Uberaba

Uberaba is a city and municipality in the west of the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil. Its population is 285,581 (2004) with an area of 4529.7 km², which yields a density of 60.71 people per km². It is located on a plateau at an elevation of 785 meters and is in the Uberaba River floodplain. It became a city in 1856.

History

The town was founded in 1809 by sergeant-mor Antonio Eustáquio Da Silva e Oliveira. It was classified as Indian territory on February 1811 and then as a freguesia on March 2, 1820 with the name of Santo Antônio e São Sebastião do Uberaba. Uberaba became a city on February 22, 1836.

The region known as Triângulo Mineiro, where Uberaba is located, was part the Territory of Goiás until 1816, when it was joined with Minas Gerais.

The district of Peirópolis, located 19 km from the city's center, is an important Cretaceous paleontological site, first studied by the Brazilian paleontologist Llewellyn Price.^[1]

The city is also famous in Brazil for had being home of Chico Xavier who was a very respected and popular Kardecist spiritism medium.

Economy

Uberaba is the trade centre of an important agricultural area, producing cattle, soy, corn and sugarcane is now becoming a important activity as new two ethanol plants are being implanted on the city. A well-known cattle and agricultural exhibition is held there each May.

The city's well-developed industries include cement and phosphate fertilizer plants, processed foods (sweets), cosmetics, shoe factories, furniture factories and electronics represented by a Black & Decker plant.

The city also has arround twenty four chemical companies which are the largest producers of phosphated fertilizers in Latin America. Among them are Fosfertil, FMC, Sipcam Agro, Bunge, Agronelli and DuPont.

Uberaba is known nationally as a center of livestock genetic improvement and as an important producer of grain in Minas Gerais.

Freight is transported by rail and road to Belo Horizonte, the state capital 422 km to the east, and to neighbouring communities in Minas Gerais and São Paulo states.

The city is one of the largest promotional centers of cattle auctions in the country. During the expositions of zebu cattle, there are many events, which attract Brazilians and foreigners. During the year there are about 300 auctions with the sale of about 200,000 animals for reproduction, fattening, and milk.

The most famous is the Expozebu promoted by ABCZ, the greatest exposition of zebu in the world, which takes place every year in May.

Higher education

Uberaba is an important university city. The nine colleges and universities offer approximately 94 courses at the undergraduate level and 49 at the graduate level. The main schools are:

• UFTM - Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro(Ex FMTM)
• UNIUBE - Universidade de Uberaba
• FCETM - Faculdade de Ciências Econômicas do Triângulo Mineiro
• FAZU - Faculdades Associadas de Uberaba
• CESUBE - Centro de Ensino Superior de Uberaba
• CEFET - Centro Federal de Educação Tecnológica de Uberaba
• UNOPAR - Universidade Norte do Paraná
• UNIPAC - Universidade Presidente Antônio Carlos
• Faculdade Talentos Humanos

References

1. ^ Peirópolis - capital brasileira dos dinossauros. Retrieved on 2007-02-19.

External links

• Official Uberaba Government Website

Coordinates: 19°44′S, 47°55′Wbpy:উবেরাবা

Donate to Wikimedia