Governador Valadares
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- Elevation: 170 m
- Population: 289.612
- Total area: 2,355.4 km²
- Demographic density: 98.38 inhab/km²
- Postal code: 35000-000
Governador Valadares is a city in eastern Minas Gerais state, Brazil. It lies on the left bank of the Doce River. The city was made the seat of a municipality in 1937.
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[edit] Location and distances
The city is on the Belo Horizonte–Vitória railway and on the Rio de Janeiro–Salvador highway. Distances from major centers:
- Belo Horizonte – 311 km
- Rio de Janeiro - 580 km
- São Paulo - 891 km
- Brasília - 1,045 km
- Vitória – 420 km
The local airport is a category 3 airport, with a paved runway of 1,400 meters length. There are regular flights to Belo Horizonte, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Porto Seguro, Salvador, and Vitória.
[edit] Climate
Temperature:
- Annual average: 32.6 °C
- Annual maximum average: 40.7 °C
- Annual minimum average: 18.3 °C
Average annual rainfall index: 1,350 mm
[edit] Economy
It is a trade centre and industrial. Sawmills and food-processing plants are in the city, and mica and beryl are mined in the area. Governador Valadares is one of the most famous gem-trading centres in Brazil. Gem minerals include amethyst, chrysoberyl, brazilianite, topaz, and quartz. The Gol Conda mine, one of the oldest in the city, attracts the curiosity of tourists and stone collectors from all over the world.
The main watercourse that bathes the municipality is the Doce River, whose basin (of 83,500 square kilometers) is composed of 222 municipalities. Nowadays its waters are very polluted, with little vegetation on its banks and depleted fish stocks.
[edit] History
The area around Governador Valadares was explored in colonial times. The first expedition to reach the Doce River was in 1573, leaving from Porto Seguro in Bahia. Only in the beginning of the nineteenth century was its colonization begun when in 1808 the Portuguese government created military divisions in the region. In 1823, the D. Manoel barracks was established, on the left bank of the Doce, exactly at the point at which the river begins to be partially navigable as far as the sea. By the end of the nineteenth century, Dom Manuel was the main river port on the Doce, being a meeting place for muleteers and canoes that took products to the coast. Only after the beginning of the twentieth century was the occupation of the territory accelerated, with the construction of the Vitória-Minas railway in 1902. In 1925 the first electric plant was installed to serve the residences of the town. It was powered by steam.
Throughout its history Governador Valdares has had several names:
- 1734 - Arraial de Porto de Dom Manuel
- 1808 - Porto das Canoas
- 1888 - Santo Antônio da Figueira
- 1889 – Distrito De Santo Antônio do Bonsucesso
- 1923 - Figueira
In 1937 the municipality of Figueira do Rio Doce was established, which then changed its name to Governador Valadares, who was the governor at the time.
The city is known internationally for the World Paragliding Championship that has been held at Ibituruna Peak (1123 meters). In recent years the city and region have become notorious in U.S. immigration circles for being a major supplier of immigrants (illegal and legal) to the United States.
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