Teófilo Otoni
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Téofilo Otoni is a city in northeast Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The population of the municipality was 134,679 in 2005 and the area is 3,253.4 km².
It lies at an elevation of 319 meters on the Todos os Santos River, a tributary of the Mucuri. Situated on the Rio-Bahia Interstate Highway BR 116, it is 130 km. north of the regional center, Governador Valadares, on the Doce River, and 478 km north of the state capital, Belo Horizonte. It was founded in 1853 by German colonists. It was given city status in 1878.
Teófilo Otoni is a trade centre for an agricultural hinterland in which livestock raising is of some importance. The city has small-scale manufacturing and food-processing plants. Poor soils for agriculture and lack of industry have made Teófilo Otoni a major source of immigration to other regions of Brazil and to the United States.
Nationally and internationally it rivals Governador Valadares as the gem capital of Brazil. Extensive mining and gem trading for aquamarines, topaz, brazilianite, and various forms of quartz take place there. A Gem and Mineral Show (Feira Internacional de Pedras Preciosas (FIPP), is held here every year, attracting international buyers. The fair provides the opportunity to buy both rough and cut stones directly from local producers, miners and cutters.
