Examine individual changes

'{{short description|Capital city of Minas Gerais, Brazil}} {{distinguish|Bello Horizonte}} {{pp-move-indef}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2018}} {{Infobox settlement | name = Belo Horizonte | settlement_type = [[Municipalities of Brazil|Municipality]] | official_name = Municipality of Belo Horizonte | nicknames = {{Plainlist| * ''BH'' ({{IPA-pt|bea'ga}}) * ''The Garden City'' * ''Belô'' }} | image_skyline = {{multiple image | perrow = 2/2/2/1 | border = infobox | total_width = 290 | caption_align = center | image1 = Belo Horizonte (2).jpg | caption1 = Aerial view of [[Praça da Liberdade]] | image2 = Igrejinha_de_São_Francisco_de_Assis_6.jpeg | caption2 = [[Church of Saint Francis of Assisi]] | image3 = Parque Municipal Américo Renné Giannetti (November 2022) 273.jpg | caption3 = Municipal Park | image4 = Pirulito da Praça Sete e prédios ao redor.jpg | caption4 = [[Praça Sete de Setembro]] | image5 = PracaEstacaoMonumentoBH (cropped).jpg | caption5 = Monument to Civilization in Minas, at [[Praça Rui Barbosa|Rui Barbosa Square]] | image6 = Belo Horizonte - Avenida Afonso Pena.jpg | caption6 = Afonso Pena Avenue | image7 = Panorama Mineirão Pampulha (cropped).jpg | caption7 = [[Mineirão Stadium]] and [[Lake Pampulha]] | color = white }} | image_flag = Bandeira-de-Belo-Horizonte.svg | image_shield = Brasão-Belo-Horizonte.svg | image_map = MinasGerais Municip BeloHorizonte.svg | mapsize = 250px | map_caption = Location in Minas Gerais | pushpin_map = Brazil#South America | pushpin_relief = 1 | motto = | subdivision_type = [[List of sovereign states|Country]] | subdivision_type1 = [[States of Brazil|State]] | subdivision_type2 = [[Regions of Brazil|Region]] | subdivision_type3 = [[List of Intermediate and Immediate Geographic Regions|Intermediate Region]] | subdivision_type4 = Immediate Region | subdivision_name = {{flag|Brazil}} | subdivision_name1 = [[Minas Gerais]] | subdivision_name2 = [[Southeast Region, Brazil|Southeast]] | subdivision_name3 = [[Intermediate Geographic Region of Belo Horizonte|Belo Horizonte]] | subdivision_name4 = [[Immediate Geographic Region of Belo Horizonte|Belo Horizonte]] | governing_body = [[Municipal Chamber of Belo Horizonte|Municipal Chamber]] | leader_title = [[List of mayors of Belo Horizonte|Mayor]] | leader_name = [[Fuad Noman]] | leader_party = [[Social Democratic Party (Brazil, 2011)|PSD]] | established_title = Founded | established_date = 12 December 1897 | established_title2 = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]] (as city) | unit_pref = Metric | area_total_km2 = 331.354 | area_footnotes = <ref name=":IBGE Cidades" /> | elevation_m = 852 | elevation_footnotes = <ref>{{cite web|date=20 November 2017|title=Estudo realiza medição de altitudes em Belo Horizonte |url=https://prefeitura.pbh.gov.br/noticias/estudo-realiza-medicao-de-altitudes-em-belo-horizonte|access-date=15 November 2021|website=Prefeitura Belo Horizonte}}</ref> | area_land_km2 = | area_water_km2 = | area_water_percent = | area_urban_km2 = 282.3 | area_metro_km2 = 9459.1 | population_as_of = [[2022 Brazilian census|2022]] | population_metro = 6,006,887 (3rd) | population_total = 2,315,560 | population_rank = [[List of largest cities in Brazil|6th]] | population_urban = | population_density_km2 = auto | population_density_metro_km2 = 635 | population_demonym = ''belo-horizontino''(a) <!-- GDP ---------------> | demographics_type1 = [[GDP|GDP (PPP, constant 2015 values)]] | demographics1_footnotes = | demographics1_title1 = Year | demographics1_info1 = 2023 | demographics1_title2 = Total (Metro) | demographics1_info2 = $84.8&nbsp;billion<ref name="TelluBase">{{cite web|url=https://tellusant.com/repo/tb/tellubase_factsheet_bra.pdf|publisher=Tellusant|title=TelluBase—Brazil Fact Sheet (Tellusant Public Service Series)| access-date = 2024-01-11}}</ref> | demographics1_title3 = Per capita | demographics1_info3 = $15,900 | timezone = [[Time in Brazil|BRT]] | utc_offset = −3 | coordinates = {{coord|19|55|S|43|56|W|type:city|display=inline,title}} | area_code_type = [[List of dialling codes in Brazil|Area code]] | area_code = +55 31 | postal_code_type = [[Código de Endereçamento Postal|Postal code]] | postal_code = 30000-001 to 31999-999 | website = {{URL|http://www.pbh.gov.br/}} | footnotes = | blank_name_sec2 = Major airport | blank_info_sec2 = [[Belo Horizonte International Airport]] | blank1_name_sec2 = [[List of highways in Brazil|Federal Highways]] | blank1_info_sec2 = [[File:BR-040.svg|22px|link=BR-040]] [[File:BR-135.svg|22px|link=BR-135]] [[File:BR-262.svg|22px|link=BR-262]] [[File:BR-356.svg|22px]] [[File:BR-381.svg|22px|link=BR-381]] | blank2_name_sec2 = State highways | blank2_info_sec2 = [[File:MG-010.svg|22px|link=MG-010]] | blank3_name_sec2 = [[Passenger rail]] | blank3_info_sec2 = [[Vitória-Minas Railway]] | blank4_name_sec2 = [[Commuter rail]] | blank4_info_sec2 = {{rint|metro}} [[Belo Horizonte Metro]] | population_footnotes = <ref name=":IBGE Cidades">{{cite web|url=https://cidades.ibge.gov.br/brasil/mg/belo-horizonte/panorama|title=Belo Horizonte |website=Cidades IBGE|access-date=20 September 2022}}</ref> | blank_name = [[Human Development Index|HDI]] (2010) | blank_info = 0.810 <span style="color:#090">very high</span><ref>{{cite web |title=Archived copy |url=http://www.atlasbrasil.org.br/2013/data/rawData/Radar%20IDHM%20PNADC_2019_Book.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140708233352/http://www.pnud.org.br/arquivos/ranking-idhm-2010.pdf |archive-date=July 8, 2014 |access-date=November 15, 2021 |publisher=[[United Nations Development Programme]] (UNDP) }}</ref> }} '''Belo Horizonte''' ({{IPAc-en|UK|ˈ|b|ɛ|l|oʊ|_|ˌ|ɒr|ɪ|ˈ|z|ɒ|n|t|i}} {{respell|BEL|oh|_|ORR|iz|ON|tee}}, {{IPAc-en|US|ˈ|b|eɪ|l|oʊ|_|ˌ|h|ɒr|-}} {{respell|BAY|loh|_|HORR|-}}, {{IPA|pt|ˈbɛl(w) oɾiˈzõtʃi|lang|Pt-br Belo Horizonte.ogg}}; {{Literal translation|Beautiful Horizon}}) is the [[List of largest cities in Brazil|sixth-largest city]] in [[Brazil]], with a population of around 2.3 million, and the third largest metropolitan area, with a population of 6 million.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://agenciadenoticias.ibge.gov.br/media/com_mediaibge/arquivos/3ab72e84b974fe7e319496552fb560bb.xlsx |format=XLSX|title=DISTRIBUIÇÃO DA POPULAÇÃO BRASILEIRA E DOS MUNICÍPIOS, SEGUNDO GRUPOS DE TAMANHO DE MUNICÍPIOS|website=Agenciadenoticias.ibge.gov.br|access-date=9 March 2022}}</ref> It is the [[List of cities in South America|13th-largest city]] in South America and the [[Largest cities in the Americas|18th-largest]] in the Americas. The metropolis is anchor to the [[Greater Belo Horizonte|Belo Horizonte metropolitan area]], ranked as the [[List of metropolitan areas in Brazil|third most populous metropolitan area]] in Brazil and the [[List of metropolitan areas in the Americas|17th most populous]] in the Americas. Belo Horizonte is the capital of [[States of Brazil|the state]] of [[Minas Gerais]], Brazil's [[List of Brazilian states by population|second-most populous state]]. It is the first planned modern city in Brazil. The region was first settled in the early 18th century, but the city as it is known today was planned and constructed in the 1890s, to replace [[Ouro Preto]] as the capital of Minas Gerais. The city features a mixture of contemporary and classical buildings and is home to several modern Brazilian architectural icons, most notably the [[Pampulha Modern Ensemble|Pampulha Complex]]. In planning the city, Aarão Reis and Francisco Bicalho sought inspiration in the urban planning of [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.v-brazil.com/tourism/minas-gerais/belo-horizonte.html |title=Belo Horizonte in Brazil Travel |website=V-brazil.com |access-date=2011-04-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080712110715/http://www.v-brazil.com/tourism/minas-gerais/belo-horizonte.html |archive-date=July 12, 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref> The city has employed notable programs in urban revitalization and [[food security]], for which it has been awarded international accolades. The city is built on several hills, and is completely surrounded by mountains.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.world66.com/southamerica/brazil/belohorizonte |title=About Belo Horizonte |website=World66.com |access-date=2011-04-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514054220/http://www.world66.com/southamerica/brazil/belohorizonte |archive-date=May 14, 2011 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref> There are several large parks in the immediate surroundings of Belo Horizonte. The Mangabeiras Park (Parque das Mangabeiras), {{convert|6|km|0|abbr=on}} southeast of the city centre in the hills of Curral Ridge (Serra do Curral), has a broad view of the city. It has an area of {{convert|2.35|km2|acre|abbr=on}}, of which {{convert|0.9|km2|acre|abbr=on}} is covered by the native forest. The Jambeiro Woods (Mata do Jambeiro) nature reserve extends over {{convert|912|ha|acre}}, with vegetation typical of the [[Atlantic Forest]]. More than 100 species of birds inhabit the reserve, as well as 10 species of mammals. Belo Horizonte was one of the host cities of the [[1950 FIFA World Cup|1950]] and the [[2014 FIFA World Cup]]. Additionally, the city shared as host of the [[2013 FIFA Confederations Cup]] and the [[Football at the 2016 Summer Olympics|football tournament]] during the [[2016 Summer Olympics]]. ==History== [[File:Planta BH.jpg|thumb|left|Belo Horizonte plan in 1895]] [[File:Sede AGU em Belo Horizonte.jpg|thumb|Sede da AGU em BH.]] === Portuguese colonization === The metropolis was once a small village, founded by João Leite da Silva Ortiz, a [[bandeirante]] explorer from [[São Paulo (city)|São Paulo]]. The explorer settled in the region in 1701, leading a gold rush expedition. He then established a farm called "Curral d'el Rey," archaic Portuguese for the "King's Corral," which in modern Portuguese would be spelled ''Curral do Rei''. The farm's wealth and success encouraged people from surrounding places to move into the region, and Curral del Rey became a village surrounded by [[farm]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://curraldelrei.wordpress.com/2013/05/09/history-of-belo-horizonte/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140303170018/http://curraldelrei.wordpress.com/2013/05/09/history-of-belo-horizonte/|url-status=dead|title=History of Belo Horizonte|date=May 9, 2013|archivedate=March 3, 2014}}</ref> Another important factor contributing to the growth of the village was people immigrating from the [[São Francisco River]] region, who had to pass through Curral d'el Rey to reach southern parts of Brazil. Travelers usually visited a small wooden chapel, where they prayed for a safe trip, so the chapel was named Capela da Nossa Senhora da Boa Viagem, which means "Chapel of Our Lady of the Good Journey." After the construction of Belo Horizonte, the old baroque chapel was replaced by a [[neo-gothic]] church that became the city's [[cathedral]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.traveltill.com/destination/Brazil/Belo-Horizonte/history.php |title=Belo Horizonte History, History of Belo Horizonte, Belo Horizonte City Information |date=September 4, 2015 |website= |access-date=March 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904085205/http://www.traveltill.com/destination/Brazil/Belo-Horizonte/history.php |archive-date=4 September 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> === Brazilian Empire and Republic === [[File:Inauguracaobh.jpg|thumb|left|Founding of the city in 1897]] The previous capital of Minas Gerais, [[Ouro Preto]] (meaning "black gold," due to dark rocks with gold inside found on the region), originally called "Vila Rica" ("wealthy village"), was a symbol of both the monarchic [[Brazilian Empire]] and the period when most of Brazilian income was due to mining. That never pleased the members of the [[Inconfidência Mineira]], republican intellectuals who conspired against the Portuguese dominion of Brazil. In 1889, Brazil became a republic, and it was agreed that a new state capital, in tune with a modern and prosperous Minas Gerais, had to be established.