Três Marias
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Três Marias 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' ...
located in the northwestern part of the 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 ...
. In 2020 the population was 32,716 in a total area of 2,763 km2.IBGE 2020
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Geography

Três Marias is located at the north end of one of the largest reservoirs in Brazil—the Represa Três Marias—and is close to the dam which controls water entering the São Francisco river. The city lies on the important federal highway BR-040, which links
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 Brasília. Neighboring municipalities are: Buritizeiro, Lassance, (N), Felixlândia (S), Corinto (E) Morada Nova and São Gonçalo do Abaeté (W).


Climate

The
climate Climate is the long-term weather pattern in a region, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteoro ...
is tropical semi-humid, with an annual average
temperature Temperature is a physical quantity that quantitatively expresses the attribute of hotness or coldness. Temperature is measurement, measured with a thermometer. It reflects the average kinetic energy of the vibrating and colliding atoms making ...
of , and an average annual maximum of ; average annual minimum: ; average annual rainfall: . The altitude varies between .Prefeitura municipal


Três Marias Statistical Micro-region

Três Marias is also a statistical microregion including the following municipalities: Abaeté, Biquinhas, Cedro do Abaeté, Morada Nova de Minas, Paineiras, Pompeu, and Três Marias. In 2011 the population was 28,315 inhabitants in a total area of 2.683,0 km2. The population density was 10,55 inhabitants/km2 (2000)Citybrazil


Economy

The economy is based on agriculture, cattle raising, tourism, light industry and the informal economy. The GDP in 2005 was R$839 million, of which 515 million was generated by industry—namely, the hydroelectric plant of Três Marias. There were 03 banks. The number of automobiles for the municipality was 3,708 (2007), one for every 7 inhabitants. In 2006 the largest employer was public administration with around 1,200 workers. In the rural area there were 420 establishments on 113,000 hectares. More than half of the area was natural pasture. 1,500 persons were occupied in agriculture. 74 of the farms had tractors, a ratio of one in six. The cattle herd had 28,000 head. The main crops were rice, sugarcane, corn, and soybeans. In general terms the agricultural production was modest for a municipality of such a large area.


Health and education

In 2005 there were 19 clinics (14 public and 05 private) and 01 hospital (private) with 50 beds. The nearest cities with advanced health care were Patos de Minas, 170 km, and
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 ...
, 276 km. There were 15 pre-primary schools (10 public and 05 private), 24 primary schools (19 public and 05 private), and 04 middle schools (02 public and 02 private). There was a branch of one public institute of higher learning.


Origin of the name

There are several versions of stories that explain the name of the city. There are those who affirm, based on
astronomy Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest includ ...
, that it is because of the three
star A star is a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by Self-gravitation, self-gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night sk ...
s belonging to the
constellation A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms Asterism (astronomy), a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object. The first constellati ...
Orion, and that are permanently visible in this region. Another possible source of the name are the three
waterfall A waterfall is any point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in seve ...
s that once existed where the reservoir would eventually be built. But the most popular explanation refers to three sisters who lived on the right bank of the river. This version talks of a couple who lived on the bank of the river who had triplets, a rare case even today. The story goes that their birth was a topic of subject of much discussion, with its fame spreading throughout the region. They were three beautiful girls all called Maria. But the waterfall where the couple lived with their three daughters began to be called the Waterfall of the Three Marias, which disappeared after the building of the dam. The legend adds that the three Marias died by drowning in the river. However, as there is no documentary evidence in any registrar to prove its veracity, the tale remains anecdotal. The less poetic, official name of the hydroelectric station is "Bernardo Mascarenhas".


The lake and dam of Tres Marias

The lake of Tres Marias began with the damming of the São Francisco River, formed by the construction of one of the largest earth dams in the world. The objectives were to control the flow of water of the river in the periodical floods and improve navigability; the use of hydroelectric power and the development of industry and irrigation. Begun in 1957, this great project was finished in January 1961, almost a world record in this type of construction. The dam is long with a height of . Its plant produces 396,000 KW of power. The lake, known as the "Sweet Sea of Minas", has 21 billion cubic ms of water, a surface area of (8.7 times greater than Guanabara Bay), and provides water to 8
municipalities 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' ...
; one of the many islands formed in the lake is an ecological station; the Estação Ecologica de Pirapitinga. The speed of construction was due to the commitment of President Juscelino Kubitschek, who also completed the bridge over the São Francisco river, the BR 040 highway, and the new
federal capital A federal capital is a political entity, often a municipality or capital (political), capital city, that serves as the Seat of government, seat of the federal government. A federal capital is typically a city that physically encompasses the offices ...
. The construction of the dam was carried out in two shifts, using approximately 10,000 workers.


See also

*
List of municipalities in Minas Gerais This is a list of the municipalities in the States of Brazil, state of Minas Gerais, Minas Gerais (MG), located in the Southeast Region, Brazil, Southeast Region of Brazil. Minas Gerais is divided into 853 Municipalities of Brazil, municipalities, ...


References


External links


Official site of Três MariasStudy about fish nutrition
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tres Marias Municipalities in Minas Gerais