Minas Gerais

State of Minas Gerais
State
Flag Coat of arms
Motto(s):  Libertas Quae Sera Tamen (Latin) "Freedom albeit Late"
Location of State of Minas Gerais in Brazil
Coordinates: 19°49′S 43°57′W
Country	Brazil
Capital and Largest City	Belo Horizonte
Government
• Governor	Romeu Zema (Novo)
Area
• Total	586,528.29 km2 (226,459.84 sq mi)
• Rank	4th
Population  (2012)
• Total	19,855,332
• Rank	2nd
• Density	34/km2 (88/sq mi)
• Rank	14th
Demonym	Mineiro
GDP
• Year	2006 estimate
• Total	R$ 214,814,000,000 (3rd)
• Per capita	R$ 11,028 (10th)
HDI
• Year	2005
• Category	0.800 – high (9th)
Time zone	UTC-3 (BRT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-2 (BRST)
Postal Code	30000-000 to 39990-000
ISO 3166 code	BR-MG
Website	mg.gov.br

Minas Gerais (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈminɐs ʒeˈɾajs]) is one of the 26 states of Brazil. It has the second highest number of people. It has the fourth largest area. The capital is the city of Belo Horizonte, near the center of the state. The name means "General mines". Minas Gerais was formed mainly by colonists searching for gold, gemstones and diamonds.

Location

Minas Gerais is in the west of the southeastern part of Brazil. That area also has the states of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo. Minas Gerais shares borders with Bahia and Goiás (north), Mato Grosso do Sul (far west), the states of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro (south) and the state of Espírito Santo (east). It also shares a short border with the Brazilian Federal District.

Cities

Even though it is not the largest state in Brazil, Minas Gerais is the state with the most cities. Of the more than 5,500 municipalities in Brazil, Minas has more than 850 of them. The most important ones are the capital Belo Horizonte, Contagem, Betim, Ribeirão das Neves, Juiz de Fora, Montes Claros, Uberlândia and Ouro Preto.

Notable people

• José Paulino Gomes, supercentenarian

Other websites

Media related to Minas Gerais at Wikimedia Commons