São Francisco, Minas Gerais
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For São Francisco in the state of Pernambuco see São Francisco, Pernambuco
São Francisco is a municipality in the north of the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil. As of 2007 the population was 52,985 in an area of 3,300 km². The elevation of the municipal seat is 695 meters. It became a municipality in 1831. The postal code (CEP) is 39300-000 and it belongs to the statistical microregion of Januária [1]
São Francisco is located on the right bank of the São Francisco River. It is connected by paved road to Brasília de Minas and to Montes Claros. A bridge crosses the São Francisco River at this point. [2]
The economy is based on agriculture with emphasis on cattle raising. There were 103,000 head in 2006. The main agricultural crops were sugarcane, bananas, castor oil seeds, and corn. The GDP was R$140,741,000 in 2005. Irrigation from the São Francisco River allows for production of tropical fruits. In 2006 there were 12,500 people connected to agriculture among whom were 2,2000 salaried workers. There were 2 banking agencies. [3]
This municipality is extremely isolated from major population centers and suffers from drought and poor soils. It is one of the poorest in the state and in the country. Like many impoverished districts it fought for municipal autonomy to apply for government assistance programs.
- Municipal Human Development Index: .680 (2000)
- State ranking: 637 out of 853 municipalities as of 2000
- National ranking: 3,300 out of 5,138 municipalities as of 2000
- Health clinics and hospitals: 10 basic clinics, 15 health centers, and 1 hospital with 24 beds
- Life expectancy: 69.2 [4]
The social and health indicators were: degree of urbanization--54.0%; Literacy rate: 77.2; coverage of sewage system in the urban area--1.30%; and infant mortality--20.68. [5]