<ref>[http://www.pampulhanews.com.br/2011/10/belo-horizonte-1949-brazil.html BH – History] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904085205/http://www.pampulhanews.com.br/2011/10/belo-horizonte-1949-brazil.html |date=September 4, 2015 }} {{in lang|en}}</ref> In 1893, due to the climatic and topographic conditions, Curral Del Rey was selected by Minas Gerais governor [[Afonso Augusto Moreira Pena|Afonso Pena]] among other cities as the location for the new economic and cultural center of the state, under the new name of ''Cidade de Minas'', or City of Minas.<ref>{{cite web|title=The City of Minas: The Founding of Belo Horizonte, Brazil and Modernity in the First Republic, 1889-1897 |url=https://scholarworks.umass.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1018&context=masters_theses_2|website=Scholarworks.umass.edu}}</ref> {{illm|Aarão Reis|pt}}, an [[urbanist]] from [[Pará]], was then chosen to design the second [[planned city]] of Brazil (the first one is [[Teresina]]). Cidade de Minas was inaugurated in 1897, with many unfinished buildings as the [[Politics of Brazil|Brazilian government]] set a deadline for its completion. The local government encouraged growth through subsidies. It offered free lots and funding for building houses. An interesting feature of Reis' downtown street plan for Belo Horizonte was the inclusion of a symmetrical array of perpendicular and diagonal streets named after [[States of Brazil|Brazilian states]] and Brazilian [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|indigenous]] tribes.{{citation needed|date=May 2022}} [[File:Belo Horizonte (MG).tif|thumb|left|Belo Horizonte, 1970s, [[Brazilian National Archives|National Archives of Brazil]]]] In 1906, the name was changed to Belo Horizonte. At that time, the city was experiencing a considerable [[Industrialization|industrial expansion]] that increased its commercial and [[tertiary sector of the economy|service]] sectors. From its very beginning, the city's original plan prohibited workers from living inside the urban area, which was defined by Avenida do Contorno (a long avenue that goes around the city's central areas). Reserved for government workers (hence the name of the trendy neighbourhood "Funcionários"), and bringing about an accelerated occupation outside the city's area well provided with infrastructure since its very beginning. Obviously, the city's original planners did not count on its ongoing population growth, which proved especially intense in the last 20 years of the 20th century. In the 1940s, a young [[Oscar Niemeyer]] designed the Pampulha Neighbourhood to great acclaim, a commission he got thanks to then-mayor and soon-to-be-president [[Juscelino Kubitschek]]. These two men are largely responsible for the wide [[Avenue (landscape)|avenue]]s, large lakes, parks, and jutting skylines that characterize the city today.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.discoverbraziltours.com/cgi-local/city.pl?CityID=BHZ|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904085205/http://www.discoverbraziltours.com/cgi-local/city.pl?CityID=BHZ|url-status=dead|title=Belo Horizonte, Brazil|archivedate=September 4, 2015}}</ref> A 1949 American government film favorably reviewed the planning and building of the city.<ref>{{Citation|last=U.S. Office of Inter-Amer Affairs|title=Belo Horizonte|date=1949|url=https://archive.org/details/BeloHori1949|access-date=2017-09-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170716095116/https://archive.org/details/BeloHori1949|archive-date=July 16, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Belo Horizonte is fast becoming a regional center of commerce. The Latin American research and development center of [[Google]], situated in Belo Horizonte, was responsible for the management and operation of the former [[social networking]] website [[Orkut]]. It continues to be a trendsetter in the arts, particularly where music, literature, architecture, and the ''avant garde'' are concerned.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.belotur.com.br/ing/a_cidade_historia.php |title=History of Belo Horizonte |website=Belotur.com.br |access-date=2011-04-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120110125428/http://www.belotur.com.br/ing/a_cidade_historia.php |archive-date=January 10, 2012 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref> ==Geography== ===Surrounding cities and metropolitan area=== [[File:Belo Horizonte at night.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Belo Horizonte from [[ISS]] at night.]] The term "Grande BH" ("Greater Belo Horizonte") denotes any of various definitions for the metropolitan area of Belo Horizonte. The legally defined ''Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte'' consists of 34 municipalities in total, and a population of around six million inhabitants ({{As of|2021|lc=y}}, according to Brazil's National Institute of Geography and Statistics ([[Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics|IBGE]])).<ref name="IBGE_Pop_2007">{{cite web | url = http://www.ibge.gov.br/home/estatistica/populacao/contagem2007/popmunic2007layoutTCU14112007.xls | title = Estimativas / Contagem da População 2007 | date = November 14, 2007 | publisher = Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) | access-date = 2008-05-29 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080611205529/http://www.ibge.gov.br/home/estatistica/populacao/contagem2007/popmunic2007layoutTCU14112007.xls | archive-date = June 11, 2008 | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref name="SIDRA">{{cite web | url = http://www.sidra.ibge.gov.br/bda/tabela/listabl.asp?z=cd&o=17&i=P&c=793 | title = Tabela 793 – População residente, em 1º de abril de 2007: Publicação Completa | date = November 14, 2007 | publisher = Sistema IBGE de Recuperação Automática (SIDRA) | access-date = 2008-05-29 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110614223617/http://www.sidra.ibge.gov.br/bda/tabela/listabl.asp?z=cd&o=17&i=P&c=793 | archive-date = June 14, 2011 | url-status = live }}</ref> The intense process of urbanization that is taking place in the metropolitan region has made some of the political boundaries between municipalities in the region obsolete. The city is now composed of a relatively contiguous urban area, centred on Belo Horizonte, which extends out into municipalities such as [[Contagem]], [[Betim]], [[Nova Lima]], [[Raposos]], [[Ribeirão das Neves]], [[Ibirité]], [[Santa Luzia, Minas Gerais|Santa Luzia]] and [[Sabará]], among others. The municipality is bounded to the north by [[Vespasiano]], to the north east by Santa Luzia, by Sabará to the east, by Nova Lima to the southeast, [[Brumadinho]] to the south and Ribeirão das Neves, Contagem and [[Ibirité]] to the west. According to the current [[List of Intermediate and Immediate Geographic Regions of Minas Gerais|geographic classification]] by IBGE, the municipality belongs to the [[Immediate Geographic Region of Belo Horizonte]], in the [[Intermediate Geographic Region of Belo Horizonte]]. ===Geology and geomorphology=== Belo Horizonte lies on a region of contact between different geological series of the [[Proterozoic]]. The geology largely comprises [[crystalline rock]]s, which give rise to the varied morphology of the landscape. It is located in a large geological unit known as the [[craton]] of [[São Francisco River|São Francisco]], referring to extensive crustal nucleus of central-eastern Brazil, tectonically stable at the end of the [[Paleoproterozoic]] and bordering areas that suffered the regeneration at the [[Neoproterozoic]]. The [[archean]] rocks members of Belo Horizonte complex and supracrustal sequences of the Paleoproterozoic is predominant. The area of Belo Horizonte complex includes the geomorphological unit called ''Depression of Belo Horizonte'', which represents about 70% of the municipality area and has its greatest expression in the northern [[Ribeirão Arrudas]] pipeline. The [[metasedimentary]] rocks has its area of occurrence on the south of Ribeirão Arrudas pipeline, constituting about 30% of the area of Belo Horizonte. The characteristics of this area are lithological diversities and rugged topography, which has its maximum expression in the ''Serra do Curral'' (Corral Ridge), the southern boundary of the municipality. Its soil comprises a succession of layers of rocks of varied composition, represented by [[itabirite]], [[Dolomite (rock)|dolomite]], [[quartzite]], [[phyllite]]s and [[schist]]s different from the general direction northwest–southeast and dip to the southeast. The hills of Belo Horizonte are part of the [[Espinhaço Mountains]] and belong to the larger Itacolomi mountain chain. The highest point in the municipality is in the ''Serra do Curral'', reaching {{convert|1538|m|ft}}. ===Parks=== [[File:PESRM - Parque Estadual da Serra do Rola Moça.jpg|thumb|left|[[Serra do Rola-Moça State Park]].]] A centre for conservation and preservation of animals and plants it has also developed environmental education projects. The Zoo, which encompasses a total area of 1.4&nbsp;million square meters, is located at the Foundation's headquarters and is regarded as one of the most complete in Latin America. It has a collection of close to 900 animals representing 200 species, from Brazil and other parts of the world, as well as the first public butterfly sanctuary in South America. Pampulha Ecological Park is administered by the Zoo-Botanical Foundation of Belo Horizonte and was inaugurated on May 21, 2004. It is {{convert|30|acres|0|abbr=on}} of green area that offers to the population and the tourists a permanent programming of [[Natural environment|environmental]], cultural and patrimonial education. The city contains the {{convert|102|ha}} [[Baleia State Park]], created in 1988 but still not implemented as of 2014.