Miraí

Miraí
From top left: City Hall, Square, Bus Station
Location in the state of Minas Gerais
Coordinates: 21°11′42″S 42°36′50″W / 21.195°S 42.61389°W / -21.195; -42.61389
Country	Brazil
State	Minas Gerais
Settled	1923
Government
- Mayor	Sergio Luiz Resende
Area
- Total	320,628 km2 (123,795.2 sq mi)
Elevation	300 m (984 ft)
Population (2008)[1]
- Total	13,418
- Density	38.7/km2 (100.2/sq mi)
- Demonym	Miraiense
Time zone	GMT-3 (UTC-3)
- Summer (DST)	Brasília (UTC-2)
Postal Code (CEP)	36790-000
Area code(s)	32

Miraí is a Brazilian municipality located in the state of Minas Gerais. The city belongs to the mesoregion of Zona da Mata and to the microregion of Muriaé.

• Main Rivers: Fubá and Muriaé

History

Brejo was its first name. The agriculture sector is pointed as one of the most successful of the region Zona da Mata. The city territory is located in a region of easy access due to the presence of Rio-Bahia highway, also called BR-116. The first village was set up on the margins of the Muriaé River. Around 1840, attracted by land fertility, the first explorers came to Miraí's region. Finding land and good water, they spread the news and eventually other farmers arrived. At 1852, a group of farmers acquired part of the land belonging to the farm named Três Barras, in the place they built a chapel to Santo Antônio and around grew a village called Brejo. Later, the village became the District of Paz, with the name of Santo Antônio do Muriaé, belonging to Freguesia de Santa Rita de Meia Pataca. At 1883, the district was turned into Freguesia de Santo Antônio do Camapuã. The name was changed to Miraí, which means "wet land" in Tupi, by 1895. The municipality was created in 1923, separating itself from Cataguases.

Attractions

The town presents as natural attractions countless waterfalls.
The Carnival Parade is very traditional, attracting tourist from all over the country.
In September the city host the Festival Samba and Botequim, a cultural event offering good music and regional cousine, by the bus station.

Ataulfo Alves

Ataulfo Alves was the most famous person to be born in Miraí, he is known as one of the best samba compositor of the second half of the 20th century, there is a museum to his memory in the city.

Disasters

In January 2007, the city was victim of a flooding with catastrofic proportions after the collapse of a barrage belonging to the company Rio Pomba Cataguases, more than 2 billion liters of water mixed with mud and chemical waste used on the extration of bauxite was dumped in the city causing its destruction and affecting the Muriaé River, hence destroying many cities on its way to the Atlantic Ocean.
This was the second accident to happen in the region caused by this company. The damage to the environment was unmeasurable.

Sources

• Secretaria da Cultura, em 1 de outubro de 1999
• Assembléia Legislativa do Estado de Minas Gerais

References

1. ^ [IBGE], IBGE census 2008

External links

• http://www.almg.gov.br/munmg/m42205.asp
• http://www.portalclick.com.br/cidades/mirai/fotos.html
• http://www.interminas.com.br
• http://www.estacoesferroviarias.com.br/efl_ramais_1/mirai.htm
• http://www.jornalopiniao.net
• http://www.interminas.com.br/portal/foto/cobertura/page/1 Festival Samba e Botequim pictures

See also

• List of municipalities in Minas Gerais

Coordinates: 21°12′S 42°37′W / 21.2°S 42.617°W / -21.2; -42.617