Salinas 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 the northeast of the

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 ...

ian state of

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 ...

. The city is known nationally for the

cachaça ''Cachaça'' () is a Liquor, distilled spirit made from fermented sugarcane juice. Also known as ''pinga'', ''caninha'', and other names, it is the most popular spirit in Brazil.Cavalcante, Messias Soares. Todos os nomes da cachaça. São Pau ...

production.

Important facts

The elevation is 471 meters. It became a municipality in 1880. The postal code (CEP) is 39560–000. Population density was around 18 inhabitants/km². Neighboring municipalities *Neighboring municipalities are: Taiobeiras, Rubelita, Santa Cruz de Salinas, Novorizonte, Fruta de Leite, Rio Pardo de Minas and Comercinho.

Climate

Salinas has a semi-arid climate with high temperatures almost all year round. There is a period of severe drought and another with torrential and sporadic rains. The average summer temperature high is 33 °C and the average winter high is 18 °C. The maximum temperature of 41.8 °C (107.2 °F) was recorded on November 18 and 24, 2023 in Salinas.

Economy

The main economic activities are cattle raising (46,000 head in 2006), small industries and agriculture. The main crops are bananas, citrus fruits, mangoes, beans, sugarcane, and corn. The local rum (cachaça) is well known. In the rural area there were 2,084 producers on 111,541 ha. Natural pasture made up 62,000 ha, woodland 35,000 ha. and planted area 7,500 ha. Around 6,000 persons worked in agriculture.IBGE
/ref> In the urban area there were 4 banking agencies in 2006. The GDP in 2005 was R$157,547.

IBGE statistical microregion

Salinas is also a statistical microregion (53) consisting of 17 municipalities: Águas Vermelhas, Berizal, Curral de Dentro, Divisa Alegre, Fruta de Leite, Indaiabira, Montezuma, Ninheira, Novorizonte, Rio Pardo de Minas, Rubelita, Salinas, Santa Cruz de Salinas, Santo Antônio do Retiro, São João do Paraíso, Taiobeiras, Vargem Grande do Rio Pardo. The population of this region was 180,136 in 2000 and the area is 17,883.30 km².

Health and education

This municipality is isolated from major population centers and suffers from drought and poor soils. *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 ...

: .699 (2000) *State ranking: 551 out of 853 municipalities as of 2000 *National ranking: 3,015 out of 5,138 municipalities as of 2000 (''For the complete list see:) *Degree of urbanization: 71.56% *Infant mortality rate: 21.28 (2003) The rate for Minas Gerais was 17.40; the rate for Brazil was 18.91. *Illiteracy rate: 23.85% (15 years old or older)(2003) The rate for Minas Gerais was 11.96; the rate for Brazil was 13.63 *Urban area covered by sewage system: 60.60%--the rate for Minas Gerais was 81.39% *Health clinics, health centers, and hospitals: 4, 6, 4 with 175 bedsData on Health and Education
/ref>

Transportation

Salinas is located on highway BR-251. The distance to

Montes Claros Montes Claros is a Municipalities of Brazil, Brazilian municipality located in the northern region of the Federative units of Brazil, state of Minas Gerais. Situated north of the state capital, Belo Horizonte, it lies approximately away. The mun ...

is 210 km. The distance to the Rio-Bahia BR-116 is 108 km. *Important distances: Belo Horizonte/MG 631 km; Vit. da Conquista/BA 250 km; São Paulo/SP 1210 km; Brasília/DF 720 km; and Rio de Janeiro/RJ 1070 km. Salinas is served by Salinas Airport.

References

{{Authority control Municipalities in Minas Gerais