<ref>{{citation|language=pt|access-date=2017-01-16|ref={{harvid|MPMG aciona Justiça para assegurar implantação ...}}|title=MPMG aciona Justiça para assegurar implantação do Parque Estadual da Baleia em BH|date=October 6, 2014|publisher=Ministério Público de Minas Gerais|url=https://www.mpmg.mp.br/areas-de-atuacao/defesa-do-cidadao/meio-ambiente/noticias/mpmg-aciona-justica-para-assegurar-implantacao-do-parque-estadual-da-baleia-em-bh.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180323092530/https://www.mpmg.mp.br/areas-de-atuacao/defesa-do-cidadao/meio-ambiente/noticias/mpmg-aciona-justica-para-assegurar-implantacao-do-parque-estadual-da-baleia-em-bh.htm|archive-date=March 23, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> It contains part of the {{convert|3941|ha}} [[Serra do Rola-Moça State Park]], created in 1994.<ref>{{citation|language=pt|ref={{harvid|Parque Estadual da Serra do Rola-Moça – IEF}}|title=Parque Estadual da Serra do Rola-Moça|publisher=IEF|url=http://www.ief.mg.gov.br/component/content/198?task=view|access-date=2017-01-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160711133333/http://www.ief.mg.gov.br/component/content/198?task=view|archive-date=July 11, 2016|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> ===Climate=== {{Further|Climate of Brazil}} [[File:Tempestade BH.jpg|thumb|right|Storm over the city]] Belo Horizonte's has a [[latitude]] at 19'55" in the South [[tropical zone]]. Yearly temperatures average between {{convert|9|and|35|C|F|}}. The [[Köppen climate classification]] of the region is [[tropical savanna climate]] (''Aw''), milder due to the elevation, with humid/warm summers and dry/mild winters. Belo Horizonte is located about {{convert|500|km|mi|}} from the sea. Even though inter-seasonal differences are not as pronounced as they are in temperate places, there is a contrast between spring and summer, and between fall and winter. The coldest month is generally July, with a lowest recorded temperature of {{convert|3.1|°C|0|abbr=on}}. The hottest month is usually January. With an elevation of {{convert|852|m|abbr=on}},<ref>{{cite web|title=Belo Horizonte {{!}} History, Population, & Facts {{!}} Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Belo-Horizonte|access-date=2022-01-15|language=en}}</ref> Belo Horizonte is cooled considerably by the relatively high elevation, which suppresses high maximum air temperatures experienced in nearby cities at lower altitudes. Belo Horizonte's climate is mild throughout the year. Temperatures vary between {{convert|11|and|31|C|F}}, the average being {{convert|22|°C|0|abbr=on}}. Winter is dry and mostly sunny, and summer is rainy. {{Weather box |location = Belo Horizonte (1991–2020, extremes 1949–present) |metric first = yes |single line = yes |width = 100% |Jan record high C = 35.4 |Feb record high C = 35.2 |Mar record high C = 33.9 |Apr record high C = 32.8 |May record high C = 32.9 |Jun record high C = 30.5 |Jul record high C = 32.0 |Aug record high C = 34.0 |Sep record high C = 36.6 |Oct record high C = 38.4 |Nov record high C = 36.0 |Dec record high C = 34.8 |year record high C = 38.4 |Jan high C = 28.7 |Feb high C = 29.1 |Mar high C = 28.4 |Apr high C = 27.6 |May high C = 25.7 |Jun high C = 24.9 |Jul high C = 24.9 |Aug high C = 26.3 |Sep high C = 27.9 |Oct high C = 28.7 |Nov high C = 27.7 |Dec high C = 28.2 |year high C = 27.3 |Jan mean C = 23.7 |Feb mean C = 24.0 |Mar mean C = 23.5 |Apr mean C = 22.6 |May mean C = 20.6 |Jun mean C = 19.6 |Jul mean C = 19.4 |Aug mean C = 20.5 |Sep mean C = 22.0 |Oct mean C = 23.0 |Nov mean C = 22.7 |Dec mean C = 23.3 |year mean C = 22.1 |Jan low C = 20.0 |Feb low C = 20.2 |Mar low C = 19.8 |Apr low C = 18.8 |May low C = 16.6 |Jun low C = 15.4 |Jul low C = 15.2 |Aug low C = 15.8 |Sep low C = 17.4 |Oct low C = 18.8 |Nov low C = 18.9 |Dec low C = 19.5 |year low C = 18.0 |Jan record low C = 10.4 |Feb record low C = 10.0 |Mar record low C = 11.7 |Apr record low C = 8.4 |May record low C = 7.4 |Jun record low C = 3.1 |Jul record low C = 5.4 |Aug record low C = 6.2 |Sep record low C = 8.8 |Oct record low C = 9.4 |Nov record low C = 9.1 |Dec record low C = 12.8 |year record low C = 3.1 |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation mm = 330.9 |Feb precipitation mm = 177.7 |Mar precipitation mm = 197.5 |Apr precipitation mm = 82.3 |May precipitation mm = 28.1 |Jun precipitation mm = 11.4 |Jul precipitation mm = 5.4 |Aug precipitation mm = 10.6 |Sep precipitation mm = 49.2 |Oct precipitation mm = 110.1 |Nov precipitation mm = 236.0 |Dec precipitation mm = 339.1 |year precipitation mm = 1578.3 |unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm |Jan precipitation days = 15 |Feb precipitation days = 10 |Mar precipitation days = 11 |Apr precipitation days = 7 |May precipitation days = 3 |Jun precipitation days = 1 |Jul precipitation days = 1 |Aug precipitation days = 1 |Sep precipitation days = 4 |Oct precipitation days = 8 |Nov precipitation days = 14 |Dec precipitation days = 17 |year precipitation days = 92 |Jan humidity = 69.3 |Feb humidity = 66.2 |Mar humidity = 68.6 |Apr humidity = 66.3 |May humidity = 64.3 |Jun humidity = 62.6 |Jul humidity = 58.4 |Aug humidity = 54.0 |Sep humidity = 55.3 |Oct humidity = 59.9 |Nov humidity = 68.5 |Dec humidity = 71.0 |year humidity = 63.7 | Jan dew point C = 17.9 | Feb dew point C = 17.6 | Mar dew point C = 17.7 | Apr dew point C = 16.5 | May dew point C = 14.1 | Jun dew point C = 12.9 | Jul dew point C = 11.7 | Aug dew point C = 11.4 | Sep dew point C = 12.9 | Oct dew point C = 15.0 | Nov dew point C = 16.8 | Dec dew point C = 17.9 | year dew point C = 15.2 |Jan sun = 182.6 |Feb sun = 190.8 |Mar sun = 190.0 |Apr sun = 201.5 |May sun = 215.4 |Jun sun = 223.8 |Jul sun = 236.6 |Aug sun = 244.8 |Sep sun = 211.2 |Oct sun = 204.4 |Nov sun = 164.7 |Dec sun = 162.0 |year sun = 2427.8 |source 1 = [[Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia]]<ref name=INMETtmax>{{cite web | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220324043914/https://portal.inmet.gov.br/uploads/normais/Normal-Climatologica-TMAX.xlsx | archive-date = March 24, 2022 | url = https://portal.inmet.gov.br/uploads/normais/Normal-Climatologica-TMAX.xlsx | title = Temperatura Máxima Mensal e Anual (°C) | work = Normais Climatológicas do Brasil 1991-2020 | publisher = Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia | language = pt | access-date = 24 March 2022 | url-status = live }}</ref><ref name=INMETtmed>{{cite web | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220324043931/https://portal.inmet.gov.br/uploads/normais/Normal-Climatologica-TMEDSECA.xlsx | archive-date = March 24, 2022 | url = https://portal.inmet.gov.br/uploads/normais/Normal-Climatologica-TMEDSECA.xlsx | title = Temperatura Média Compensada Mensal e Anual (°C) | work = Normais Climatológicas do Brasil 1991-2020 | publisher = Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia | language = pt | access-date = 24 March 2022 | url-status = live }}</ref><ref name=INMETtmin>{{cite web | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220324044001/https://portal.inmet.gov.br/uploads/normais/Normal-Climatologica-TMIN.xlsx | archive-date = March 24, 2022 | url = https://portal.inmet.gov.br/uploads/normais/Normal-Climatologica-TMIN.xlsx | title = Temperatura Mínima Mensal e Anual (°C) | work = Normais Climatológicas do Brasil 1991-2020 | publisher = Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia | language = pt | access-date = 24 March 2022 | url-status = live }}</ref><ref name=INMETprecip>{{cite web | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220324043703/https://portal.inmet.gov.br/uploads/normais/Normal-Climatologica-PREC.xlsx | archive-date = March 24, 2022 | url = https://portal.inmet.gov.br/uploads/normais/Normal-Climatologica-PREC.xlsx | title = Precipitação Acumulada Mensal e Anual (mm) | work = Normais Climatológicas do Brasil 1991-2020 | publisher = Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia | language = pt | access-date = 24 March 2022 | url-status = live }}</ref><ref name=INMETprecipdays>{{cite web | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220324044003/https://portal.inmet.gov.br/uploads/normais/Normal-Climatologica-PRENDIAS1.xlsx | archive-date = March 24, 2022 | url = https://portal.inmet.gov.br/uploads/normais/Normal-Climatologica-PRENDIAS1.xlsx | title = Número de dias no mês ou no ano com precipitação maior ou igual a (1 mm) (dias) | work = Normais Climatológicas do Brasil 1991-2020 | publisher = Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia | language = pt | access-date = 24 March 2022 | url-status = live }}</ref><ref name=INMEThumidity>{{cite web | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220324043838/https://portal.inmet.gov.br/uploads/normais/Normal-Climatologica-UR.xlsx | archive-date = March 24, 2022 | url = https://portal.inmet.gov.br/uploads/normais/Normal-Climatologica-UR.xlsx | title = Umidade Relativa do Ar Compensada Mensal e Anual (%) | work = Normais Climatológicas do Brasil 1991-2020 | publisher = Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia | language = pt | access-date = 24 March 2022 | url-status = live }}</ref><ref name=INMETinsolacion>{{cite web | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220324043829/https://portal.inmet.gov.br/uploads/normais/Normal-Climatologica-INSO.xlsx | archive-date = March 24, 2022 | url = https://portal.inmet.gov.br/uploads/normais/Normal-Climatologica-INSO.xlsx | title = Insolação Total (horas) | work = Normais Climatológicas do Brasil 1991-2020 | publisher = Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia | language = pt | access-date = 24 March 2022 | url-status = live }}</ref> |source 2 = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]] (dew point),<ref name="WMONormals">{{cite web |url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/2.2/data/0-data/Region-3-WMO-Normals-9120/Brazil/CSV/BELO_HORIZONTE_83587.csv |title = World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020 — Belo Horizonte |publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |access-date = January 30, 2024}}</ref> Meteo Climat (record highs and lows)<ref name = meteoclimat> {{cite web | url = http://meteo-climat-bzh.dyndns.org/station-1220-Belo_horizonte.php | title = Station Belo Horizonte | publisher = Meteo Climat | language = fr | access-date = 20 October 2018}}</ref> }} ==Demographics== [[File:Praça João Pessoa, Belo Horizonte 01.jpg|thumb|right|João Pessoa Square in Belo Horizonte.]] {{see also|Brazilians|Demographics of Brazil|Immigration to Brazil}} ===Ethnic groups=== {{bar box |title = Race and ethnicity in Belo Horizonte |width = 287px |titlebar = #ddd |left1 = Ethnicity |right1 = Percentage |float = left |bars= {{bar percent|[[White Brazilian|White]]|blue|43.6}} {{bar percent|[[Pardo]] ([[Multiracial#Brazil|Multiracial]])|#009000|42.6}} {{bar percent|[[Black Brazilian|Black]]|#9955BB|13.5}} {{bar percent|[[Asian Brazilian|Asian]]|yellow|0.2}} {{bar percent|[[Indigenous peoples in Brazil|Amerindian]]|red|0.1}} }} According to the [[2022 Brazilian census|2022 census]], there were 2,315,560 people residing in the city of Belo Horizonte.