas is a city and municipality in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil, located some 400 km from Belo Horizonte on the Paranaíba River. The city had 133,054 in 2007 while the area of the municipality is 3,189 km²...
: 170 km
Três Marias Statistical Micro-region
Três Marias is also a statistical microregion including the following municipalities: AbaetéAbaeté
Abaeté is a municipality in the north of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. As of 2007 the population was 22,474 in a total area of 1,816 km². It became a municipality in 1870.-Location:...
, Biquinhas
Biquinhas
Biquinhas is a municipality in the north of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. As of 2007 the population was 2,592 in a total area of 457 km². It became a municipality in 1962.-Location:...
, Cedro do Abaeté
Cedro do Abaeté
Cedro do Abaeté is a municipality in the north of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. In 2007, the population was 1,203 in a total area of 280 km². It became a municipality in 1962.-Location:...
, Morada Nova de Minas
Morada Nova de Minas
Morada Nova de Minas is a municipality in the north of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. As of 2007 the population was 8,297 in a total area of 2,085 km². It became a municipality in 1943.-Location:...
, Paineiras
Paineiras
Paineiras is a municipality in the north of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. As of 2007 the population was 4,594 in a total area of 638 km². It became a municipality in 1962.-Location:...
, Pompeu
Pompéu
Pompéu is a municipality in the north of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. As of 2007 the population was 28,393 in a total area of 2,557 km². It became a municipality in 1938.-Location:...
, and Três Marias. In 2000 the population was 89,092 inhabitants in a total area of 10,541.70 km². The population density was 8.45 inhab/km² (2000)
Economic activities
The economy is based on agriculture, cattle raising, tourism, light industry and the informal economy. The GDP in 2005 was R$ 839 million, of which 515 million was generated by industry—namely, the hydroelectric plant of Três Marias. There were 03 banks. The number of automobiles for the municipality was 3,708 (2007), one for every 7 inhabitants. In 2006 the largest employer was public administration with around 1,200 workers.In the rural area there were 420 establishments on 113,000 hectares. More than half of the area was natural pasture. 1,500 persons were occupied in agriculture. 74 of the farms had tractors, a ratio of one in six. The cattle herd had 28,000 head. The main crops were rice, sugarcane, corn, and soybeans. In general terms the agricultural production was modest for a municipality of such a large area.
Health and education
In 2005 there were 19 clinics (14 public and 05 private) and 01 hospital (private) with 50 beds. The nearest cities with advanced health care were Patos de MinasPatos de Minas
Patos de Minas is a city and municipality in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil, located some 400 km from Belo Horizonte on the Paranaíba River. The city had 133,054 in 2007 while the area of the municipality is 3,189 km²...
, 170 km, and 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...
, 276 km. There were 15 pre-primary schools (10 public and 05 private), 24 primary schools (19 public and 05 private), and 04 middle schools (02 public and 02 private). There was a branch of one public institute of higher learning.
Origin of the name
There are several versions of stories that explain the name of the city. There are those who affirm, based on astronomyAstronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
, that it is because of the three star
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
s belonging to the constellation
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
Orion
Orion (constellation)
Orion, often referred to as The Hunter, is a prominent constellation located on the celestial equator and visible throughout the world. It is one of the most conspicuous, and most recognizable constellations in the night sky...
, and that are permanently visible in this region.
Another possible source of the name are the three waterfall
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
s that once existed where the reservoir would eventually be built.
But the most popular explanation refers to three sisters who lived on the right bank of the river. This version talks of a couple who lived on the bank of the river who had triplets
Multiple birth
A multiple birth occurs when more than one fetus is carried to term in a single pregnancy. Different names for multiple births are used, depending on the number of offspring. Common multiples are two and three, known as twins and triplets...
, a rare case even today. The story goes that their birth was a topic of subject of much discussion, with its fame spreading throughout the region. They were three beautiful girls all called Maria. But the waterfall where the couple lived with their three daughters began to be called the Waterfall of the Three Marias, which disappeared after the building of the dam. The legend adds that the three Marias died by drowning in the river. However, as there is no documentary evidence in any registrar to prove its veracity, the tale remains anecdotal
Anecdote
An anecdote is a short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person. It may be as brief as the setting and provocation of a bon mot. An anecdote is always presented as based on a real incident involving actual persons, whether famous or not, usually in an identifiable place...
. The less poetic, official name of the hydroelectric station is "Bernardo Mascarenhas".
The lake and dam of Tres Marias
The lake of Tres Marias began with the damming of the São Francisco RiverSão 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...
, formed by the construction of one of the largest earth dams in the world. The objectives were to control the flow of water of the river in the periodical floods and improve navigability; the use of hydroelectric power and the development of industry and irrigation. Begun in 1957, this great project was finished in January 1961, almost a world record in this type of construction.
The dam is 2,700 meters long with a height of 75 meters. Its plant produces 396,000 KW of power. The lake, known as the "Sweet Sea of Minas", has 21 billion cubic meters of water, a surface area of 1,040 square kilometers (8.7 times greater than Guanabara Bay
Guanabara Bay
Guanabara Bay is an oceanic bay located in southeastern Brazil in the state of Rio de Janeiro. On its western shore lies the city of Rio de Janeiro, and on its eastern shore the cities of Niterói and São Gonçalo. Four other municipalities surround the bay's shores...
), and provides water to 8 municipalities
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
; one of the many islands formed in the lake is an ecological station
Ecological station
According to the National System of Conservation Units in Brazil an ecological station is an area set up for environmental protection .The stations have been active in the country particularly as a result of the widespread threats to biodiversity and forest caused by Deforestation in Brazil...
; the Estação Ecologica de Pirapitinga
Pirapitinga Ecological Station
Pirapitinga Ecological Station is an ecological station in Brazil, on an island in the lake formed by the dam in Três Marias, Minas Gerais....
.
The speed of construction was due to the commitment of President Juscelino Kibitschek, who also completed the bridge over the São Francisco river, the BR 040 highway, and the new federal capital
Brasília
Brasília is the capital city of Brazil. The name is commonly spelled Brasilia in English. The city and its District are located in the Central-West region of the country, along a plateau known as Planalto Central. It has a population of about 2,557,000 as of the 2008 IBGE estimate, making it the...
. The construction of the dam was carried out in two shifts, using approximately 10,000 workers.
External links
- Official site of Três Marias
- http://www.scielo.br/pdf/bjb/v64n2/v64n2a03.pdf, study about fish nutrition