Located in the Southeast Region, the state of Minas Gerais has a territorial extension of 586,520,368 square kilometers, making it the largest federative unit in this region. According to the population count carried out in 2010 by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), the total population of the state is 19,597,330 inhabitants, a quantity that makes Minas Gerais the second most populous state in Brazil, only behind São Paulo (41,262,199) population). The Minas Gerais population corresponds to approximately 10.2% of the Brazilian population.
The settlement of this territory began at the end of the 16th century due to the discovery of gold, a fact which attracted several Portuguese, along with their African slaves, in search of gold and Diamond. Over the years, other economic activities were developed, and population increase occurred significantly.
Currently, the more than 19.5 million inhabitants of Minas Gerais are distributed in 853 municipalities. Belo Horizonte, capital of Minas Gerais, is the most populous city in the state – 2,375,151 inhabitants. Other cities in Minas Gerais with high population concentration are: Contagem (603,442), Uberlândia (604,013), Juiz de Fora (516,247), Betim (378,089), Montes Claros (361,915), Ribeirão das Neves (296,317), Uberaba (295.988).
Belo Horizonte, capital of Minas Gerais, is the most populous city in the state
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Minas Gerais has a large territorial extension, with socioeconomic disparities between the different regions of the state. The south, more industrialized and economically developed, is richer and presents good social indicators. The northern portion, in turn, suffers from drought and the absence of effective public policies, being one of the poorest areas in the country, with a deficit in environmental sanitation services, a high infant mortality rate and a high rate of illiteracy.
The State's Human Development Index (HDI) has an average of 0.800 (10th place in the national ranking). The infant mortality rate is 19.1 deaths per thousand live births.
Minas Gerais population data:
Total population: 19,597,330 inhabitants
Urban population: 85.3%
Rural population: 14.7%
Demographic density: 33.4 inhabitants per square kilometer
Demographic growth: 0.9% per year
GDP per capita: 14,233 reais
Illiteracy rate: 8.5%
Functional illiteracy rate: 19.6%
Access to treated water: 87.8%
Access to sewage network: 78.7%
Intentional homicides (with intent to kill): 11.1 per thousand inhabitants.
By Wagner de Cerqueira and Francisco
Graduated in Geography
Brazil School Team
Minas Gerais - geography of Brazil - Brazil School
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
FRANCISCO, Wagner de Cerqueira e. "Aspects of the population of Minas Gerais"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/brasil/aspectos-populacao-minas-gerais.htm. Accessed on June 28, 2021.