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=Censo 2022 - Panorama |url=https://censo2022.ibge.gov.br/panorama/}}</ref> The census revealed the following numbers: 1,008,878 [[White Brazilian|White]] people (43.6%), 986,302 [[Pardo]] ([[Multiracial#Brazil|Multiracial]]) people (42.6%), 312,920 [[Afro-Brazilian|Black]] people (13.5%), 4,881 [[Asian Brazilian|Asian]] people (0.2%), 2,486 [[Indigenous peoples in Brazil|Amerindian]] people (0.1%).<ref name=":0" /> In 2010, the city had 428,893 opposite-sex couples and 1,090 [[same-sex couple]]s. The population of Belo Horizonte was 53.1% female and 46.9% male.<ref name="autogenerated3">{{cite web |title=IBGE :: Censo 2010 |url=http://www.censo2010.ibge.gov.br/painel/?nivel=mn |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120514145708/http://www.censo2010.ibge.gov.br/painel/?nivel=mn |archive-date=May 14, 2012 |access-date=2012-11-16 |website=Censo2010.ibge.gov.br}}</ref> The Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte, called [[Greater Belo Horizonte]], is the [[List of largest cities in Brazil|3rd most populous of Brazil]], after only [[Greater São Paulo]] (with 19,672,582 people, first in Brazil and [[List of metropolitan areas by population|5th in the world]]) and [[Rio de Janeiro|Greater Rio de Janeiro]] (with 14,387,000 people). The city is the [[List of largest cities in Brazil|6th most populous of the country]]. During the 18th century, Minas Gerais received many [[Portuguese Brazilian|Portuguese]] immigrants, mainly from [[Northern Portugal]] as well as many enslaved Africans.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.asminasgerais.com.br/?item=CONTEUDO&codConteudoRaiz=88&codConteudoAtual=165 |title=Portuguese immigration |website=Asminasgerais.com.br |date=February 19, 2002 |access-date=2011-04-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070820085916/http://www.asminasgerais.com.br/?item=CONTEUDO&codConteudoRaiz=88&codConteudoAtual=165 |archive-date=August 20, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Belo Horizonte has a notable [[Italian Brazilian|Italian influence]]; around 30% of the city's population have some [[Italian Brazilian|Italian origin]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.insieme.com.br/portal/conteudo.php?sid=226&cid=1467&parent=0 |title=Italian origin in BH |website=Insieme.com.br |access-date=2011-04-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706153130/http://www.insieme.com.br/portal/conteudo.php?sid=226&cid=1467&parent=0 |archive-date=July 6, 2011 }}</ref> The [[Italian culture]] is present in the cuisine, dance, and language.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cmbh.mg.gov.br/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=23501&Itemid=367&filter=&nj=1 |title=Italian Culture in BH |website=Cmbh.mg.gov.br |date=April 29, 2008 |access-date=2011-04-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090107195925/http://www.cmbh.mg.gov.br/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=23501&Itemid=367&filter=&nj=1 |archive-date=January 7, 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref> People of [[German Brazilian|German]], [[Spanish Brazilian|Spanish]], and [[Arab Brazilian|Syrian-Lebanese]] ancestries also make up sizeable groups. ===Religion=== [[File:Paróquia_Nossa_Senhora_da_Boa_Viagem_-_panoramio.jpg|thumb|[[Our Lady of Good Voyage Cathedral, Belo Horizonte|Our Lady of Good Voyage Cathedral]] is the seat of the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Belo Horizonte]].]] {{see also|Religion in Brazil|Protestantism in Brazil|Roman Catholic Church in Brazil}} {| class="wikitable" |- ! style="background:#87CEFA; color:white" | Religion ! style="background:#87CEFA; color:white" | Percentage ! style="background:#87CEFA; color:white" | Number |- style="text-align:center;" |[[Catholic]] |59.87% |1,422,084 |- style="text-align:center;" |[[Protestant]] |25.06% |595,244 |- style="text-align:center;" |[[Irreligion in Brazil|No religion]] |8.02% |190,414 |- style="text-align:center;" |[[Spiritism|Spiritist]] |4.07% |96,639 |} ''Source: [[Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics|IBGE]] 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sidra.ibge.gov.br/bda/tabela/protabl.asp?c=2094&z=cd&o=7&i=P |title=Sistema IBGE de Recuperação Automática&nbsp;– SIDRA |website=Sidra.ibge.gov.br |access-date=October 11, 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150323020023/http://www.sidra.ibge.gov.br/bda/tabela/protabl.asp?c=2094&i=P&nome=on&qtu8=137&qtu14=3&notarodape=on&tab=2094&opn8=0&opn14=0&unit=0&pov=3&poc133=2&OpcTipoNivt=1&opn1=2&nivt=0&orc86=3&orp=5&qtu3=27&qtu13=47&opv=1&poc86=1&opc133=1&pop=1&opn2=0&opn15=0&orv=2&orc133=4&qtu2=5&qtu15=3&sev=93&sev=1000093&opc86=1&sec133=95263&sec133=100430&sec133=2803&sec133=95277&sec133=95264&sec133=100403&sec133=100404&sec133=100405&sec133=99741&sec133=100406&sec133=100407&sec133=99743&sec133=100408&sec133=95265&sec133=100409&sec133=99746&sec133=100410&sec133=100411&sec133=99745&sec133=100412&sec133=100413&sec133=100414&sec133=100415&sec133=12881&sec133=12882&sec133=99748&sec133=100416&sec133=100417&sec133=100418&sec133=100419&sec133=95266&sec133=121096&sec133=12891&sec133=100420&sec133=100421&sec133=100422&sec133=100423&sec133=2824&sec133=95267&sec133=2826&sec133=2827&sec133=2829&sec133=2828&sec133=12883&sec133=100424&sec133=100425&sec133=95269&sec133=100427&sec133=100428&sec133=100429&sec133=95270&sec133=100426&sec133=95273&sec133=95274&sec133=95275&sec133=2836&sec133=12884&sec133=12885&sec133=12886&sec133=12887&sec133=12888&sec133=12889&sec133=95276&sec133=12890&sec133=2837&opp=f1&opn3=0&qtu6=5565&opn13=0&sec86=0&ascendente=on&sep=38559&orn=1&qtu7=36&pon=2&qtu9=558&opn6=3&digt6=Fortaleza&OpcCara=44&proc=1&qtu1=1&opn9=0&cabec=on&opn7=0&decm=99 |archive-date=March 23, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> '' ===Human development=== [[File:Praca_da_Liberdade_BH_17_Jan_2019_02.jpg|thumb|[[Savassi]] is a developed neighbourhood in Belo Horizonte.]] In 1993, under mayor Patrus Ananias de Souza, the city started a series of innovations based on its citizens having the "[[right to food]]." These include, for example, creating [[farmers' market]]s in the town to enable direct sales and regularly surveying market prices and posting the results across the city.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.alternatives.ca/auteur/cecilia-rocha?lang=en|archive-url=https://archive.today/20110728120641/http://www.alternatives.ca/auteur/cecilia-rocha?lang=en|url-status=dead|archive-date=2011-07-28|title=Belo Horizonte: The Beautiful Horizon of Community Food Sovereignty|publisher=Alternatives International Journal|location=Quebec, Canada|access-date=2009-11-10|year=2008|author=Wayne Roberts and Cecilia Rocha}}</ref> The city's process of [[participatory budgeting]] was linked with these innovations, as a result of which the [[infant mortality rate]] was reduced by 50% in a decade.<ref>FRANCIS MOORE LAPPÉ, ''Yes Magazine,'' January 29, 2019. [https://www.yesmagazine.org/issue/food-everyone/2019/01/29/this-city-made-access-to-food-a-right-of-citizenship The City that ended hunger]. [Reprint of original, from March 2009]</ref><ref name="thesis">M. Jahi Chappell, 2018, ''[https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520293090/beginning-to-end-hunger Beginning to end hunger: Food and the environment in Belo Horizonte, Brazil and beyond]''. Berkeley: University of California Press.</ref> There is some evidence that these programs have helped support a higher quality of life for the local farmers partnering with the city and that this may be having positive effects on biodiversity in the Atlantic rainforest around the city.<ref name="thesis" /><ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.ryerson.ca/foodsecurity/publications/papers/UrbanFoodPolicy.pdf |title=Urban Food Policies and Rural Sustainability: How the Municipal Government of Belo Horizonte, Brazil is Promoting Rural Sustainability |publisher=Centre for Studies in Food Security, and Department of Nutrition, Ryerson University |location=Toronto, Canada |access-date=2009-11-10 |year=2003 |author=Cecilia Rocha and Adriana Aranha |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20090625191507/http://www.ryerson.ca/foodsecurity/publications/papers/UrbanFoodPolicy.pdf |archive-date= June 25, 2009 }}</ref> The city's development of these policies garnered the first "Future Policy Award" in 2009, awarded by the [[World Future Council]], a group of 50 activists (including [[Frances Moore Lappé]], [[Vandana Shiva]], [[Wes Jackson]], and [[Youssou N'Dour]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldfuturecouncil.org/the_councillors.html |title=Councillors |publisher=The World Future Council |access-date=2011-04-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110523063243/http://www.worldfuturecouncil.org/the_councillors.html |archive-date=May 23, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>) concerned with the development and recognition of policies to promote a just and sustainable future. The city has undertaken an internationally heralded project called Vila Viva ("Living Village" in Portuguese) that promises to "urbanize" the poorest areas (''[[favela]]s''), relocating families from areas with high risk of floods and landslides but keeping them in the same neighborhood, paving main avenues to allow public transportation, police and postal service to have access. All the work is done with 80% of locals, reducing unemployment and increasing family income.<ref name="mayor">{{cite web |url=http://www.worldmayor.com/manifestos05/belohorizonte_05.html |title=Belo Horizonte Mayor Fernando Damata Pimentel: A program of financial efficiency and social boldness |website=Worldmayor.com |access-date=2011-04-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514220216/http://www.worldmayor.com/manifestos05/belohorizonte_05.html |archive-date=May 14, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.favelaeissoai.com.br/noticias.php?cod=59 |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20101128030815/http://www.favelaeissoai.com.br/noticias.php?cod=59 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2010-11-28 |language=pt |title=Favela é isso ai |website=Favelaeissoai.com.br |date=January 18, 2010 |access-date=2011-04-17 }}</ref> Former mayor [[Fernando da Mata Pimentel]] was nominated for [[World Mayor]] in 2005 on the strength of these and other programs.