Pirapora is a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
in northcentral
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais () is a state in Southeastern Brazil. It ranks as the second most populous, the third by gross domestic product (GDP), and the fourth largest by area in the country. The state's capital and largest city, Belo Horizonte (literally ...
in
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
. The population is 56,640 (2020 est.) in an area of 550 km². The name Pirapora comes from the
Tupi Tupi may refer to:
* Tupi people of Brazil
* Tupi or Tupian languages, spoken in South America
** Tupi language, an extinct Tupian language spoken by the Tupi people
* Tupi oil field off the coast of Brazil
* Tupi Paulista, a Brazilian municipalit ...
words for "fish" + "jump", referring to the
piracema season when a mass migration of fishes ascends the
São Francisco River
The São Francisco River (, ) is a large 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, the Paraná and t ...
to spawn.
Location
Pirapora belongs to its own statistical microregion. The elevation of the municipal seat is 472 meters. It became a municipality in 1912. This municipality is located on the right bank of the
São Francisco River
The São Francisco River (, ) is a large 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, the Paraná and t ...
and is 340 km from the state capital.
Neighboring municipalities are:
Lagoa Grande,
Coromandel
Coromandel may refer to:
Places India
*Coromandel Coast, India
**Presidency of Coromandel and Bengal Settlements
** Dutch Coromandel
*Coromandel, KGF, Karnataka, India
New Zealand
*Coromandel, New Zealand, a town on the Coromandel Peninsula
*Coro ...
,
Guarda-Mor
Guarda-Mor is a municipality in the north of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. Its population in 2020 was 6,569 inhabitants in a total area of 2,066 km2. It is a large producer of cattle and grains, especially soybeans.
Guarda-Mor belongs to t ...
,
Lagamar
Lagamar is a municipality in the north of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. Its population in 2020 was 7,600 inhabitants in a total area of . It is a large producer of cattle and grains and there is extraction of phosphates.
Lagamar belong ...
and
Paracatu. There are two districts, besides the municipal seat: Claro de Minas, 12 km. distant, and Vazamor, 32 km. distant.
Microregion of Pirapora
The statistical microregion of Pirapora includes 9 cities:
Buritizeiro
Buritizeiro is a municipality in the north of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. Its population in 2020 was 28,121 inhabitants in a total area of 7,226 km². It is a major producer of cattle and grains.
Location
Buritizeiro belongs to th ...
,
Várzea da Palma
Várzea da Palma is a municipality ''(município)'' in north-central Minas Gerais in Brazil. Its population in 2020 was 39,803 in a total area of 2,220 km².
Várzea da Palma is located east of the São Francisco River and is on the Rio das ...
,
Ibiaí
Ibiaí is a Brazilian municipality located in the north of the state of Minas Gerais. In 2020 the population was 8,437 in a total area of 870 km². It became a municipality in 1963. ,
Jequitaí
Jequitaí is a Brazilian municipality located in the north of the state of Minas Gerais. In 2020 the population was 7,468 in a total area of 1,268 km2. It became a municipality in 1948. ,
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 onc ...
,
Lassance
Lassance is a Brazilian municipality located in the north of the state of Minas Gerais. In 2020 the population was 6,503 in a total area of 3,213 km². It became a municipality in 1953. ,
Riachinho
Riachinho is a Brazilian municipality located in the north of the state of Minas Gerais. In 2020 the population was 8,134 in a total area of 1,775 km². It became a municipality in 1992.
Location and Distances
Riachinho is located on sta ...
,
Santa Fé de Minas
Santa Fé de Minas is a Brazilian municipality located in the north of the state of Minas Gerais. In 2020 the population was 3,826 in a total area of 2,916 km². It became a municipality in 1962.
Santa Fé de Minas is located about 130&nbs ...
and
Lagoa dos Patos
Lagoa dos Patos (, , ; English: ''Ducks' Lagoon'') is the largest lagoon in Brazil and the largest coastal lagoon in South America. It is located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil. It covers an area of , is long and has a maximu ...
. It has an area of 23,111 km2 and a population of approximately 150,000 inhabitants.
History
The city is located on the right bank of the great
São Francisco River
The São Francisco River (, ) is a large 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, the Paraná and t ...
