Ouro Preto
Ouro Preto (from Portuguese, Black Gold) is a town in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. It is at the geographic coordinates 20°17′15″S 43°30′29″W / 20.28750°S 43.50806°W. It is at an altitude of 1116 meters on the slope of a rocky hill. In 2010, there were about 70,227 people living there.
History
Ouro Preto had a lot of gold in the ground. The gold was taken by Portuguese colonists, who used slave labor.[1]
Ouro Preto was founded in 1711 by combining several villages. In the same year it became the headquarters of the village council, with the appointment of Vila Rica (Villa Rica).[2] In the year 1720, Ouro Preto was chosen as the new capital of Minas Gerais. In 1823, the town was upgraded to being a city as the designation of Ouro Preto. In 1839 he created the School of Pharmacy and in 1876 the School of Mines. It was the capital of the province and later the state of Minas Gerais until 1897.
It was the first Brazilian city to be declared by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Historical and Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 1980.[3]
Geography
Important Data
Population: Data from the 2010 Census (IBGE)
- Resident population: 70,227 (2010 Census)
- Urban area: 56,293
- Rural area: 9,985
- Area of the municipality: 1,245 km²
- Temperature: between 6 and 28 degrees Celsius. In June and July the temperature can reach -2 degrees Celsius.
- Average elevation: 1,116 m. The highest point is Pico de Itacolomi with 1,722 meters.
- The city has twelve districts: Amarantina, Antônio Pereira, Cachoeira do Campo, Engenheiro Correia, Glaura, Lavras Novas, Miguel Burnier, Santa Rita, Santo Antônio do Leite, Santo Antônio do Salto, São Bartolomeu and Rodrigo Silva.
- Rivers: sources for the Velhas, Piracicaba, Gualaxo do Norte, Gualaxo do Sul, Mainart e Ribeirão Funil.
- Per Capita Income: R$23,622 (US$13,544.73)
- HDI: 0.788 (Medium)
Location
The city is linked by good roads to:
- Belo Horizonte 100 km
- Rio de Janeiro 475 km
- São Paulo 675 km
- Brasília 840 km
Bordering municipalities are:
- North: Itabirito and Santa Bárbara
- South: Ouro Branco, Catas Altas da Noruega, Piranga and Itaverava
- East: Mariana
- West: Belo Vale and Congonhas
Climate
Ouro Preto has a humid subtropical climate (Cwa, according to the Köppen climate classification), with warm and humid summers and mild, dry winters.
| Climate data for Ouro Preto, Brazil | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 28.2 (82.8) |
28.5 (83.3) |
28.5 (83.3) |
27.1 (80.8) |
25.5 (77.9) |
24.5 (76.1) |
24.7 (76.5) |
25.9 (78.6) |
26.8 (80.2) |
27.4 (81.3) |
27.5 (81.5) |
27.3 (81.1) |
26.83 (80.29) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 17.6 (63.7) |
17.7 (63.9) |
16.8 (62.2) |
15 (59) |
12.3 (54.1) |
10.2 (50.4) |
9.8 (49.6) |
11.1 (52) |
13.8 (56.8) |
16 (61) |
16.8 (62.2) |
17.2 (63) |
14.53 (58.15) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 252 (9.92) |
184.9 (7.28) |
155.5 (6.122) |
69.2 (2.724) |
27.7 (1.091) |
12.3 (0.484) |
10.3 (0.406) |
11.8 (0.465) |
48.7 (1.917) |
123.7 (4.87) |
202.6 (7.976) |
305.8 (12.039) |
1,404.5 (55.3) |
| Source: Tempo Agora.[4] | |||||||||||||
Vegetation
Ouro Preto has rocky fields, woods of Araucaria (Pinhais), and forests. Most plant life in Ouro Preto is brushland.
References
- ↑ Eduardo Galeano (1984). Las venas abiertas de América Latina. ISBN 950-895-094-3.
- ↑ Chambry, D. & Wagret, P. (Eds.) 1979: Brazil. Nagels Publishers, Geneva. 480p. ISBN 2-8263-0727-4
- ↑ UNESCO: Historic Town of Ouro Preto
- ↑ Climatologia — Ouro Preto