NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Ouro Preto

Vila Rica do Ouro Preto, a city in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, is a former colonial mining town located in the Serra do Espinhaço mountains and has been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO because of its outstanding Baroque architecture. This photo was taken by Peter Boyle, Steelworkers Local 343. ... This photo was taken by Peter Boyle, Steelworkers Local 343. ... Flag of Minas Gerais See other Brazilian States Capital Belo Horizonte Largest City Belo Horizonte Area 586,528. ... Chuquicamata, the largest open pit copper mine in the world, Chile. ... Site #86: Memphis and its Necropolis, including the Pyramids of Giza (Egypt). ... UNESCO logo UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ... For the Baroque style in a more general sense, see Baroque. ...

Important Data

Population: Data from the 2000 Census (IBGE) Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1094x690, 22 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Ouro Preto ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1094x690, 22 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Ouro Preto ... IBGE, the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica), is the agency responsible for statistical, geographic, cartographic, geodetic and environmental information in Brazil. ...

History

Founded at the end of the 17th century, Ouro Preto (meaning Black Gold) was the focal point of the gold rush and Brazil's golden age in the 18th century. (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ...

The city contains well preserved colonial architecture, with few signs of modern urban life. Churches decorated with gold and the works of Aleijadinho make Ouro Preto a popular tourist destination. In the colonial times art was fairly advanced and developed into the "Barroco Mineiro", with many sculptors (Aleijadinho), painters (Mestre Athayde), composers (Lobo de Mesquita family), poets (Thomas Gonzaga). Self Portrait, Congonhas House Aleijadinho was born in Aleijadinho (b. ...

In 1789, Ouro Preto was the starting point of the Inconfidência Mineira, a failed attempt to break from Portugal and form a Brazilian republic. In 1876 the Escola de Minas (mining engineering school) was created and set the technical basis for several mineral discoveries in Brazil. Ouro Preto was capital of Minas Gerais from 1822 until 1897, when the government moved to the new and planned city of Belo Horizonte. This photo was taken by Peter Boyle, Steelworkers Local 343. ... This photo was taken by Peter Boyle, Steelworkers Local 343. ... 1789 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The InconfidÃªncia Mineira (Minas Conspiracy) of 1789, a Brazilian independence movement, was a result of the confluence of external and internal causes. ... In a broad definition a republic is a state or country that is led by people who do not base their political power on any principle beyond the control of the people of that state or country. ... 1822 (MDCCCXXII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Belo Horizonte (a Portuguese name meaning beautiful horizon) is the third or fourth largest city in Brazil (after SÃ£o Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, and, by population within the city limits, Salvador. ...

The Economy

Although Ouro Preto now relies heavily on the tourist industry for part of its economy, there are important metallurgic and mining industries located in the city, such as Alcan - Alumínio do Brasil, the most important aluminum factory in the country, the Companhia Vale do Rio Doce and others. Main economic activities are tourism, transformation industries, and mineral riches such as deposits of iron, bauxite, manganese, talcum and marble.

Minerals of note are: gold, hematite, dolomite, turmaline, pirite, moscovite, topaz and imperial topaz. The imperial topaz is a stone only found in Ouro Preto.

The University and the "Republics"

Ouro Preto is also a university city with an intense student life. The Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto has approximately 5 thousand students. Many live in communal houses, similar to frathouses, called "repúblicas" of which there are 66 belonging to the university and 133 private.

The ""republics"" of Ouro Preto are unique in Brazil. No other university city has the characteristics of the student lodging found here. In many ways they are similar to lodgings in Portuguese universities such as Coimbra and the tradition must have come from there. Each one has its different history. There are republics in which the freshmen, known as "bixos" (misspeling of "bichos", Portuguese for "animals"), have to carry out a training period, called "batalha" (battle), to be accepted definitely as residents of the houses. The choice has to be unanimous. For more on the "republics" see Portal Ouro Preto District Coimbra Mayor - Party Carlos EncarnaÃ§Ã£o PSD Area 316. ...

External links

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Wikimedia Commons logo by Reid Beels The Wikimedia Commons (also called Commons or Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ...

World Heritage Sites in Brazil

Atlantic Forest South-East Reserves | Brasília | Central Amazon Conservation Complex | Chapada dos Veadeiros and Emas | Diamantina | Discovery Coast Atlantic Forest Reserves | Fernando de Noronha and Atol das Rocas | Goiás | Iguaçu | Jesuit Missions of the Guaranis: Ruins of São Miguel das Missões (w/ Argentina) | Olinda | Ouro Preto | Pantanal Conservation Area | Salvador de Bahia | Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Congonhas | São Luís | Serra da Capivara Image File history File links Flag_of_Brazil. ... Elabana Falls is in Lamington National Park, part of the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves World Heritage site in Queensland, Australia. ... Guarumbi, part of Serra do Mar in the state of Paraná Serra do Mar (Portuguese for Mountain Range of the Sea) is a 1,500 km long system of mountain ranges and escarpments in Southeastern Brazil, which runs in parallel to the Atlantic Ocean coast, from the state of Esp... BrasÃlia from space, November 1990 Niemeyers Cathedral BrasÃlia is the capital city of Brazil. ... The quality of this article or section may be compromised by peacock terms. Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page. ... The Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park (Parque Nacional da Chapada dos Veadeiros) is located in the State of GoiÃ¡s, 250 km from BrasÃlia and 500 Km from GoiÃ¢nia. ... The Emas National Park (Parque Nacional das Emas) is located in GoiÃ¡s state in the center-west of Brazil, between 17Âº50â€™â€”18Âº15â€™ S and 52Âº39â€™â€”53Âº10â€™W. External Links Satellite photo (Google) See also List of national parks of Brazil Categories: | ... Diamantina is a Brazilian town in the state of Minas Gerais. ... A typical ecosystem of Mata AtlÃ¢ntica at Serra do Mar Mata AtlÃ¢ntica is the Atlantic Rain Forest formerly covering the wet coastal hills along the Atlantic coast of Brazil (mostly in the Serra do Mar). ... Aerial view of the island from the north east Image:Orthographic projection centred over Fernando de Noronha Fernando de Noronha is an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, around 220 miles (354 km) offshore from the Brazilian coast. ... Categories: Possible copyright violations ... GoiÃ¡s (also known as GoiÃ¡s Velho) is a small city and municipality in the state of GoiÃ¡s in Brazil. ... IguaÃ§u National Park is a national park in Brazil. ... FaÃ§ade of SÃ£o Miguel das MissÃµes Interior view of the ruins of SÃ£o Miguel das MissÃµes Movie still from The Mission - the set recreates what SÃ£o Miguel das MissÃµes may have looked like in the 18th century SÃ£o Miguel das MissÃµes... Igreja da Sé Ruas de Olinda Olinda (means oh beautiful) is a city in Pernambuco, Brazil, next to Recife and Paulista. ... The Pantanal is the worldâ€™s largest wetland area, a flat landscape, with gently sloping and meandering rivers. ... Salvador and BaÃa de Todos os Santos from space, April 1997 Salvador (in full, SÃ£o Salvador da BaÃa de Todos os Santos, or in literal translation: Holy Savior of All Saints Bay) is a city on the northeast coast of Brazil and the capital of the northeastern... Congonhas is a historical city in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. ... SÃ£o LuÃs is the capital of the state of MaranhÃ£o, Brazil. ... Serra da Capivara National Park is a national park in the north east of Brazil. ...

Contents

History

The Economy

The University and the "Republics"

External links