Formoso is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in northern

Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil, being the fourth largest state by area and the second largest in number of inhabitants with a population of 20,539,989 according to the 2022 Brazilian census, 2022 census. Located in ...

state,

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. It is located northeast of Brasília, in a pocket where the boundaries of the states of

Goiás Goiás () is a Brazilian States of Brazil, state located in the Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region. Goiás borders the Federal District (Brazil), Federal District and the states of (from north clockwise) Tocantins, Bahia, Minas Ge ...

, and

Bahia Bahia () is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Mina ...

come together. Formoso is part of the statistical micro-region of

Unaí Unaí is a municipality in the Northern Region of Minas Gerais, in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, in the Southeast Region of Brazil. It is located 590 km from the capital of Minas Gerais and 164 km from the federal capital. Unaí ...

, which consists of the municipalities of

Arinos Arinos is a municipality in northern Minas Gerais state in Brazil. Arinos is located east of the Federal District on the Urucuia River, a major tributary of the São Francisco. The city is 333 km from Brasília. The municipality belongs to ...

Bonfinópolis de Minas Bonfinópolis de Minas is a municipality in the north of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. The population of the municipality in 2020 by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) is 5,444 inhabitants in a total area of 1,778&nb ...

Buritis Buritis is a municipality in northern Minas Gerais state in Brazil. It is located just south of the Urucuia River, which is a tributary of the São Francisco River. Geography Surrounding municipalities are Formoso, Arinos, Unaí, and Formos ...

Cabeceira Grande Cabeceira Grande is municipality in the northern part of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. It is located just south of the boundary with the Federal District and the national capital Brasília. The population was 6,988 (2020) in a total area ...

Dom Bosco Dom Bosco is a Brazilian municipality in the north of the state of Minas Gerais. In 2020 the population was 3,655 in a total area of 822 km2. The elevation of the municipal seat is 610 meters above sea level. Geography Dom Bosco is locat ...

, Formoso,

Natalândia Natalância is a municipality in the north of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. As of 2020, the estimated population was 3,308 in a total area of 471 km2. Natalândia lies at an elevation of 550 m above sea level. It was created ...

, and

Uruana de Minas Uruana de Minas is a municipality in the north of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. As of 2020 the population was 3,260 inhabitants in a total area of 589 km2. The elevation of the municipal seat is 530 m above sea level. The town ...

. The population of this micro-region was 133,168 (2000) in a total area of 27,653 km². The population density of the region is very low, 4.82 inhabitants/km² in 2000. There are highway connections, MG-400 then GO-108 with

Sítio d'Abadia Sítio d'Abadia is a municipality in eastern Goiás state, Brazil. Location Sítio d'Abadia is located in a corner of eastern Goiás, 14 kilometers north of the border with Minas Gerais. It is about 30 kilometers west of the border with Bahia. I ...

, 14 kilometers to the north in Goiás. From Sítio there are unpaved (2001) highway connections (GO-112) with

Alvorada do Norte Alvorada do Norte is a municipality in northeastern Goiás state, Brazil. It is an important commercial center on the Brasília-Salvador highway. Location Alvorada do Norte is part of the Vão do Paranã Microregion. Neighboring municipalities ...

on the BR-020 highway (Salvador-Brasília), a distance of 69 kilometers. Formoso is north of the

Grande Sertão Veredas National Park The Grande Sertão Veredas National Park () is a national park located on the border between the states of Minas Gerais and Bahia, Brazil. Location The park is in the Cerrado biome. It covers an area of and is administered by the Chico Mendes ...

, created in 1989. This park is a natural area protecting the flora and fauna of the cerrado, but not open to the publi
Ambiente Brasil

Economy

The economy is based on cattle raising and agriculture, especially the growing of corn, rice, and soybeans. In 2005 there were 5 small transformation industries and 74 commercial retail establishments. Public administration employed 263 workers. There were no financial institutions as of 2005. The number of motor vehicles was 116 automobiles and 49 pickup trucks in 2007. Main crops in area in 2006 *Coffee: 115 ha. *Oranges: 110 ha. *Hearts of palm: 60 ha. *Rice: 1,200 ha. *Beans: 2,300 ha. *Corn: 6,100 ha. *Soybeans: 18,900 ha. Farm data for 2006 *Number of farms: 598 *Agricultural area: 106,302 ha. *Planted area: 16,600 ha. *Area of natural pasture: 51,659 *Salaried workers: 49 *Workers who are related to producer: 1,767

Health and education

*Hospitals: none (2005) *Health clinics: 3 *Primary schools: 10 *Primary school enrollment: 1,725 *Middle schools: 1 *Middle school enrollment: 309 *Higher education: none *Municipal

Human Development Index The Human Development Index (HDI) is a statistical composite index of life expectancy, Education Index, education (mean years of schooling completed and expected years of schooling upon entering the education system), and per capita income i ...

: 69
Frigoletto

History

The settlement of this region began in the second half of the eighteenth century with movement along the Picada da Bahia trail, made official in 1736 by King

João V '' Dom'' John V (; 22 October 1689 – 31 July 1750), known as the Magnanimous (''o Magnânimo'') and the Portuguese Sun King (''o Rei-Sol Português''), was King of Portugal from 9 December 1706 until his death in 1750. His reign saw the ri ...

, who authorized the building of a tax collecting office on the border between Minas Gerais and Goiás, about 70 km from the present-day city of Formoso, in order to control the commerce of gold and cattle between the valley of the

São Francisco River The São Francisco River (, ) is a large Rivers of Brazil, river in Brazil. With a length of , it is the longest river that runs entirely in Brazilian territory, and the fourth longest in South America and overall in Brazil (after the Amazon R ...

and the mines of the region of Goiás. At that time the region was occupied by ranchers from the north of Minas Gerais. The population grew slowly and in 1870 Formoso became a district belonging to the municipality of

São Romão São Romão is a Brazilian municipality located in the north of the state of Minas Gerais. In 2020 the population was 12,529 in a total area of 2,432 km². It became a municipality in 1943. History Guaiba, an extinct Jê language, was ...

. In 1923 the district was granted status as a vila, or town. In 1962 it became a municipality.

Climate

References

{{reflist
IBGE Cidades
Municipalities in Minas Gerais