<ref name="mayor"/> ==Economy== {{Main|Economy of Belo Horizonte|Economy of Brazil}} [[File:Usiminasmonumento.JPG|thumb|Headquarters of [[Usiminas]] in Pedro Melo Square.]] [[File:Praça_ABC_-_panoramio_(cropped).jpg|thumb|Business district of the city.]] Belo Horizonte receives large numbers of visitors, as it is in the Brazilian main economic axis, exerting influence even on other states. Multinational and Brazilian companies, such as [[Google]], [[Deloitte]], [[Thoughtworks]], [[Localiza]] and [[Oi (mobile phone network)|Oi]], maintain offices in the city. The service sector plays a very important role in the economy of Belo Horizonte, being responsible for 85% of the city's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), with other industry making up most of the remaining 15%. Belo Horizonte has a developed industrial sector, being traditionally a hub of the Brazilian [[siderurgy|siderurgical]] and [[metallurgy|metallurgical]] industries, as the state of Minas Gerais has always been very rich in [[minerals]], specifically iron ore. Belo Horizonte is the distribution and processing centre of a rich agricultural and mining region and the nucleus of a burgeoning industrial complex. Production is centred on steel, steel products, [[automobile]]s, and textiles. Gold, [[manganese]], and [[gemstone]]s mined in the surrounding region are processed in the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~sergiok/brasil/belo.html |title=BH city |website=Darkwing.uoregon.edu |access-date=2011-04-17| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110513235809/http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~sergiok/brasil/belo.html| archive-date= May 13, 2011 | url-status= live}}</ref> The main industrial district of the city was set during the 1940s in [[Contagem]], a part of greater Belo Horizonte. Multinational companies like [[FIAT]] (which opened its plant in Betim in 1974), [[Arcelor]], and [[Toshiba]] have subsidiaries in the region, along with textiles like Group Rachelle Textil, Ematex and Cedro Textil, [[Cosmetics|cosmetic]], food, [[chemicals]], [[pharmaceuticals]], [[furnishing]] and [[refractory]] companies. Among the companies headquartered in the city are steel producer Açominas (held by [[Gerdau]], one of the largest multinationals originated in Brazil); [[Usiminas]]; Belgo-Mineira (held by [[Arcelor]]); [[Acesita]] (partially held by Arcelor); mobile communication [[Vivo S.A.|Vivo]]; and [[Telecom Italia Mobile]], Dasein Executive Search<!--Q13418498-->, executive coaching company, as well as the [[NYSE]]-listed electrical company [[CEMIG]]. Leading steel product makers Sumitomo Metals<!--Q96334076--> of Japan and Vallourec of France also have plans to construct an integrated steel works on the outskirts of the city. There are also a large number of small enterprises in the technology sector with regional to nationwide success, particularly in the fields of [[computing]] and biotechnology. Because of both governmental and private funding in the diversification of its economy, the city has become an international reference in Information Technology and [[Biotechnology]], and is also cited because of the advanced corporate and university research in [[Biodiesel]] fuel. The number of jobs in the Information sector has been growing at annual rates above 50%. The Belo Horizonte Metropolitan Area, composed of 33 cities under the capital's direct influence, is home to 16% of the country's biotechnology companies, with annual sales of over R$550&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.belotur.com.br/ing/a_cidade_economia.php |title=Economy of the city of Belo Horizonte |website=Belotur.com.br |access-date=2011-04-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120110113010/http://www.belotur.com.br/ing/a_cidade_economia.php |archive-date=January 10, 2012 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref> Projects in these fields are likely to expand because of integration between universities, the oil company [[Petrobras]] and the [[Brazilian Government]]. One of the largest events that ever took place in the city, the [[Inter-American Development Bank]] meeting, occurred in 2005 and attracted people from all over the world. For a long time it was marked by the predominance of its [[industrial sector]], but from the 1990s there has been a constant expansion of the [[service sector]] economy, particularly in [[computer science]], [[biotechnology]], [[business tourism]], fashion and the jewelry-making. The city is considered to be a strategic leader in the [[Economy of Brazil|Brazilian economy]]. The move towards [[business tourism]] transformed the capital into a national hub for this segment of the [[tourist industry]]. * In 2008, the city's GDP was [[Brazilian real|R$]]42&nbsp;billion (or about [[United States dollar|US$]]26,2&nbsp;billion).<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.ibge.gov.br/home/presidencia/noticias/noticia_impressao.php?id_noticia=1288|title=GDP|publisher=[[Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics|IBGE]]|location=Belo Horizonte, Brazil|format=PDF|isbn=85-240-3919-1|access-date=2009-07-21|year=2006|language=pt|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100701054146/http://www.ibge.gov.br/home/presidencia/noticias/noticia_impressao.php?id_noticia=1288|archive-date=July 1, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref> * In 2008, the [[Greater Belo Horizonte]]'s GDP was [[Brazilian real|R$]]98,5&nbsp;billion (or about [[United States dollar|US$]]61&nbsp;billion).<ref name="IBGE_PIB">{{cite web|url=http://www.ibge.gov.br/home/estatistica/economia/pibmunicipios/2005/tab01.pdf |title=Produto Interno Bruto dos Municípios 2002–2005 |publisher=Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) |access-date=May 30, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081002024524/http://www.ibge.gov.br/home/estatistica/economia/pibmunicipios/2005/tab01.pdf |archive-date=October 2, 2008 }}</ref> * In 2008, the city's per capita income was [[Brazilian real|R$]]17,313 (or [[United States dollar|US$]]10,820).<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.ibge.gov.br/home/presidencia/noticias/noticia_impressao.php?id_noticia=1288|title=per capita income|publisher=[[Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics|IBGE]]|location=Belo Horizonte, Brazil|format=PDF|isbn=978-85-240-3919-5|access-date=2010-01-10|year=2007|language=pt|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100701054146/http://www.ibge.gov.br/home/presidencia/noticias/noticia_impressao.php?id_noticia=1288|archive-date=July 1, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2007, it was R$15,830<ref name="pnbonline.com.br">http://www.pnbonline.com.br/display.asp?id=36736 {{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> (about US$9,893).<ref name="pnbonline.com.br"/> ==Government and politics== {{See also|List of mayors of Belo Horizonte}} ==Education== {{Main|Education in Brazil}} [[File:Entradapucminas.jpg|thumb|right|[[Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais]].]] [[File:VISTA_AEREA_CAMPUS_PAMPULHA_UFMG_-_FOTO_FOCA_LISBOA.jpg|thumb|[[Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais|Federal University of Minas Gerais]].]] ===Educational institutions=== Several higher education institutions are located in Belo Horizonte, including: * [[Baptist College of Minas Gerais]] * [[Centro Federal de Educação Tecnológica de Minas Gerais]] (CEFET-MG) * Centro Universitário de Belo Horizonte (UNI-BH) * Centro Universitário Newton Paiva * Centro Universitário (UNA) * Escola Superior Dom Helder Câmara (ESDHC) – Specialized in Law * Faculdade Jesuíta de Filosofia e Teologia (FAJE) * Faculdade Pitágoras de Belo Horizonte (FP-BH) * Faculdades Kennedy (FKBH) * Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia de Minas Gerais (IFMG) * [[Skema Business School]] (SK) * [[Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais]] (PUC-MG) * [[Universidade do Estado de Minas Gerais]] (UEMG) (State University of Minas Gerais) * [[Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais]] (UFMG) * Universidade José do Rosário Vellano (UNIFENAS) * [[FUMEC University|Universidade FUMEC]] (FUMEC) * Universidade Cruzeiro do Sul Educacional ==Transport== [[File:3 - Aeroporto Internacional de BH - Foto Aérea.jpg|thumb|[[Tancredo Neves International Airport|Tancredo Neves/Confins International Airport]].]] [[File:Vista Corredor MOVE Antonio Carlos.jpg|thumb|[[Bus rapid transit|BRT]].]] [[File:Trem_da_CBTU_Belo_Horizonte_Série_1000.jpg|thumb|[[Belo Horizonte Metro]].]] [[File:Avenida Afonso Pena, 2013.jpg|thumb|Afonso Pena Avenue.]] ===Airports=== Belo Horizonte is served by three airports: *[[Tancredo Neves International Airport|Tancredo Neves/Confins International Airport]], dedicated to domestic and international traffic. It is located in the municipalities of [[Lagoa Santa, Minas Gerais|Lagoa Santa]] and [[Confins]], {{convert|38|km|mi}} from Belo Horizonte, and was opened in January 1984. Plans for gradual expansion to meet growing demand had been already drawn up from the airport's inception. The airport has one of the lowest rates of shutdown for bad weather in the country. It ran at limited capacity until 2005, when a large proportion of Pampulha Airport air traffic was transferred to Confins. There are direct international flights to/from [[Fort Lauderdale]], [[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]], [[Lisbon]], [[Buenos Aires]] and [[Panama City]]. *[[Belo Horizonte/Pampulha - Carlos Drummond de Andrade Airport|Pampulha – Carlos Drummond de Andrade Airport]], dedicated to domestic traffic; *[[Carlos Prates Airport]], dedicated to general aviation. ===Highways=== [[File:Rodovia em Belo Horizonte.jpg|thumb|Rodovia em Belo Horizonte.]] The city is connected to the rest of Minas Gerais state and the country by a number of roadways. [[Minas Gerais]] has the country's largest federal highway network.