Nova Lima is a municipality of about 87,000 people, whose downtown is located about 20 kilometers south of

Belo Horizonte Belo Horizonte (, ; ) is the sixth-largest city in Brazil, with a population around 2.7 million and with a metropolitan area of 6 million people. It is the 13th-largest city in South America and the 18th-largest in the Americas. The metropol ...

, the capital of the south-eastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. Mining is one of the main economical activities of the city, including the extraction of

Iron Ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the fo ...

and Gold. The most famous mine in the city is

Morro Velho Morro Velho, also called AngloGold Ashanti Brasil Mineração, after its current owner AngloGold Ashanti, is a complex of gold mines located near the city of Nova Lima in the Minas Gerais state of Brazil. It is one of two mining operations ...

(Old Hill), a gold mine of depth.

History

Historically, the city was known as ''Campos de Congonhas'', ''Congonhas de Sabará'' and until 1923 as ''Villa Nova de Lima''.

Location

The city belongs to the mesoregion Metropolitana de Belo Horizonte and to the microregion of Belo Horizonte. The city is home to several mines, including the Morro Velho, Mostardas, and Rio de Peixe mines. A number of minerals are extracted from these and other sites in and around the city, including gold. The

St. John Del Rey Mining Company The Saint John d'El Rey Mining Company was a British mining company that operated in Brazil in the 19th and 20th centuries. The company employed skilled miners from Cornwall and elsewhere in Britain in its gold mines in the state of Minas Gerais, ...

was founded by British interests in 1834 for the extraction of gold and also caused the settlement of some 150 families from Britain which led to the establishment of the Anglican Church in town. The municipality contains the

Mata do Jambreiro Private Natural Heritage Reserve Mata do Jambreiro Private Natural Heritage Reserve ( pt, Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural Mata de Jambreiros) is a state-regulated private natural heritage reserve to the south east of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. History The r ...

, a protected area operated by the State Forestry Institute in partnership with the MBR mining company. It contains part of the Serra do Rola-Moça State Park, created in 1994. It also contains a small part of the Serra do Gandarela National Park, created in 2014.

Sports

The city is home to the Villa Nova Atlético Clube, the second-oldest football club of Minas Gerais still active. The club was a major force from the 1930s until the early 1950s and won in that period five

state championships The Brazilian states football championships are the professional adult male soccer competitions in Brazil that take place between January and April for the Northeast, Central-West, Southeast and South regions. In some states from the North Reg ...

. It is still a regular participant in the first division of Minas Gerais. From the late 1920s until the end of the 1930s the Sport Club Retiro also took part in the state championship. With

José Perácio José Perácio Berjun, also known as ''Perácio'' (2 November 1917 in Nova Lima – 10 March 1977 in Rio de Janeiro) was a Brazilian footballer who played as a striker. Throughout his career (1932–1951) he played for Villa Nova, Bot ...

in 1938 and Luiz Carlos Ferreira "Luizinho" in 1982 two players born in Nova Lima represented Brazil in World Cups.

Images

Novo Lima (MG) - St John Del Rey Mining Co - 1869.jpg , St John Del Rey Mining Co., ca. 1868–69 Nova Lima (MG) - Teatro Municipal.jpg , Teatro Municipal Nova Lima (MG) - Matriz do Pilar at night.jpg , Matriz do Pilar Nova Lima (MG) - Praça Principal.jpg , Main Square Nova Lima (MG) - Hospital Nossa Senhora de Lourdes.jpg , Hospital Nossa Senhora de Lourdes Nova Lima (MG) - Bairro dos Ingleses.jpg , Quarter of the English Nova Lima (MG) - Bicame.jpg , Bicame, aqueduct for gold-washing

References

; Municipalities in Minas Gerais {{MinasGerais-geo-stub

History

Location

Sports

Images

See also

References