Itajubá
Encyclopedia
Itajubá is a city and municipality in southeastern Minas Gerais
state of the Federative Republic of Brazil
.
It lies in a valley by the Sapucaí river and has terrain elevations ranging from 827 to 1500 metres, occupying an area of 290.45 km2 (112.14 mi2), with a population of approximately 86,000 people (according to the 2002 official census).
Neighboring the city are the mountain slopes of the Serra da Mantiqueira
range. The climate holds well delimited weather seasons, with heavy rain in the summer months and dry climate in the winter, as a typical "altitude tropical system".
The municipality is privileged in its location, not only for being in an urban network of prosperous middle size cities, but also due to its position with regards to the capitals of the southeast: Belo Horizonte
(445 km), São Paulo
(261 km), and Rio de Janeiro
(318 km).
The city is a center with direct influence over 14 other municipalities of a region (called "Microregião do Sapucaí") that polarizes an amount of 48% of the population of the south-end of Minas Gerais or, equivalently, 6% of the population of the entire state.
The local economy is based mainly on industry and agriculture. There are industries of auto parts, fiber optics, textile, electronic components, helicopters (Helibrás
), and military weapons (IMBEL
). The city is famed by its academic traditions and cultural life.
In agriculture most of the production is coffee, banana, potatoes in the vicinity of Maria da Fé
city where the overall climate is colder.
Itajubá is notable for the large quantity of choirs it has.
, far away from a river.
Father Lourenço told the people in the settlement that its topography was unfavorable to its development. He invited them to move the village to a place closer to the Sapucaí River, down the mountains.
About 80 families accepted the invitation and, on the morning of March 18, 1819 they moved. The next day Father Lourenço celebrated the first catholic mass in the new location. The new Itajubá was founded. After comparisons of topography had been made, part of the population decided to build a new church. Father Lourenço then gathered the people and they moved the old church's pictures and items to the new church.
The name Itajubá means, according to historians Geraldino Campista and J. Armelim Bernardo Guimarães, "water that falls on the rock" or "waterfall". There are several small waterfalls scattered in the vicinities of Itajubá.
The town is also known as the home for the Federal University of Itajubá
, funded in 1913, which offers degrees in several technical fields, and also three other regionally important educational institutions: the Centro Universitário de Itajubá - Universitas (Itajubá Universitary Center), the Faculdade de Medicina de Itajubá (Itajubá Faculty of Medicine) and the FACESM - Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Econômicas do Sul de Minas (South Minas Gerais Economic and Social Sciences Faculty).
(Brazilian Warfare Material Industry), builder of a licensed copy of the FN FAL
assault rifle and several models of military-issue knives.
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Itajub%C3%A1&action=edit
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...
state of the Federative Republic of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
.
It lies in a valley by the Sapucaí river and has terrain elevations ranging from 827 to 1500 metres, occupying an area of 290.45 km2 (112.14 mi2), with a population of approximately 86,000 people (according to the 2002 official census).
Neighboring the city are the mountain slopes of the Serra da Mantiqueira
Mantiqueira Mountains
The Mantiqueira Mountains are a mountain range in Southeastern Brazil, with parts in the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro. It rises abruptly from the northwestern bank of the Paraíba do Sul River and extends northeastward for approximately , reaching a height of 2,798 m ...
range. The climate holds well delimited weather seasons, with heavy rain in the summer months and dry climate in the winter, as a typical "altitude tropical system".
The municipality is privileged in its location, not only for being in an urban network of prosperous middle size cities, but also due to its position with regards to the capitals of the southeast: 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...
(445 km), São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
(261 km), and Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
(318 km).
The city is a center with direct influence over 14 other municipalities of a region (called "Microregião do Sapucaí") that polarizes an amount of 48% of the population of the south-end of Minas Gerais or, equivalently, 6% of the population of the entire state.
The local economy is based mainly on industry and agriculture. There are industries of auto parts, fiber optics, textile, electronic components, helicopters (Helibrás
Helibrás
Helibras or Helicópteros do Brasil S.A. is a Brazil-based helicopter manufacturer which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Eurocopter, a division of EADS. Helibras leads the Brazilian market of the turbine helicopters in operation, with 54% stake in the civilian market, emphasis on the segment...
), and military weapons (IMBEL
IMBEL
IMBEL is an acronym for Indústria de Material Bélico do Brasil a Brazilian state company, founded in 1975 as a quango of the Ministry of Defence....
). The city is famed by its academic traditions and cultural life.
In agriculture most of the production is coffee, banana, potatoes in the vicinity of Maria da Fé
Maria da Fé
Maria da Fé is a Brazilian municipality located in the state of Minas Gerais. Its population as of 2008 is estimated to be 14,646 people. The area of the municipality is 203.774km². The city belongs to the mesoregion South/South-West of Minas Gerais and to the microregion of Itajubá.-See also:*...
city where the overall climate is colder.
Itajubá is notable for the large quantity of choirs it has.
History
In the beginning of the 19th century, the region was mostly occupied by native Brazilians, the Puri-Coroados. In January 1819, a priest (Lourenço da Costa Moreira) moved to the parish of Delfim Moreira (known at that time as Soledade de Itajubá). The place was deserted, since it was just a small village in the middle of the woods of the Serra da MantiqueiraMantiqueira Mountains
The Mantiqueira Mountains are a mountain range in Southeastern Brazil, with parts in the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro. It rises abruptly from the northwestern bank of the Paraíba do Sul River and extends northeastward for approximately , reaching a height of 2,798 m ...
, far away from a river.
Father Lourenço told the people in the settlement that its topography was unfavorable to its development. He invited them to move the village to a place closer to the Sapucaí River, down the mountains.
About 80 families accepted the invitation and, on the morning of March 18, 1819 they moved. The next day Father Lourenço celebrated the first catholic mass in the new location. The new Itajubá was founded. After comparisons of topography had been made, part of the population decided to build a new church. Father Lourenço then gathered the people and they moved the old church's pictures and items to the new church.
The name Itajubá means, according to historians Geraldino Campista and J. Armelim Bernardo Guimarães, "water that falls on the rock" or "waterfall". There are several small waterfalls scattered in the vicinities of Itajubá.
The town is also known as the home for the Federal University of Itajubá
Federal University of Itajubá
Universidade Federal de Itajubá , also known as UNIFEI, formerly known as EFEI, is an important publicly-funded university located in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil...
, funded in 1913, which offers degrees in several technical fields, and also three other regionally important educational institutions: the Centro Universitário de Itajubá - Universitas (Itajubá Universitary Center), the Faculdade de Medicina de Itajubá (Itajubá Faculty of Medicine) and the FACESM - Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Econômicas do Sul de Minas (South Minas Gerais Economic and Social Sciences Faculty).
Communications
The city boasts two weekly newspapers, six radio stations (FM and AM) and a local TV station. Of the six radio stations, one of them is a federal university (UNIFEI) station.Strategic industry
The city has a major armament and blade weapons factory, the Indústria de Material Bélico do Brasil - IMBELIMBEL
IMBEL is an acronym for Indústria de Material Bélico do Brasil a Brazilian state company, founded in 1975 as a quango of the Ministry of Defence....
(Brazilian Warfare Material Industry), builder of a licensed copy of the FN FAL
FN FAL
The Fusil Automatique Léger or FAL is a self-loading, selective fire battle rifle produced by the Belgian armaments manufacturer Fabrique Nationale de Herstal . During the Cold War it was adopted by many North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries, with the notable exception of the United States...
assault rifle and several models of military-issue knives.
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Itajub%C3%A1&action=edit