Mineiros

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Mineiros
State	Goiás
Area:	8,896.3 km²
Population:	43,961 (IBGE 2005)
Elevation:	351 m above sea level
Postcode (CEP):	75830-000
Became a city:	1905
Distance to Goiânia:	430 km.
IBGE statistical microregion:	Southwest Goiás Microregion
Website:	Prefeitura Municipal de Mineiros

Mineiros is a small city and municipality in the center-west of the state of Goiás, Brazil. Mineiros is a great producer of cattle, soybeans, and corn.

1 Location
2 Political information
3 Demographic information
4 Economy and quality of life
5 Health and education
6 Origin of the name
7 Tourism
8 Municipal Human Development Index
9 Sources of data
10 See also
11 External links

[edit] Location

Mineiros is 430 km. from the state capital, Goiânia, and is connected to the large town of Jataí by BR 364. Highway connections from Goiânia are made by BR-060 / Abadia de Goiás / Guapó / Indiara / Acreúna / Rio Verde / Jataí / GO-050 / BR-364. [1]

Neighboring municipalties are: Caiapônia, Chapadão do Céu, Doverlândia, Jataí, Perolândia, Portelândia, Santa Rita do Araguaia, Serranópolis, MT and MS

It is one of the largest municipalities in the state and also one of the oldest.

[edit] Political information

In January 2005 the mayor was Neiba Maria Moraes Barcelos and the vice-mayor was José Maria de Sousa. There were 9 council-members on the city council and there were 29,176 eligible voters.

[edit] Demographic information

The population density was 4.66 inhabitants/km² in 2003. The population has more than doubled since 1980, when it was 21,690. While the urban area has increased dramatically, surprisingly the rural area has lost little population in the last 25 years, having 5,239 inhabitants in 2003. The population increased 2.54.% between 1991 and 2000.

[edit] Economy and quality of life

Considered one of the most prosperous regions of Brazilian agribusiness, the municipality of Mineiros is a great producer of soybeans, corn, sorghum and cotton, as well as beef and dairy cattle. It is the third largest producer of grains in the state. In an axis of 100 kilometers from the city there are fields producing more than 1 million tons a year of soybeans and sorghum. Because of this the city has large grain storage facilities.

Presently, Mineiros is preparing to receive a new unit of food giant Perdigão in Goiás, with an estimated starting date of the second half of 2006.

At the same time, one of the city's greatest assets is quality of life. The health system, made up of five hospitals, makes the city a regional reference point. There is also a good infrastructure with 90% of the urban population served by a sewage system and clorinated water.

In 2005 the city had an industrial district--Distrito Agroindustrial - I e II - DAIM --and there were 53 industrial units registered. The retail sector was very strong with 534 units in 2005. There was a meat-packing house--FRIGOESTRELA - Frigorífico Estrela D´Oeste Ltda--and a dairy--Coop. M. Agrop. do Vale do Araguaia Ltda. The banking sector was represented by 6 institutions: Banco do Brasil S.A. - BRADESCO S.A. - Banco Itaú S.A. - CEF - HSBC Bank Brasil S.A.-Banco Multiplo - Banco Mercantil do Brasil S.A.

In 2003 the sectors that employed more workers were: commerce (2,881), public administration (1,110), and transformation industries (931).

In 2004 there were 4,792 automobiles, 1,041 trucks, 950 pickups, and 2,728 motorcycles.

Like many cities in the state of Goiás the economy is based on cattle raising and agriculture. There were approximately 330,000 head of cattle in the municipality in 2005 of which 35,090 were milk cows. Agricultural production was based on cotton, corn, soybeans, and sorghum. Main crops in 2005 were:

corn: 220 km²
rice: 13 km²
soybeans: 1,400 km²
cotton: 73.15 km²
sorghum: 200 km²

[edit] Health and education

In 2003 there was 1 hospital with 100 beds. There were also 8 walk-in health clinics. In 2002 there were 76 doctors, 6 nurses, and 6 dentists in the city. The infant mortality rate was 16.58 for every 1,000 live births in 2000, having been 39.53 in 1990.

In 2005 the school system had 44 schools, 279 classrooms, 604 teachers, and 12,999 students. There were 2 institutions of higher learning: Fundação Integrada Municipal de Ensino Superior-FIMES and a campus of the State University of Goiás--Pólo Universitário da UEG. The adult literacy rate was 88% in 2000.

[edit] Origin of the name

The name Mineiros has its origins in some explorers (bandeirantes) from Minas Gerais, who were from the Triângulo Mineiro. They settled in the region around 1873, building huts, ranch houses, churches, and chapels for saints.

One of these settlers, who became known as "João Mineiro, because of his origin in Minas Gerais, was supposedly the first European to settle on the banks of a stream, a tributary of the Verdinho River, which soon was called the stream of the "mineiro". This stream is the Mineiros stream today.

[edit] Tourism

The city of Mineiros preserves more than 1,000 km² of native vegetation, in the Parque Nacional das Emas. Created in 1961, the park is 80 km. from Mineiros and is under the jurisdiction of IBAMA. Its biodiversity is recognized as one of the richest in Latin America. At a distance of 63 km. lies Pedra Aparada, an important ecological site because of its arqueological characteristics. [2] Mineiros also offers such attractions as the sulphurous waters of Pilões, Água Emendada, Casa de Pedra, Corrente das Cachoeiras, Mata dos Coqueiros, Mata Típica, Cedro – Quilombo dos Negros, many colonial homes and the Center for Gaucho Traditions.