Belo Horizonte

INTRO
Belo Horizonte is the capital of the southeastern Brazilian state Minas Gerias. In Portuguese, the name of the city means "beautiful horizon". Belo Horizonte is a pleasant metropolis with wide three-lined avenues and beautiful landscape. The city is vibrant and full of life - especially at dusk, when thousands of people are flocking onto the streets.

City Profile
City: Belo Horizonte
Country: Brazil
Area: 330, 9 km2
Population: 2, 500, 000
Districts: 3
Mayor: Fernando da Mata Pimentel
Language: Portuguese

LOCATION
Belo Hoirizonte is located in southeastern Brazil. It encompasses a territory of 330.9 km2, and the average elevation of the city is 852 m above sea level. Belo Horizonte is the core of the third largest metropolitan area of Brazil - its population exceeds 5.3 million people.

TIME TO VISIT
Belo Horizonte has a pleasant tropical climate which is determined by the location and the relatively high elevation of the city. Summers are warm and quite humid and winters are mild and dry. Temperatures are hardly ever extreme, but of course, occasionally, there are some exceptions. From October till February rainfalls are to be expected almost every day - most of them short in duration. Belo Horizonte hosts a large number of annual festivals which are nice to be visited while staying in the city. The Short Film Festival takes place in July, and in November visitors and citizens of Belo Horizonte can enjoy the Documentary and Ethnographic Film Festival. Throughout the year, there are lots of different culinary, dance and even comic-book festivals - when planning a visit to Belo Horizonte, make sure that your stay coincides with at least one of them - the experience of a Brazilian carnival of festival, no matter its kind, is really worth it.

POPULATION
As of 2007, there are about 2, 500, 000 people permanently residing in the city of Belo Horizonte , and the inhabitants of the Belo Horizonte Metropolitan area are more than 5, 300, 000. The population density of the city is quite high - more than 7, 500/km2. 43% of the citizens of Belo Horizonte are white, 47% - Pardo, around 10% are black and Asian form around 0,5% of the population. The Pardoes are a mixture of Europeans with Blacks or Asians.

DISTRICTS

Downtown - the central core of Belo Horizonte has a lot to offer to the visitors of the city. Its streets and avenues are clean, wide and nicely landscaped. The area houses lots of dining and entertainment establishments - some of the finest restaurants, cafes and bars of the city. Downtown Belo Horizonte features a splendid mixture of old classical buildings and modern state-of-the-art structures, including a large number of glittery high-rises. Some of the major businesses in the city are headquartered in the downtown core. Numerous modern office buildings are located on Afonso Pena Avenue.
Contagem - part of greater Belo Horizonte. That is the commercial hub of the Belo Horizonte Metropolitan Area. The industrial district of the city was set in Contagem during the 1940-s. Lots of multinational companies have subsidiaries in the region - FIAT, Toshiba and Arcelor are just a few of them. There are many food, cosmetic, textiles, furnishing, pharmaceutical and refractory companies stationed in the area.
Suburbs - the suburbs of Belo Horizonte are predominantly residential. Some areas are very pleasant with nice houses, pleasant small parks and clean streets. Although, there are many slums - never go there alone or in the late hours - crime rates are extremely high. If you happen to get in such area, try not to attract attention - never wear jewelry, watch your wallet or purse, don't talk on a cell phone, and try to get away as fast as you can.
Pampuhla district - houses structures designed by the famous modernist architect Oscar Niemeyer. His creations are dotted around a small artificial pond.

SIGHTS & ATTRACTIONS

Museu Historico Abilio Barreto - the museum is an renovated old colonial farmhouse. It has a fascinating photographic archive and lots of interesting artifacts. Admission is free of charge. http://www.mixbh.com.br/mab.htm
Palacio das Artes - a marvelous cultural complex of cinema, library, a few art galleries and performing arts center. It has an information desk where you can find out about happenings around town, and also get advise about tourist attractions, restaurants and hotels. http://www.palaciodasartes.com.br/home/default.aspx
Parca da Liberdade - a beautiful square lined by huge palm trees. It is sidelined by 19th century buildings, including the seat of the State Government.
Alta Vila Tower - located in Nova Lima district (in greater Belo Horizonte), the tower offers splendid views to Belo Horizonte and its surrounding mountains. It is also a bungee jumping place. Visitors can enjoy a Hard Rock Café as well as a good restaurant.

AIRPORT

Tancredo Neves/Confins International Airport is located 38 m away from Belo Horizonte - in the municipalities of Lagoa Santa and Confins. The airport receives most domestic and some international flights. The airport is connected to Downtown Belo Horizonte by Conaxao Aeroporto express buses (charge is R$ 14.75 one way) and taxis.
http://www.infraero.gov.br/usa/aero_prev_home.php?ai=207
http://www.expressounir.com.br/builder.php

LOCAL TRANSPORTATION

Public buses - Belo Horizonte is well served by public buses. Some lines circulate within the boundaries of the city, others serve neighborhoods in Greater Belo Horizonte. If you happen to be outside the central core, a blue bus will take you to downtown. You might want to remember its number for your way back, as there is no bus map.
Taxi - cabs in Belo Horizonte are abundant, relatively comfortable and quite affordable. The main taxi companies are Protaxi, Intertaxi, Hutaxi and Jo Taxi.
Train - Belo Horizonte Metro is one of the oldest urban railways in Brazil - operating since the late 1970-s. Still, there is just one line with 19 stations - from Eldorado Station to Vilarinho. Two new lines are being planned.

HISTORY
Belo Horizonte was established in 1701 by Joao Leite da Silva Ortiz - an explorer from Sao Paulo. Originally, it was a farm called "Curral del Rey" - "the King's Coral". The name was changed to Belo Horizonte in 1906. At that time, the city was experiencing great industrial expansion and economic growth. The population growth of Belo Horizonte was in its most intense in the last 20 years of the 20th century.

CITY LINKS

Official website - http://www.belohorizonte.mg.gov.br/por/index.php
City Hall web page - http://portal1.pbh.gov.br/pbh/index.html
Pictures from Belo Horizonte - http://www.fotolog.com/belohorizonte
Travel guide - http://wikitravel.org/en/Belo_Horizonte

UNIVERSITY LINKS

Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais - http://www.ufmg.br/
Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais - http://www.pucminas.br/home/destaque.php