Minas Gerais

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Minas Gerais
Flag of Minas Gerais
Map of Brazil highlighting the state
See other Brazilian States
Capital Belo Horizonte
Largest City Belo Horizonte
Area 586,528.30 km²
Population
  - Total
  - Density

17,891,452
30.5 inh./km²
Governor Aécio Neves(PSDB)
Demonym Mineiro
Timezone GMT-3
ISO 3166-2 BR-MG

Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil. It has the second most population and 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 for formed mainly by colonists searching for gold, gemstones and diamonds.

[edit] 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 Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro (south) and the state of Espírito Santo (east). It also shares a short border with the Brazilian Federal District.

[edit] Cities

Even though it is not the largest state in Brazil, Minas Gerais is the state with the most cities. Of the more than 5500 municipalities in Brazil, Minas has more than 850 of them. The most important ones are the capital Belo Horizonte, Contagem, Betim, Juiz de Fora, Montes Claros, Uberlândia and Ouro Preto


States of Brazil Flag of Brazil
Acre | Alagoas | Amapá | Amazonas | Bahia | Ceará | Espírito Santo | Goiás | Maranhão | Mato Grosso | Mato Grosso do Sul | Minas Gerais | Pará | Paraíba | Paraná | Pernambuco | Piauí | Rio de Janeiro | Rio Grande do Norte | Rio Grande do Sul | Rondônia | Roraima | Santa Catarina | São Paulo | Sergipe | Tocantins
Federal District: Brazilian Federal District