Pedra do Indaiá is a Brazilian

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' ...

. It is located in the center of the

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

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 ...

. Pedra do Indaiá has a total area of 349 km². As of 2020, it had a population of 3,974. The city belongs to the meso-region of Oeste de Minas and to the micro-region of Formiga. It became a municipality in 1962.

History

According to legend, an image of Jesus was left near a stone, referred to as Pedra. A chapel was constructed out of stone, and settlers built homes nearby. The settlement grew and was designated Senhor Bom Jesus da Pedra do Indaiá. In 1923, the settlement was renamed, becoming Pedra do Indaiá. In 1962, Pedra do Indaiá separated from

Itapecerica Itapecerica (, ) is a municipality located in the center of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. The population is 21,761 (2020 est.) in an area of 1041 km². The city belongs to the meso-region of Oeste de Minas and to the micro-region of F ...

and became a municipality.

Geography

The center of Pedra do Indaiá is approximately halfway between Formiga and

Divinópolis Divinópolis is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the centre-west of Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The estimated population in 2020 was 240,408 inhabitants. The total area of the municipality is 709 km2 and the elevation is 712 metres ...

, with an elevation of 693 meters. It is just north of state highway MG-050, which connects

Belo Horizonte Belo Horizonte is the List of largest cities in Brazil, sixth-largest city in Brazil, with a population of around 2.3 million, and the third largest metropolitan area, containing a population of 6 million. It is the List of cities in Sout ...

to Passos. Neighboring municipalities include

Santo Antônio do Monte Santo Antônio do Monte ( Portuguese, ''St. Antony of the Hill'') is a municipality in the central part of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The population is 28,427 (2020 est.) in an area of 1125.78 km². The city is located 194 km west ...

(N),

São Sebastião do Oeste São Sebastião do Oeste is a municipality in the state of Minas Gerais in the Southeast region of Brazil. See also *List of municipalities in Minas Gerais This is a list of the municipalities in the States of Brazil, state of Minas Gerais, Mina ...

(E),

(S), and Formiga (W).

Distances to other cities

*Connection with

BR-050 BR-050 is a federal highway of Brazil. The 1025.3 kilometre road connects Brasília to Santos. Inside of São Paulo, the highway also receives the designation of Rodovia Anhanguera (SP-330). Economic importance The BR-050 is undoubtedly one ...

: 6 km *Belo Horizonte/MG - 173 km *Formiga/MG - 46 km *Divinópolis/MG - 40 km *Santo Antônio do Monte/MG - 24 km

Economy

Agriculture, general services, and various other small industries compose most of the economy in Pedra do Indaiá. As of 2005, there were 9 quarries and 13 transformation industries, with the latter employing 340 workers. In 2005, the town's GDP was approximately R$29 million - 3 million reais from taxes, 11 million reais from various services, 9 million reais from the industrial sector, and 5 million reais from agriculture. In 2006, 19,000 hectares of land were being cultivated by 463 farmers, 33 of whom had tractors, with a total of approximately 1,100 persons involved in some form of agriculture. The most produced crops included rice, beans, and corn, and there were 11,000 head of cattle as of 2006. In 2007, the motor vehicle fleet comprised 482 automobiles, 51 trucks, 45 pickup trucks, and 223 motorcycles.

Health and education

There are 6 public health clinics, one of which is specialized. Patients with more serious health conditions are transported to Formiga or

. There are 4 primary schools, 1 middle school, and 1 pre-primary school, which serve 750 students.

Statistics

*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 ...

: 0.755 (2000) *State ranking: 249 out of 853 municipalities as of 2000 *National ranking: 1729 out of 5,138 municipalities as of 2000 *Literacy rate: 83% *Life expectancy: 74 (average of males and females) In 2000, the per capita monthly income in Pedra do Indaiá was R$183. This was well below the state and national average of R$276.00 and R$297.00, respectively.

References

1962 establishments in Minas Gerais Municipalities in Minas Gerais {{MinasGerais-geo-stub