Luz, Minas Gerais - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Luz is a Brazilian municipality located in the West (south of the west) part of the 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...

. Luz is located between the city of Araxa

Araxá

Araxá is a city and municipality in southwest Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The population was 87,764 inhabitants and the area of the municipality is 1,283 km², with 345 km² making up the urban perimeter.-Geography:...

and the capital city of the state of Minas Gerais

Minas Gerais

, 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...

. Its population as of 2007 was 17,173 people living in a total area of 1,171 km². The city belongs to the Alto São Francisco

São Francisco

São Francisco is one of the 48 neighborhoods in which the Brazilian city of Niterói is divided.Its name derives from the church consecrated to Saint Francis Xavier and references to it can be found as early as the 17th century...

region and to the micro-region of Bom Despacho

Bom Despacho, Minas Gerais

Bom Despacho is a Brazilian municipality located in the west of the state of Minas Gerais. Its population as of 2007 was 22,260 people living in a total area of 1,202 km². The city belongs to the meso-region of Central Mineira and to the micro-region of Bom Despacho...

. It became a municipality in 1923.

Origin of the name

In the region there was a spring with a dam that supplied water to the small settlement that had grown around a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of the Light, or Nossa Senhora da Luz. The first name of the town was Nossa Senhora da Luz do Aterrado, or Our Lady of the Light of the Dam.

Location

The city center of Luz is located at an elevation of 675 meters a short distance south of federal highway BR-262. The São Francisco River lies to the east. Neighboring municipalities are: Estrela do Indaiá

Estrela do Indaiá

Estrela do Indaiá is a Brazilian municipality located in the center of the state of Minas Gerais. Its population as of 2007 was 3,651 people living in a total area of 635 km². The city belongs to the meso-region of Central Mineira and to the micro-region of Bom Despacho...

and Dores do Indaiá

Dores do Indaiá

Dores do Indaiá is a Brazilian municipality located in the center of the state of Minas Gerais. Its population as of 2007 was 13,996 people living in a total area of 1,110 km². The city belongs to the meso-region of Central Mineira and to the micro-region of Bom Despacho...

(N), Bom Despacho

Bom Despacho, Minas Gerais

(NE), Moema

Moema

Moema is a Brazilian municipality located in the center of the state of Minas Gerais. Its population as of 2007 was 6,754 people living in a total area of 203 km². The city belongs to the meso-region of Central Mineira and to the micro-region of Bom Despacho...

and Lagoa da Prata

Lagoa da Prata

Lagoa da Prata is a Brazilian city in the state of Minas Gerais. In 2006, its population was estimated to be 44,628. The city belongs to the mesoregion of Central Mineira and to the microregion of Bom Despacho.-Early history:...

(E), Japaraíba

Japaraíba

Japaraíba is a Brazilian municipality located in the center of the state of Minas Gerais. Its population as of 2007 was 3,688 people living in a total area of 172 km². The city belongs to the meso-region of Central Mineira and to the micro-region of Bom Despacho...

(SE), Arcos

Arcos, Minas Gerais

Arcos is a Brazilian municipality located in the center of the state of Minas Gerais. Its population as of 2007 was 34,763 people living in a total area of 510 km². The city belongs to the meso-region of Oeste de Minas and to the micro-region of Formiga...

and Iguatama

Iguatama

Iguatama is a Brazilian municipality located in the west of the state of Minas Gerais. Its population as of 2007 was 7,632 people living in a total area of 627 km². The city belongs to the meso-region of Oeste de Minas and to the micro-region of Piumhi. It became a municipality in...

(S), Bambuí

Bambuí

Bambuí is a Brazilian municipality located in the west of the state of Minas Gerais. Its population as of 2007 was 21,850 people living in a total area of 1,455 km². The city belongs to the meso-region of Oeste de Minas and to the micro-region of Piumhi...

and Córrego Danta

Córrego Danta

Córrego Danta is a town located in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil.Córrego Danta was once the district of another city, Luz, until it became autonomous on January 1, 1949...

(W). *

Distances

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...

: 188 km on BR-262
Bom Despacho
Bom Despacho, Minas Gerais
Bom Despacho is a Brazilian municipality located in the west of the state of Minas Gerais. Its population as of 2007 was 22,260 people living in a total area of 1,202 km². The city belongs to the meso-region of Central Mineira and to the micro-region of Bom Despacho...

: 50 km east on BR-262
Dores do Indaiá
Dores do Indaiá
Dores do Indaiá is a Brazilian municipality located in the center of the state of Minas Gerais. Its population as of 2007 was 13,996 people living in a total area of 1,110 km². The city belongs to the meso-region of Central Mineira and to the micro-region of Bom Despacho...