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://noticias.terra.com.br/brasil/interna/0,,OI1422832-EI306,00.html|title=Tempo bom e trânsito lento marcam volta de feriado|publisher=Terra|location=Belo Horizonte, Brazil|format=PDF|isbn=978-85-240-3919-5|access-date=2007-02-22|year=2007|language=pt|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070307014129/http://noticias.terra.com.br/brasil/interna/0%2C%2COI1422832-EI306%2C00.html|archive-date=March 7, 2007|url-status=live}}</ref> * [[Brazilian Highway System#BR-040|BR-040]] connects Belo Horizonte to [[Rio de Janeiro]] (going south) and [[Brasília]] (going northwest). It also links other cities in the state, such as [[Juiz de Fora]], [[Conselheiro Lafaiete]], [[Barbacena]], [[Sete Lagoas]], and [[Paracatu, Minas Gerais|Paracatu]]. * [[BR-262]] begins in [[Mato Grosso do Sul]] and ends in [[Espírito Santo]], crossing [[Minas Gerais]] from west to east. It links Belo Horizonte to [[Pará de Minas]], [[Araxá]], [[Manhuaçu]], [[Uberaba]], [[Governador Valadares]], and [[Vitória, Brazil|Vitória]], the capital of [[Espírito Santo]] state. * [[Rodovia Fernão Dias|BR-381]] is an important federal highway. It connects Belo Horizonte to [[São Paulo]]. * [[MG-010]] is a state highway that connects the capital to the [[Tancredo Neves International Airport]], itself located in the municipalities of Confins and Lagoa Santa, which are part of the metropolitan area of Belo Horizonte. Starting in 2005, several flights were transferred from the [[Pampulha Regional Airport]] to the international airport. To improve access to the international airport, MG-010 is being expanded (effectively duplicating its lanes).<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.linhaverde.mg.gov.br/|title=Linha Verde|publisher=Governo do Estado de Minas Gerais|location=Belo Horizonte, Brazil|format=PDF|isbn=978-85-240-3919-5|access-date=2007-01-30|year=2007|language=pt|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070125231316/http://www.linhaverde.mg.gov.br/|archive-date=January 25, 2007|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> The city is also served by other minor roads such as state highways MG-020, MG-050, MG-030, and MG-433. There is also an East-West Express Way, which goes from the city to the nearby industrial centres of [[Contagem]] and [[Betim]] (together having a population of ca. 900,000), and Anel Rodoviário, a kind of "beltway" – indeed it is not circumferential, but connects many highways, such as the federal (BR-ones) so it is not necessary for a large number of cars and trucks to pass through the city centre. Many of these roads are in poor condition, but in the last years many revitalization and rebuilding projects have been started. ===Bus system=== The bus system has a large number of bus lines going through all parts in the city, and is administered by ''BHTRANS''. Among the upcoming projects are the expansion of the integration between bus lines and the [[rapid transit|metro]], with integrated stations, many already in use. And the construction of bus corridors, with lanes and bus stops exclusively for the bus lines. Keeping buses from traffic congestions, making the trips more viable for commuters. ===Railways=== [[Belo Horizonte Metro]] or MetroBH started operating at the end of the 1970s. There is one line, with 19 stations, from Vilarinho to Eldorado Station, in [[Contagem]], transporting over 160,000 people daily. The current projects of expansion include Line 2, linking the existing Calafate Station to the region of Barreiro. And Line 3, from the city's main bus terminal to São Inácio de Loyola, [[Savassi]] economical district. Line 2 is planned to be overground (similar to the current line) and Line 3 is planned to be underground, passing through the city's financial centre, Praça Sete and Afonso Pena Avenue. Also, Line 1 is planned to be extended to Novo Eldorado Station.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.metrominas.mg.gov.br/ |title=Metrominas – Trem Metropolitano de Belo Horizonte |website=Metrominas.mg.gov.br |access-date=2012-11-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130401083953/http://www.metrominas.mg.gov.br/ |archive-date=April 1, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> ===Belo Horizonte Public Transportation statistics=== The average amount of time people spend commuting with public transit in Belo Horizonte, for example to and from work, on a weekday is 85 min. 26% of public transit riders, ride for more than 2 hours every day. The average amount of time people wait at a stop or station for public transit is 23 min, while 50% of riders wait for over 20 minutes on average every day. The average distance people usually ride in a single trip with public transit is 8.7&nbsp;km, while 19% travel for over 12&nbsp;km in a single direction.<ref>{{cite web|title=Belo Horizonte Public Transportation Statistics|publisher=Global Public Transit Index by Moovit|url=https://moovitapp.com/insights/en/Moovit_Insights_Public_Transit_Index_Brazil_Belo_Horizonte-843|access-date=June 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170901063012/https://moovitapp.com/insights/en/Moovit_Insights_Public_Transit_Index_Brazil_Belo_Horizonte-843|archive-date=September 1, 2017|url-status=dead}} [[File:CC-BY icon.svg|50px]] Material was copied from this source, which is available under a [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171016050101/https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |date=October 16, 2017 }}</ref> ==Culture== {{see also|Culture of Brazil}} ===Theatre and dance=== [[File:Praça da Estação FIT-BH 2010.jpg|thumb|left|Estação Square during the International Festival of Theatre]] Every two years, FIT BH, The International Theater Festival of Belo Horizonte, takes place in the city. This attracts artists from all over Brazil and worldwide. With the merger of two projects that would happen separately in 1994, one stage-based, organized by the Francisco Nunes Theater, and the other street-based, idealized by Grupo Galpão, came FIT-BH Palco & Rua. Produced every two years, under responsibility from the Belo Horizonte [[City Hall]], through the Municipal Culture Office and the Association Movimento Teatro de Grupo of Minas Gerais, in the program there are street and stage shows, and also [[seminar]]s, workshops, courses, talks, etc. The Annual Campaign for the Popularisation of Theatre takes place every year in January and February, offering dozens of plays in [[theatre]]s all over the city at affordable prices. Several notable artistic groups originated in Belo Horizonte. [[Grupo Corpo]], which is perhaps the most famous [[contemporary dance]] group in the country, was formed in the city in 1975. In March and April is the performance program from FID promoting contemporary dance in Belo Horizonte. The program presents groups from Belo Horizonte. For this project, the priority invitations go to the shows created by groups and choreographers living in the city. The purpose is to take shows and other activities such as workshops, talks and video screenings to the less privileged regions of the city regarding access to cultural assets. Belo Horizonte is also host to the Centro Mineiro de Danças Clássicas school. ===Music=== [[File:Sala Minas Gerais 02.jpg|thumb|[[Sala Minas Gerais]], at the [[Centro de Cultura Presidente Itamar Franco]], is the house of the Minas Gerais Philharmonic Orchestra.]] [[Clube da Esquina]] is one of the most important [[music]]al movements in the musical history of Brazil. It originated in the mid-1960s, and since then its members have been hugely influential in Brazilian and even international music, some like Milton Nascimento and Toninho Horta achieving worldwide acclaim. Other people involved in the movement include musicians, songwriters, composers, conductors and lyricists, such as Tavinho Moura, [[Wagner Tiso]], [[Andersen Viana]], [[Milton Nascimento]], [[Lô Borges]], [[Beto Guedes]], Flávio Venturini, [[Toninho Horta]], [[Márcio Borges]] and [[Fernando Brant]], among others. The band [[Uakti (band)|Uakti]], known for performing with self-built [[musical instrument]]s, originated in Belo Horizonte under the influence of Walter Smetak and the Composition School from Bahia. Also, several nationally famous rock groups have been founded in Belo Horizonte, including [[Jota Quest]], [[Pato Fu]], [[Skank (band)|Skank]], [[14 Bis (Band)|14 Bis]] and Tianastácia. In later years, Belo Horizonte has been more frequently included in Brazilian tours of foreign mainstream and independent acts. Belo Horizonte is also known as the Brazilian Capital of [[Metal music]], hence the huge number of heavy metal bands (and the likes) founded there, especially in the 1980s. Most importantly, Overdose, the first metal band from BH and one of the first to gain prominence in Brazil; [[Sepultura]], the world's best known Brazilian metal band; and [[Sarcófago]], one of the founders of modern [[black metal]]. The [[contemporary Christian music]] band [[Diante do Trono]], is also of Belo Horizonte. A short instrumental song by American band [[Earth, Wind & Fire]] is named after the city on their album [[Now, Then & Forever]]. ===Museums=== [[File:Museu_de_Arte_da_Pampulha_-_BH.jpg|thumb|Pampulha Art Museum]] Belo Horizonte features a number of museums including the Mineiro Museum, the Abílio Barreto Historic Museum, Arts and Workmanship Museum, a Natural History Museum and the UFMG [[Botanic Garden]]s, a telephone museum, the Pampulha Art Museum, the Professor Taylor Gramke Mineralogy Museum, and the UFMG Conservatory. The puppet theatre group Giramundo was established here in 1970, and continues to maintain a puppetry museum hosting a collection of their creations. [[File:Casa_Kubitschek_frente_01.jpg|thumb|[[Kubitschek Residence Museum]]]] [[File:Memorial Minas Gerais Vale.jpg|thumb|Minas Gerais Vale Memorial]] The Circuito Cultural Praça da Liberdade, located in the central region of Belo Horizonte, is the largest cultural circuit in Brazil. In all, there are eleven functioning [[museum]]s and cultural spaces: Arquivo Público Mineiro (Minas Gerais Public Archive), Biblioteca Pública Estadual Luiz de Bessa (Luiz de Bessa State Public Library), Cefar Liberdade, Centro de Arte Popular Cemig (Cemig Center of Popular Art), Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil (Culture Center Bank of Brazil), Espaço do Conhecimento UFMG (UFMG Knowledge Space), Horizonte Sebrae – Casa da Economia Criativa (Sebrae Horizon – The House of Creative Economy), Memorial Minas Gerais Vale (Minas Gerais Memorial), Museu das Minas e do Metal (Mines and Metal Museum), Museu Mineiro (Minas Gerais Museum) and [[Palácio da Liberdade]] (Liberty Palace). Besides these, another three spaces are already in the process of being implemented: the Casa Fiat de Cultura (Fiat Culture House), CENA and Oi Futuro. The proposal, according to the Circuit manager, Cristiana Kumaira, is to strengthen the circuit in the world cultural context. "We are already on this path and are being careful to ensure that the activities, services and assistance fulfill the needs and expectations of both the local population and the tourists who come to Belo Horizonte from around the world. The Circuit is establishing itself as one more source of pride for the people of Minas Gerais," she stresses. [[File:AvenidaAfonsoPena e PalacioDasArtes.jpg|thumb|Palace of Arts Museum]] Inaugurated in 2010, the Circuito Cultural Praça da Liberdade was created with the goal of exploring [[cultural diversity]], with interactive options open to the public, in an area of great symbolic, historical and architectural value for Belo