| Ipatinga | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| — Municipality — | |||
| The Municipality of Ipatinga | |||
| See aerial of Ipatinga | |||
|
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| Nickname(s): "Pouso de Água Limpa" |
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| Country | Brazil | ||
| Region | Southeast | ||
| State | Minas Gerais | ||
| Founded | April 29, 1964 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Robson Gomes (PPS) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 165.509 km2 (63.9 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2009) | |||
| • Total | 244.508 | ||
| • Density | 1.440/km2 (3.7/sq mi) | ||
| Postal Code | 35160-000 | ||
| HDI (2000) | 0,806 – high | ||
| Website | http://www.ipatinga.mg.gov.br/ | ||
Ipatinga (postal code 35160-000) is a city and municipality located in eastern Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The city was founded in 1962 and covers a total area of 166.5 km². Its population is 240,338 (IBGE 2001). It is part of the Vale do Aço Metropolitan Area (population 430,700).
Ipatinga is located at the site where the Piracicaba River flows into the Doce River, 217 km. from the state capital of Belo Horizonte. It is served by highway and railroad connections (Minas-Vitória). There is also a medium sized airport, Usiminas Airport [1] in the area of the neighbor city Santana do Paraíso, that serves the Steel Valley and can receive small and medium sized planes, including jets like the Boeing 737 and the Fokker 100.
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It is the most important city of the Vale do Aço (Steel Valley) and is the headquarters for one of the largest steel making complexes in Brazil, Usina Siderúrgica de Minas Gerais – Usiminas. [2]
Despite the steel complex's presence, Ipatinga has 127 m2 of green area per inhabitant, one of the highest averages in the country. Parque Ipanema, Ipatinga's main park, has about one million square meters of green space with 12 thousand trees planted, one of the largest in the country.[3]
Ipatinga Futebol Clube, the city's principal football club won the state championship in 2005 and reached the Copa do Brasil semi-finals in 2006. In 2007, it placed 2nd on the National Championship's Serie B, climbing to the first division.