: 36 km north on MG-176
Brasília
Brasília
Brasília is the capital city of Brazil. The name is commonly spelled Brasilia in English. The city and its District are located in the Central-West region of the country, along a plateau known as Planalto Central. It has a population of about 2,557,000 as of the 2008 IBGE estimate, making it the...

: 640 km
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...

: 635 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...

: 595 km

Geographical Data

Elevation

Maximum: 956 m (Serra Deus me Livre)
Minimum: 680 m (Foz do Ribeirão Jorge Grande)
Center of the city: 674.96 m

Temperature

Average annual: 22.1 °C
Average annual maximum: 29.1 °C
Average annual minimum: 16.7 °C

Rainfall

Average annual rainfall: 1,415.7 mm

Topography

Flat: 40 %
Hilly: 50 %
Mountainous: 10%

Rivers

Ribeirão Jorge Pequeno
Rio São Francisco
River basin: Basin of the Rio São Francisco

Economic activities

Services, small industries, and agriculture are the most important economic activities. Charcoal production from eucalyptus plantations is also important. In 2005 there were 78 transformation industries employing 540 workers and 342 retail units employing 926 workers. The GDP in 2005 was approximately R$158 million, with 11 million from taxes, 77 million reais from services, 17 million reais from industry, and 52 million reais from agriculture. There were 651 rural producers on 69,000 hectares of land. 183 farms had tractors (2006). Approximately 1700 persons were occupied in agriculture. The main crops are coffee, rice, beans, and corn. There were 96,000 head of cattle, of which 24,000 were milk cows (2006).

There were 5 banks (2007): Banco Bradesco (Banco Postal, Correios), Banco do Brasil, Banco Itaú, Caixa Econômica Federal, Crediluz (Cooperativa de Crédito dos Produtores Rurais de Luz). There were 3 hotels: Hotel Turista, Hotel Oeste, and Hotel Planalto.

In the vehicle fleet there were 2632 automobiles, 252 trucks, 326 pickup trucks, 19 buses, 43 micro-buses, and 857 motorcycles (2007).

Health and education

In the health sector there were 8 public health clinics and 1 private hospital with 56 beds. (2005). Patients with more serious health conditions are transported 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...

. Educational needs of 3800 students were met by 10 primary schools, 2 middle schools, and 4 pre-primary schools.

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...

: 0.801 (2000)
State ranking: 35 out of 853 municipalities as of 2000
National ranking: 537 out of 5,138 municipalities as of 2000
Literacy rate: 90%
Life expectancy: 71 (average of males and females)

In 2000 the per capita monthly income of R$369.00 was above the state average of R$276.00 and below the national average of R$297.00. Poços de Caldas

Poços de Caldas

Poços de Caldas is a city and municipality in south-western Minas Gerais state, Brazil, in the microregion of the same name. Its estimated population in 2009 was 151,449 inhabitants...

had the highest per capita monthly income in 2000 with R$435.00. The lowest was Setubinha

Setubinha

Setubinha is a municipality in the northeast of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. As of 2007 the population was 10,834 in a total area of 536 km². The elevation is 729 metres. It is part of the IBGE statistical microregion of Teófilo Otoni...

with R$73.00.

The highest ranking municipality in Minas Gerais in 2000 was Poços de Caldas

Poços de Caldas

Poços de Caldas is a city and municipality in south-western Minas Gerais state, Brazil, in the microregion of the same name. Its estimated population in 2009 was 151,449 inhabitants...

with 0.841, while the lowest was Setubinha

Setubinha

with 0.568. Nationally the highest was São Caetano do Sul

São Caetano do Sul

São Caetano do Sul is a city in São Paulo state in Brazil, located in the Greater São Paulo Metropolitan Area. It is the city with the highest per capita income in Brazil and it also has the highest Human Development Index .-Geography:São Caetano do Sul is located on a plateau that is part of the...

in São Paulo with 0.919, while the lowest was Setubinha. In more recent statistics (considering 5,507 municipalities) Manari in the state of Pernambuco

Pernambuco

Pernambuco is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. To the north are the states of Paraíba and Ceará, to the west is Piauí, to the south are Alagoas and Bahia, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean. There are about of beaches, some of the most beautiful in the...

has the lowest rating in the country—0,467—putting it in last place.

Luz important names:

Ronaldo Costa Couto (Writer)

Edmar Bernardes da Silva - also written DaSilva (Writer, Geographer and Pedagogue)

Belchior José Joaquim da Silva Neto (Writer and the second bishop of Luz Diocese)

Iara Maria Coelho (Miss Luz, Miss Minas Gerais and Second Running up Miss Brazil)

Capitão Alexandre Du (the first mayor of Luz)

Origin of the name

Location

Geographical Data

Economic activities

Health and education

See also