Elói Mendes is a municipality in the south of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais

Minas Gerais

Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the...

. In 2007 the population was 24.161 in a total area of 498 km². The elevation of the municipal seat is 899 meters.

Location

Neighboring municipalities are Três Pontas

Três Pontas

Três Pontas is a city and municipality in southern Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The population in 2007 was 51,121 inhabitants in a total area of 689 km²....

, Paraguaçu

Paraguaçu

Paraguaçu is a municipality in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil. The population in 2007 was 19,603 in a total area of 425 km². The elevation of the municipal seat is 825 mts. It became a municipality in 1911....

, Cordislândia

Cordislândia

Cordislândia is a town and municipality in the state of Minas Gerais in the Southeast region of Brazil.-References:...

, Monsenhor Paulo

Monsenhor Paulo

Monsenhor Paulo is a town and municipality in the state of Minas Gerais in the Southeast region of Brazil.-References:...

 and Varginha

Varginha

Varginha is a city and municipality in southwest Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The estimated population is approximately 120,000 inhabitants and the area of the municipality is 396.39 km²...

. The IBGE statistical microregion is Varginha

Varginha

Varginha is a city and municipality in southwest Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The estimated population is approximately 120,000 inhabitants and the area of the municipality is 396.39 km²...

. Elói Mendes lies on federal highway BR-491 and is between Varginha

Varginha

Varginha is a city and municipality in southwest Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The estimated population is approximately 120,000 inhabitants and the area of the municipality is 396.39 km²...

 and Paraguaçu

Paraguaçu

Paraguaçu is a municipality in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil. The population in 2007 was 19,603 in a total area of 425 km². The elevation of the municipal seat is 825 mts. It became a municipality in 1911....

. The distance to Belo Horizonte

Belo Horizonte

Belo Horizonte is the capital of and largest city in the state of Minas Gerais, located in the southeastern region of Brazil. It is the third largest metropolitan area in the country...

 is 335 km.

Climate and Temperatures

• Maximum elevation: 1,084 m - Cab. Córrego Pitangueira
• Minimum elevation: 793 m - Represa de Furnas
• Elevation of the city: 899,36 m

• Average annual temperature:19.6 °C
• Average annual minimum: 14.3 °C
• Average annual maximum: 26.9 °C
• Rainfall index: 1,592.7 mm

The economy

The economy is based on agriculture and small and medium size industries. In agriculture the main crops are coffee, with 9,300 hectares planted in 2006, rice, sugarcane, beans and corn, with 3,200 hectares planted. In the industrial sector there are factories of cardboard tubes, furniture, mattresses, cement products, wires and thread, textiles, and magnetic cards. In 2007 there were 3 financial institutions.

Sectors of economic activity by workers

• Agriculture, fishing, and forestry: 3,900
• Industry: 1,687
• Commerce and merchandise: 1,379
• Other services: 3,007

TOTAL: 9,973

History

The town traces its beginnings to the middle of the eighteenth century. Explorers arrived and camped on the banks of a small river. The climate was mild, there was abundant water, and the lands were fertile. But the site had one defect: it was infested by clouds of a blood-sucking mosquito called Mutuca. For this reason the river and the lands nearby were given the name "Mutuca".

1792 is the first date known in an authentic document referring to the existence of the town. The first settlement of Mutuca changed its name to Espírito Santo da Mutuca, later Espírito Santo do Pontal, and later reducing the name to Pontal. In 1911 it got its municipal emancipation from Varginha

Varginha

Varginha is a city and municipality in southwest Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The estimated population is approximately 120,000 inhabitants and the area of the municipality is 396.39 km²...

. The name, Pontal, was changed to Eloy Mendes in honor of Major Joaquim Eloy Mendes (1827–1913), who was an important local figure and a baron in the Empire of Brazil with the title of Baron of Varginha. Later with modern spelling the name was changed to Elói Mendes.

Tourism

Elói Mendes is not far from the Rio Verde and the gigantic Furnas Reservoir, which is used for fishing, swimming, and boating. The annual carnival celebration attracts revelers from all over the south of Minas Gerais.

Municipal Human Development Index

Human Development Index

The Human Development Index is a composite statistic used to rank countries by level of "human development" and separate "very high human development", "high human development", "medium human development", and "low human development" countries...

• MHDI: .768
• State ranking: 181 out of 853 municipalities
• National ranking: 1,385 out of 5,138 municipalities
• Life expectancy: 72 years at birth
• Literacy rate: 85% For the complete list see Frigoletto