Horizonte. The opportunity came with the transference of the Minas Gerais Government headquarters to the Cidade Administrativa (Administrative City), in Serra Verde. After they had been adapted, the old department buildings opened their doors and began to house museums and [[cultural space]]s. The Circuito Cultural Praça da Liberdade is co-managed by the Instituto Sérgio Magnani (Institute) since June 2012, through a partnership signed with the Minas Gerais Government, and the museums/spaces are mostly run by private companies, which carry out investments in heritage recovery and building maintenance. According to Kumaira, this public-private partnership model allows large companies to participate and effectively contribute to the cultural advance of the city. "Beyond their fields of activities, the partners invest in the implantation and maintenance of museums, learning spaces, exhibition halls and shows, as well as memory centers that consolidate the history of Minas Gerais, presenting it either for free or at affordable prices," she adds. <ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.circuitoculturalliberdade.com.br/plus/modulos/conteudo/index.php?tac=historia&layout=conheca|title=Circuito Cultural Praça da Liberdade – History|last=PLUS|website=Circuito Cultural Praça da Liberdade|access-date=November 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151125064315/http://en.circuitoculturalliberdade.com.br/plus/modulos/conteudo/index.php?tac=historia&layout=conheca|archive-date=November 25, 2015|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> The Natural History Museum and Botanical Garden holds an important treasure of [[folk art]], the Nativity of Pipiripau. Created during the 20th century, the craftsman Raimundo Machado, synchronizes 586 figures, distributed in 45 scenes, which tell the story of life and death of Jesus, mixed with its variety of [[arts]] and [[crafts]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mhnjb.ufmg.br/index.html |title=UFMG Museum of Natural History and Botanic Garden |location=Belo Horizonte, Brazil |access-date=September 30, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110917190138/http://www.mhnjb.ufmg.br/index.html |archive-date=September 17, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> With 600,000 sq. m. of green area, the [[Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais|UFMG]] Museum of Natural History and Botanic Garden (MHN-JB) is a privileged ecological space that enables visitors to experience nature in a rich, multidisciplinary way. For 30 years, the mission of the MHN-JB has been to do research, to educate, and to meet the community's demand for service. It covers the areas of [[anthropology]], [[archeology]], Environmental Education, [[Natural History]], [[Mineralogy]], and [[Paleontology]]. It has an Ecological Amphitheater, a Free Art atelier, a [[greenhouse]], and an Interactive Room. One of its traditional exhibitions is the Pipiripau Nativity Crèche. Palácio das Artes, inaugurated in 1970, comprises three theaters, three [[art galleries]], a [[movie theater]], a [[bookstore]], a coffee shop and photography exhibition space. The building was designed by Oscar Niemeyer and it also houses the Minas Gerais Handcraft Center. The Pampulha Art Museum is located at the Pampulha Lake in Belo Horizonte in a building that originally housed the Pampulha Casino. The building was designed by Oscar Niemeyer, commissioned by the then-mayor and future president of Brazil Juscelino Kubitschek in the early 1940s, with external grounds by landscaper [[Roberto Burle Marx]]. The building was the first project of Oscar Niemeyer, opened as a casino, and closed in 1946. In 1957, it was re-opened as the Art Museum. His design was influenced by the principles of Le Corbusier. The gardens of [[Burle Marx]] are a tribute to the tropical green. There are three sculptures, by Ceschiatti, Zamoiski and José Pedrosa. In 1996, it won new multimedia rooms, library, café bar, a souvenir shop and technical infrastructure. The MAP has an impressive collection of 1,600 works.<ref name="BH_GUIDE">http://www.youblisher.com/files/publications/30/174017/pdf.pdf {{Dead link|date=January 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> ===Architecture=== [[File:Oscar Niemeyer's Church of St Francis in Belo Horizonte2.jpg|thumb|upright|left|São Francisco de Assis Church in Pampulha Park]] Belo Horizonte has several significant cultural landmarks, many of them situated in the [[Pampulha (Belo Horizonte)|Pampulha]] district, where there are notable examples of Brazilian [[contemporary architecture]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dottransfers.com/brazil/belo-horizonte/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140630204053/http://www.dottransfers.com/brazil/belo-horizonte/|url-status=dead|title=Limo Service in Belo Horizonte - Airport Transfers|archivedate=June 30, 2014}}</ref> Under the leadership of the then mayor of city, [[Juscelino Kubitschek]], architects and artists such as [[Oscar Niemeyer]], landscaper [[Burle Marx]], and painter [[Candido Portinari]], started a type of modern architecture and art here that was greatly developed later with the construction of Brazil's new capital, [[Brasilia]], also led by the now president Juscelino (aka JK). It is at the [[Pampulha (Belo Horizonte)|Pampulha]] complex that one can see the routes of this new architecture movement. The modern and protomodern architecture can also be seen all over Belo Horizonte, either in emblematic 1950's buildings such as Edificio Acaiaca, Conjunto JK, Hotel Amazonas<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.em.com.br/app/noticia/gerais/2015/07/15/interna_gerais,668573/hotel-no-centro-de-belo-horizonte-abriga-paineis-de-artista-frances.shtml|title=Hotel no Centro de Belo Horizonte abriga painéis de artista francês|first=Estado de|last=Minas|date=July 15, 2015 |access-date=October 13, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150811201813/http://www.em.com.br/app/noticia/gerais/2015/07/15/interna_gerais,668573/hotel-no-centro-de-belo-horizonte-abriga-paineis-de-artista-frances.shtml|archive-date=August 11, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> and former Hotel Excelsior,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.em.com.br/app/noticia/economia/2013/09/18/internas_economia,450154/hotel-excelsior-vira-residencial-no-centro-de-bh.shtml|title=Hotel Excelsior vira residencial no Centro de BH|first=Estado de|last=Minas|access-date=October 13, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161124025004/http://www.em.com.br/app/noticia/economia/2013/09/18/internas_economia,450154/hotel-excelsior-vira-residencial-no-centro-de-bh.shtml|archive-date=November 24, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> all reflecting the modernity culture of the first planned capital of Brazil. The Pampulha Park area includes one of the largest [[soccer stadium]]s in the world, the [[Mineirão]] stadium, and the [[Church of Saint Francis of Assisi|São Francisco de Assis Church]], widely known as Igreja da Pampulha, designed by Brazilian [[Modern movement|Modernist]] architect [[Oscar Niemeyer]]. In Pampulha there is also the [[Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais]] campus, whose buildings themselves are important contributions to the city's architecture. Other notable buildings include the Mesbla and Niemeyer buildings. [[File:Ipê na Praça da Liberdade 2 By Sergio Cirino 2006.JPG|thumb|upright|[[Niemeyer Building]] at [[Praça da Liberdade|Liberty Square]]]] In the downtown area, landmarks include the [[São José Church]], the Praça da Estação (Station Square), which is an old train station that now is also the Museum of Arts and Workmanship, the Municipal Park, the famous Sete de Setembro Square, where an obelisk built in 1922 marks the one hundred years of [[Brazilian independence]] from Portugal.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.reference.com/browse/belo+horizonte|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714185528/http://www.reference.com/browse/belo+horizonte|url-status=dead|title=Downtown BH|archivedate=July 14, 2014}}</ref> Near Central the area, in the Lourdes neighborhood, the Lourdes Basilica, is an example of [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic Revival style]]. The Nossa Senhora de Fátima Church, in Santo Agostinho neighborhood, is situated in [[Carlos Chagas]] Square. Both churches are referred to as the Assembléia Church and the Assembléia Square because of their proximity to the state's legislative assembly. [[File:Edifício Aureliano Chaves (3).jpg|left|thumb|upright|The [[Aureliano Chaves building]], currently the tallest in Belo Horizonte.]] Next to the downtown region is the Savassi district, known for fine restaurants and as a centre of cultural events as well as the best of the city's [[nightlife]]. Many landmarks are located there, such as the Praça da Liberdade (Liberty Square), and its surrounding buildings, including the former Executive Offices of the governor called the Palácio da Liberdade (Liberty Palace), the first building to be finished during the city's planned development in the late 1890s. The government offices moved to the "Cidade Administrativa" in 2010. This complex is made by a few massive buildings just outside the city. Nowadays, the "palaces" are being turned into museums. Still on Savassi, the meeting point of many social groups, especially the youth, is "Praça da Savassi" (Savassi Square), which is not exactly a square, and more a crossing between two major avenues ([[Getúlio Vargas]] and Cristóvão Colombo), and gathers some of the busiest bars and pubs (called locally "botecos" or "botequins") in town. Another important landmark is Praça do Papa (Pope's Square), located at a high point south of the downtown area, with its great view of the entire city. It is named for July 1, 1980, visit by [[John Paul II]], who held a youth mass there. The nearby Parque das Mangabeiras (Mangabeiras Park) features extensive wildlife, and-owing to its considerable size-has its own bus service, which operates solely within the confines of the park. On Sundays, Afonso Pena Avenue hosts Latin America's biggest open-air market. This is the Market of Arts and Handicrafts, most commonly known as Feira Hippie (hippie fair). Every Sunday morning 70,000 visitors find food, drinks, clothes, furniture, earrings, shoes and almost anything else.