Varginha
Encyclopedia
Varginha is a city and municipality
in southwest Minas Gerais
state, Brazil
. The estimated population is approximately 120,000 inhabitants and the area of the municipality is 396.39 km². The elevation is 950 mts.
The city has an excellent location between Belo Horizonte, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro and nearby one of the country's most important and busiest highways, the BR-381, or Rodovia Fernão Dias
, which has recently been widened to four lanes. The city is served by Maj. Brig. Trompowsky Airport
.
Varginha is the second largest producer of coffee in the country, which has brought prosperity to the city and aided the rapid population growth.
The city is one of the most important centers of coffee commerce around Brazil.
Ranked among the top cities in the country in standard of living (life expectancy: 73.6; average years of study: 6.15) the city has fifteen health centers in the neighborhoods, three hospitals—one specializing in heart surgery—and two emergency units to attend the population. There is also a regional center for treatment of cancer, which serves a population of three million people in the south of Minas Gerais.
Varginha achieved a certain fame in UFO circles due to the so-called Varginha UFO incident
in 1996 http://www.kajen.com/~rasken/varginha.html, in which two extraterrestrial beings were allegedly spotted by locals and later captured by Brazilian Army, along with the local police and fire department. Three girls who saw one of the creatures became quite famous all over Brazil. One of them later converted to an evangelical church. Brazilian UFO researchers fear she can deny having seen the creature because of her new faith.
After this episode known as the "visit from the ET", the city began to invest in "UFO tourism". Today there are bus stops with the shape of spaceships, a huge water tower downtown also in the shape of a spaceship; all with lights and considered quite attractive. In August 2004, UFO researchers from all over Brazil came together at the I UFO Congress of Varginha, organized with the support of the City Hall.
Varginha is located by the Furnas lake where people can practice Aquatic sports, fishing and relaxing.
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...
in southwest 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 is approximately 120,000 inhabitants and the area of the municipality is 396.39 km². The elevation is 950 mts.
The city has an excellent location between Belo Horizonte, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro and nearby one of the country's most important and busiest highways, the BR-381, or Rodovia Fernão Dias
Rodovia Fernão Dias
The Rodovia Fernão Dias is a federal highway which runs in the Brazilian states of São Paulo and southern region of Minas Gerais...
, which has recently been widened to four lanes. The city is served by Maj. Brig. Trompowsky Airport
Varginha Airport
Major Brigadeiro Trompowsky Airport is the airport serving Varginha, Brazil. The airport is named after Armando Figueira Trompowsky de Almeida former Minister of the Brazilian Air Force.-Airlines and destinations:-External links:...
.
Varginha is the second largest producer of coffee in the country, which has brought prosperity to the city and aided the rapid population growth.
The city is one of the most important centers of coffee commerce around Brazil.
Ranked among the top cities in the country in standard of living (life expectancy: 73.6; average years of study: 6.15) the city has fifteen health centers in the neighborhoods, three hospitals—one specializing in heart surgery—and two emergency units to attend the population. There is also a regional center for treatment of cancer, which serves a population of three million people in the south of Minas Gerais.
Varginha achieved a certain fame in UFO circles due to the so-called Varginha UFO incident
Varginha UFO incident
The Varginha incident is an incident in information transmission in Brazil broadcasting. In 1996, popular reports informed that strange creatures were supposedly captured by Brazilian officials...
in 1996 http://www.kajen.com/~rasken/varginha.html, in which two extraterrestrial beings were allegedly spotted by locals and later captured by Brazilian Army, along with the local police and fire department. Three girls who saw one of the creatures became quite famous all over Brazil. One of them later converted to an evangelical church. Brazilian UFO researchers fear she can deny having seen the creature because of her new faith.
After this episode known as the "visit from the ET", the city began to invest in "UFO tourism". Today there are bus stops with the shape of spaceships, a huge water tower downtown also in the shape of a spaceship; all with lights and considered quite attractive. In August 2004, UFO researchers from all over Brazil came together at the I UFO Congress of Varginha, organized with the support of the City Hall.
Varginha is located by the Furnas lake where people can practice Aquatic sports, fishing and relaxing.