Divinópolis

Divinópolis is a city and municipality located in the center-west of Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The estimated population in 2006 was 207,983 inhabitants. The total area of the municipality is 709 km² and the elevation is 712 meters. It is located at 120 km from state capital Belo Horizonte. Divinópolis is the seat of the Regional Administration of the Upper São Francisco River.

The characteristic vegetation of the municipality is cerrado but there are still some gallery forests along the rivers. The climate of the municipality is classified as subtropical mesothermic, characterized by dry winters and wet summers. The average temperature in winter is approximately 16°C and the average of the hottest month is about 25°C. The period between December and February is the rainiest. The driest months are from April to September

Divinópolis is watered by the Pará and Itapecerica rivers. The basin of the Pará is one of the most important of the São Francisco River and crosses 16 municipalities.

Divinópolis is the seat of a diocese which covers 25 municipalities and over 600,000 people.

[edit] History and Economy

Divinópolis was founded in 1767 by fifty families who lived in the lands near the Itapecerica and Pará rivers. The first settlement took root near the waterfalls on the Itapecerica and was called Paragem da Itapecerica in reference to the river. In 1770 it became Espírito Santo da Itapecerica and was a district of Tamanduá. In 1912 it became a city with the name Divinópolis (City of the Holy Spirit) in homage to the older name of Espírito Santo.

The arrival of the Estrada de Ferro Oeste de Minas, a narrow gauge railroad, in 1890 offered the city opportunities for the installation of siderurgic industries, of iron and steel, providing a reasonable standard of living, besides a high level of social development.

At the end of the 1970s the economic problems of the steel industry caused factories to close and many workers to be laid off. The difficulties forced the appearance of clothing factories, which were an important economic alternative. About 14,000 people are directly employed in this sector.

In addition to clothing, the city produces beverages, dairy products, and meat products.