Surface: The state of Minas Gerais occupies 588,000 km2s of Brazilian territory, extension superior to the one of countries like France (544,000 km2s) or of Japan (378,000 km2s).
Minas Gerais means General Mines, and must its name to the gold mines that discovered the bandeirantes in year 1.695.
Land of Tiradentes, hero of the Inconfidencia Mineira, the Aleijadinho sculptor, the composer Milton Nascimento, Pink the Guimarães writer and presidents Juscelino Kubitschek and Tancredo Neves, among others personalities With variadísimo relief and vegetation, has in valleys and mountains, historical cities barrocas, where warm and hospitable people live.
It is the second economy of the country, after Sao Paulo, and also she is well-known by his good kitchen, abundant and famous by manjares like pão-of-queijo and typical plates like tutu à mineira and frango (chicken) ao molho brown. The unique thing that needs to Mines is the sea; but it has therapeutic waters that appear of their rich mineral ground. With his hidrominerales and thermal spas, it forms the circuit it give waters, ideal route for the months of June and July (winter).
The occupation of the territory of Mines by the Portuguese began immediately after the discovery of Brazil, in centuries XVI and XVII.
The discovery of gold and precious stones attracted many explorers, who in center transformed the Brazilian economic state of the time. Nowadays, no longer the gold abounds, but they have been constructions of the time in its mountain landscape, forests, Lagos, caverns and pure, full air of histories and legend.
Mines emphasize by their culture from the colonial time. Plastic music, architecture, Literature and arts are some of the sectors cultivated successfully by the artists of this state. In the cities of the circuit of gold, it bloomed the mining music of century XVIII, and the art of baroque mineiro (of Mines).
Of these cities, most famous it is Ouro Preto, scene of the Inconfidência Mineira, first movement in favor of the independence of Brazil and today, along with Adamantine and the Sanctuary of the Good Jesus de Matosinhos, in Congonhas do Field, is recognized like Patrimony of the Humanity, by UNESCO.
In spite of being the national producing major of coffee (10 million coats produced in 1994) and milk (2,700 million annual liters), the farming sector represents only 14.1% of its GIP. The industrial sector, with an ample and variable park, responds at the moment of 26.3% of the production of the state - the mining and the metallurgy are between the main activities of the sector, next to the automobile one, developed around Fiat Automóveis.