Belo Horizonte, Brazil

View of Praça da Estação in Belo Horizonte with the Earth Mining Monument
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pra%C3%A7a_da_Esta%C3%A7%C3%A3o.jpg
Author: Léo Quintino


Belo Horizonte is the third biggest city in Brazil. It is also the state capital and largest city of Minas Gerais. The city covers 330.9 sq km (127.7 sq mi) and has a population of 2.4 million people, within a metropolitan area with 5.4 million people. The city is often described as a "Mini São Paulo", with its line of residential skyscrapers.

Belo Horizonte experiences a tropical savanna climate bordering on the humid subtropical climate. It has four distinct seasons. Warmest month is February, when the average high temperature rises to 28.8°C (83.8°F). Coldest month is July, when average low temperature drops to 13.1°C (55.6°F). December is the wettest month, receiving 319.4 mm (12.57 in) of rainfall.

Belo Horizonte began as a village founded by explorer João Leite da Silva Ortiz in 1701. He was sidetracked from pursuing a gold rush, to settle the area and started farming instead. His farm, called Curral del Rey ("King's Corral"), was so successful that it attracted other people to move there.

Catedral de Boa Viagem, Belo Horizonte
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Catedralboaviagem.JPG
Author: Andrevruas


The fortune of Curral del Rey got a big boost in 1889, when Brazil became a republic, and Curral del Rey was selected to be the new state capital of Minas Gerais, replacing Ouro Preto, which is seemed to monarchic and too related to the country's mining past. It became the second planned city in Brazil after Teresina, and was inaugurated in 1897 - according to deadline, even though many government buildings were still incomplete. The name was also changed to Belo Horizonte, meaning "beautiful horizon".

Today Belo Horizonte is a regional center of commerce, and a trendsetter in Brazilian art scene.

Visiting Belo Horizonte

Belo Horizonte is served by two airports. Confins International Airport (CNF) gets flights from the United States, Europe and other Latin American countries. It is 40 km from downtown, and is connected by express bus and taxi. Pampulha Airport (PLU) serves mostly domestic flights within Minas Gerais, and is about 9 km from downtown.

Praça da Liberdade, Belo Horizonte
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pra%C3%A7a_da_Liberdade_-_Belo_Horizonte.jpg
Author: Diegojaf22

Places of Interest in Belo Horizonte

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