, the longest river to flow entirely inside Brazilian territory. Its history goes back to the colonial period of the bandeirantes and the gold panhandlers who followed the river upstream, arrived at the rapids of Pirapora and founded the settlement of São Gonçalo das Tabocas. In 1911 the small Arraial de São Gonçalo de Pirapora became the seat of a municipality and its name was shortened to Pirapora. Its street plan was laid out in the form of a chess set, inspired by the new capital of Belo Horizonte, and the streets were given names of Brazilian states.
There are highway connections with the main federal highway, the BR 040, to the west. In 1910 the railroad came up from the south and reached Pirapora, with a bridge (694 m) being built across the river. There were plans to extend the line to the coast. At the end of the nineteen seventies the line was deactivated, but the bridge and the rails still remain.
Today the river has lost its economic importance and is mainly used by tourist boats that attempt to recreate the spirit of the past, when Mississippi style riverboats were used to go as far as Juazeiro in Bahia. These boats used charcoal, which contributed to the disappearance of the vegetation along the river. One of the old paddle wheel steamboats, the
Benjamim Guimarães, can still be seen anchored in front of the city and is a major tourist site.
[City government site](_blank)
/ref>
The economy
The main economic activities are industry, cattle raising, farming (both extensive mechanized and subsistence), goods and services, and tourism. The GDP for 2005 was R$662,985,000. In the rural area there were 605 farms and a total agricultural area of 57,000 hectares, of which 38,000 ha. were planted, 14,000 were in natural pasture, and 13,000 ha. were in woodland or forest. 2,800 people were dependent on farming. 107 of the farms had tractors. In 2006 there were 9,600 head of cattle. With irrigation Pirapora has become a major producer of tropical fruits, growing eating grapes, papaya, mangoes, cantaloupe, and guava. There is also production on a smaller scale of corn, beans, rice, manioc, tomatoes, lettuce, and bananas.
According to the city government site, Pirapora is the second most important city in the north of Minas, after Montes Claros, in industrial output. There is an industrial park where several small and medium industries are installed. Iron silicon, metallic silicon, and textiles are produced.
Health and education
In 2005 there were 39 health establishments—25 public and 14 private. There was 01 public hospital and 02 private hospitals. The number of hospital beds was 133. The Centro Regional de Saúde da Visão is a public clinic that specializes in eye surgery and attracts patients from all over the north of Minas Gerais.
In 2007 there were three institutes of higher learning in the city: Instituto Educacional Santo Agostinho (private), União de Ensino de Minas Gerais Ltda (private), and UNIMONTES-Universidade Estadual de Montes Claros (public).
The score on the Municipal Human Development Index
The Human Development Index (HDI) is a statistic composite index of life expectancy, education (mean years of schooling completed and expected years of schooling upon entering the education system), and per capita income indicators, whi ...
was 0.758. Pirapora was ranked 235 out of 853 municipalities in the state, with Poços de Caldas
Poços de Caldas is a municipality in the south of Minas Gerais state, Brazil, in the microregion of the same name. Its estimated population in 2020 was 168,641 inhabitants. The city is known for its hot springs.
History
Poços was founded in 1 ...
in first place with 0.841 and Setubinha
Setubinha is a municipality in the northeast of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. As of 2020 the population was 12,378 in a total area of 536 km². The elevation is 729 metres. It is part of the IBGE statistical microregion of Teófilo ...
in last place with 0.568.Frigoletto
/ref>
See also
*List of municipalities in Minas Gerais
This is a list of the municipalities in the state of Minas Gerais (MG), located in the Southeast Region of Brazil. Minas Gerais is divided into 853 municipalities, which are grouped into 66 microregions, which are grouped into 12 mesoregions.
...
*Pirapora do Bom Jesus
Pirapora do Bom Jesus is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo. The population is 19,178 (2020 est.) in an area of 108.49 km². The name ''Pirapora'' comes from the Tupi langua ...
, a town and shrine
A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy sacred space, space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor worship, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, Daemon (mythology), daem ...
in São Paulo (state)
São Paulo () is one of the Federative units of Brazil, 26 states of the Brazil, Federative Republic of Brazil and is named after Paul of Tarsus, Saint Paul of Tarsus. A major industrial complex, the state has 21.9% of the Brazilian population and ...
References
External links
Faculdades Santo Agostinho
City government site
{{Municipalities of Minas Gerais
Municipalities in Minas Gerais