<ref>{{cite web |author=FeiraHippiebh.com |url=http://www.feirahippiebh.com |title=Feira Hippie WebSite |website=Feirahippiebh.com |access-date=2011-04-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180805011558/http://feirahippiebh.com/ |archive-date=August 5, 2018 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref> {{wide image|Panorama_Pampulha.jpg|1000px|[[Pampulha Modern Ensemble]], a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://g1.globo.com/minas-gerais/noticia/2016/07/conjunto-da-pampulha-ganha-titulo-de-patrimonio-mundial-da-unesco.html|title=Conjunto da Pampulha ganha título de Patrimônio Mundial da Unesco|date=July 17, 2016|access-date=November 25, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022201209/http://g1.globo.com/minas-gerais/noticia/2016/07/conjunto-da-pampulha-ganha-titulo-de-patrimonio-mundial-da-unesco.html|archive-date=October 22, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://veja.abril.com.br/brasil/unesco-coloca-conjunto-da-pampulha-em-lista-de-patrimonio-da-humanidade/|title=Conjunto da Pampulha torna-se Patrimônio da Humanidade - VEJA.com|date=July 17, 2016|access-date=November 25, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160918103610/http://veja.abril.com.br/brasil/unesco-coloca-conjunto-da-pampulha-em-lista-de-patrimonio-da-humanidade/|archive-date=September 18, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/ilustrada/2016/07/1792609-conjunto-da-pampulha-e-declarado-patrimonio-mundial-da-humanidade.shtml|title=Conjunto da Pampulha é declarado Patrimônio Mundial da Humanidade – 17/07/2016 – Ilustrada – Folha de S.Paulo|access-date=November 25, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160925131148/http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/ilustrada/2016/07/1792609-conjunto-da-pampulha-e-declarado-patrimonio-mundial-da-humanidade.shtml|archive-date=September 25, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>}} [[File:Pao de queijo com cafe.jpg|thumb|[[Pão de queijo]] with coffee is a traditional light meal of Minas Gerais]] ===Food and drink=== The regional Minas Gerais' food and the now internationally known drink of [[cachaça]] are very popular and highly rated in the capital.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.world66.com/southamerica/brazil/belohorizonte/nightlife_and_ente |title=Regional food and drink BH |website=World66.com |date=September 25, 2006 |access-date=2011-04-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514112839/http://www.world66.com/southamerica/brazil/belohorizonte/nightlife_and_ente |archive-date=May 14, 2011 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref> Belo Horizonte is internationally known as the "capital of neighborhood bars."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.boagastronomia.com.br/ |title=Cuisine in Belo Horizonte |website=Belotur.com.br |access-date=2011-04-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181229214315/https://www.boagastronomia.com.br/ |archive-date=December 29, 2018 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref> Every year since 1999, the city hosts the [http://www.comidadibuteco.com.br/ Comida di Buteco] festival ("Pub Foods", in an approximate translation), in which a panel selects 41 bars to be visited, and then elects the one with the best appetizers using the theme ingredient of each year. The Festival is so successful that its brand was already sold to other 21 regions in Brazil (Belém, Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Campinas, Curitiba, Florianópolis, Fortaleza, Goiás, Juiz de Fora, Manaus, Montes Claros, Poços de Caldas, Porto Alegre, Recife, Ribeirão Preto, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Uberlândia e Vale do Aço). The neighborhoods and areas of Savassi, Lourdes, Mercado Central, Santa Tereza and Pampulha concentrate most of the city's [[restaurant]]s and bars.<ref>[https://guia.melhoresdestinos.com.br/restaurantes-em-belo-horizonte-203-2585-p.html Restaurants and bars in BH]</ref> ==Sport== {{See also|Sport in Brazil}} ===Football=== [[File:Mineirão (Top View).jpg|thumb|right|[[Estadio Mineirão|Mineirão]] stadium]] [[File:Pré-jogo_-_18-11-12.JPG|thumb|right|[[Arena Independência|Independência]] stadium]] {{See also|Football in Brazil|Campeonato Brasileiro Série A|Campeonato Mineiro}} As in the rest of Brazil, [[Association football|football]] is the most popular sport. The city's major teams are [[Clube Atlético Mineiro|Atlético Mineiro]], [[Cruzeiro Esporte Clube|Cruzeiro]] and [[América Futebol Clube (MG)|América Mineiro]]. The city also has one of the biggest football stadiums in the world, the [[Mineirão]], which opened in 1965. The older [[Arena Independência|Independência Stadium]] was the site of the [[FIFA World Cup 1950]] game, when the [[England v United States (1950)|United States beat England]] in a 1–0 win.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://national.soccerhall.org/Monthly%20Column/MC.May.2005.htm|title=Soccerhall|publisher=Soccerhall|location=Belo Horizonte, Brazil|format=PDF|isbn=85-240-3919-1|access-date=2007-07-18|year=2005|language=pt|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100715154838/http://national.soccerhall.org/Monthly%20Column/MC.May.2005.htm|archive-date=July 15, 2010}}</ref> Mineirão, officially called Estádio Governador Magalhães Pinto, was built to provide the city of Belo Horizonte with a larger alternative for Independência Stadium, then the prime venue of the city. The stadium was meant to become the most modern stadium of Brazil and the new home of Atlético Mineiro and Cruzeiro. Construction took almost five years, and on September 5, 1965, Mineirão officially opened. Mineirão hardly changed in the following decades, and in the 1990s still had its original capacity. When Brazil [[2014 FIFA World Cup bids|won their bid]] to host the 2014 FIFA World Cup, it was clear that Mineirão needed to undergo a large redevelopment. The project included the complete reconstruction of the bottom tier, an extension of the roof, and further refurbishments to upgrade the stadium to [[FIFA]] standards. Building works took a total of three years, and were completed in December 2012. The first match at the reopened Mineirão was played on February 3, 2013, with a state championship match between Cruzeiro and Atlético. While Cruzeiro agreed on a lease to play the next 25 years at Mineirão, Atlético is currently building his own arena, Arena MRV, which is planned to be opened at the end of 2022. Atlético's new arena will be the most modern football stadium in Latin America and the second largest sports arena in the state of Minas Gerais, with a capacity of over 46,000 people. Mineirão hosted a total of six matches during the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The stadium also was one of the playing venues of the [[2013 FIFA Confederations Cup]] and the [[Football at the 2016 Summer Olympics|Olympic football tournament]] in 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stadiumguide.com/mineirao/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130706225903/http://www.stadiumguide.com/mineirao/|url-status=dead|title=Mineirão - The Stadium Guide|archivedate=July 6, 2013}}</ref> {| class="wikitable" |+ Football/soccer teams |- ! Club ! League ! Venue ! Established (team) |- ! [[Clube Atlético Mineiro|Atlético Mineiro]] |[[Campeonato Brasileiro Série A|Série A]] |[[Mineirão]] / [[Arena MRV]] (under construction) 61.846 (115,142 record) / 46.000 |1908 |- ! [[Cruzeiro Esporte Clube|Cruzeiro]] |[[Campeonato Brasileiro Série A|Série A]] |[[Mineirão]] 61.846 (132,834 record) |1921 |- ! [[América Futebol Clube (MG)|América Mineiro]] |[[Campeonato Brasileiro Série A|Série A]] |[[Arena Independência|Independência Stadium]] 23,018 (32,721 record) |1912 |} In addition to football, Belo Horizonte has one of the largest attendances at [[volleyball]] matches in the entire country. They are played either at [[Mineirinho]], home of [[Brazil men's national volleyball team|Brazil's national volleyball team]], or at [[Minas Tênis Clube]]. ===Other sports=== Belo Horizonte is home to [[2015 French Open – Men's Doubles|2015 French Open men's doubles]] champion and former World no. 1 doubles player [[Marcelo Melo]] as well as [[2016 Australian Open – Men's Doubles|2016 Australian Open men's doubles]] and [[2016 Australian Open – Mixed Doubles|mixed doubles]] champion [[Bruno Soares]]. The [[Minas Tênis Clube]] is a multi-sport club that plays in the [[Novo Basquete Brasil]], [[Liga Nacional de Futsal]], [[Brazilian Men's Volleyball Superliga]] and [[Brazilian Women's Volleyball Superliga]]. ==International relations== {{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Brazil}} Belo Horizonte is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Cidades Irmãs de Belo Horizonte|url=http://portalbelohorizonte.com.br/negocios/cidades-irmas-de-belo-horizonte|website=portalbelohorizonte.com.br|publisher=Belo Horizonte|language=pt|access-date=2020-05-23}}</ref> {{div col|colwidth=20em}} *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Austin, Texas|Austin]], United States (1965-1991) *{{flagicon|ANG}} [[Luanda]], Angola (1968) *{{flagicon|LBN}} [[Zahlé]], Lebanon (1974) *{{flagicon|ESP}} [[Granada]], Spain (1975) *{{flagicon|Portugal}} [[Porto]], Portugal (1986) *{{flagicon|Belarus}} [[Minsk]], Belarus (1987) *{{flagicon|CUB}} [[Havana]], Cuba (1995) *{{flagicon|Palestine}} [[Bethlehem]], Palestine (1999) *{{flagicon|SYR}} [[Homs]], Syria (2001) *{{flagicon|NIC}} [[Masaya]], Nicaragua (2002) *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Fort Lauderdale, Florida|Fort Lauderdale]], United States (2003) *{{flagicon|LBY}} [[Tripoli, Libya|Tripoli]], Libya (2003) *{{flagicon|ECU}} [[Cuenca, Ecuador|Cuenca]], Ecuador (2004) *{{flagicon|HON}} [[Tegucigalpa]], Honduras (2004) *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]], United States (2006) *{{flagicon|NGA}} [[Lagos]], Nigeria (2011) <!--rest from the source: other form of cooperation than twinning, none of them list Belo Horizonte as their twin town - DON'T ADD THEM---> {{div col end}} == Notable people == {{See also|Category:People from Belo Horizonte|category=yes}} * [[Ricardo Viana Vargas]] (born 1972), engineer<ref name="pmi1">{{cite web |title=Ricardo Viana Vargas |url=http://www.pmi.org/About-Us/~/media/PDF/Bios/Vargas_Bio_2012.ashx |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509080232/http://www.pmi.org/About-Us/~/media/PDF/Bios/Vargas_Bio_2012.ashx |archivedate=9 May 2013 |accessdate=October 8, 2023 |publisher=PMI}}</ref> * [[Fernando Sabino]] *Theo Mendes, Intelectual ==Notes== {{notelist}} ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== {{Sister project links|Belo Horizonte|voy=Belo Horizonte}} *{{in lang|pt}} [http://www.pbh.gov.br/ City Hall of Belo Horizonte website] {{Navboxes |title = Articles Related to Belo Horizonte |list = {{Belo Horizonte}} {{Visitor attractions in Belo Horizonte}} {{Brazil topics|state=expanded}} {{Municipalities of Minas Gerais}} {{Capitals of Brazilian states}} }} {{Authority control}} [[Category:Belo Horizonte| ]] [[Category:Populated places established in 1701]] [[Category:Planned communities in Brazil]] [[Category:1701 establishments in Brazil]] [[Category:Municipalities in Minas Gerais]] [[Category:State capitals in Brazil]]'