Alpinópolis

Alpinópolis is a Brazilian municipality located in the southwest of the state of Minas Gerais. Its population as of 2007 was 17,821 people living in a total area of 458 km². The city belongs to the meso-region of Sul e Sudoeste de Minas and to the micro-region of Passos. It became a municipality in 1938. [ [http://www.ibge.gov.br/cidadesat/default.php IBGE] ]

The Name

The city was officially changed to Alpinópolis in 1914. The previous name had been São Sebastião da Ventania. Curiously, after so many years, Ventania is still the name used by the inhabitants. [ [http://www.ventaniaonline.com.br/index.php Ventania Online] ]

Location

The city center of Alpinópolis is located at an elevation of 700 meters southeast of Passos and west of the Furnas reservoir. Neighboring municipalities are: São José da Barra (N), Carmo do Rio Claro (E), Nova Resende and Bom Jesus da Penha (S), and Passos (W). [ [http://www.citybrazil.com.br/mg/regioes/bomdespacho/ Citybrazil] ]

Distances
*Belo Horizonte: 332 km
*Passos: 43 km (north on MG-446 for 17 km, then west on MG-050 for 26 km) [ [http://www.der.mg.gov.br/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=179 DERMG] ] [ [http://www.aondefica.com/centerleft_mg.asp A onde fica] ]

Economic Activities

The economy is diversified with corn, high-quality coffee, beans, soybeans, semi-precious stones, dairy products, a feed factory, and manufacture of sweets being some of the main products. While coffee and milk were the main products for many years nowadays one of the main products of the local economy is the extraction and commercialization of quartz. Small and medium sized properties predominate in the municipality, which contribute for a better distribution of income. [ [http://www.ventaniaonline.com.br/index.php Ventania Online] ]

In 2005 there were 48 extractive industries employing 361 workers, 77 transformation industries employing 251 workers, and 360 retail units employing 768 workers. The GDP in 2005 was approximately R$129 million, with 62 million reais from services, 18 million reais from industry, and 41 million reais from agriculture. There were 861 rural producers on 29,000 hectares of land. 212 farms had tractors (2006). Approximately 6000 persons were occupied in agriculture. The main crops are rice, beans, and corn. There were 20,000 head of cattle, of which 10,000 were milk cows (2006). [ [http://www.ibge.gov.br/cidadesat/default.php IBGE] ]

There were 2 banks (2007). In the vehicle fleet there were 3,641 automobiles, 358 trucks, 298 pickup trucks, 23 buses, and 882 motorcycles (2007). [ [http://www.ibge.gov.br/cidadesat/default.php IBGE] ]

Health and Education

In the health sector there were 15 health establishments: 9 public and 6 private. There were 4 general health clinics and 5 specialized. There was one hospital with 30 beds (2005). Patients with more serious health conditions are transported to Passos. Educational needs of 4,000 students were met by 12 primary schools, 4 middle schools, and 11 pre-primary schools. [ [http://www.ibge.gov.br/cidadesat/default.php IBGE] ]

*Municipal Human Development Index: 0.779 (2000)
*State ranking: 122 out of 853 municipalities as of 2000
*National ranking: 1094 out of 5,138 municipalities as of 2000
*Literacy rate: 89%
*Life expectancy: 73 (average of males and females) [ [http://www.frigoletto.com.br/GeoEcon/idhmg.htm Frigoletto] ]

In 2000 the per capita monthly income of R$239.00 was below the state average of R$276.00 and below the national average of R$297.00. Poços de Caldas had the highest per capita monthly income in 2000 with R$435.00. The lowest was Setubinha with R$73.00.

The highest ranking municipality in Minas Gerais in 2000 was Poços de Caldas with 0.841, while the lowest was Setubinha with 0.568. Nationally the highest was São Caetano do Sul 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 has the lowest rating in the country--0,467--putting it in last place. [ [http://www.frigoletto.com.br/GeoEcon/idhmg.htm Frigoletto] ]

References

ee also

* List of municipalities in Minas Gerais