Belo Horizonte

Facts
	Area	331 Km2
	Population	2.238.526 (2000)
	Area Code	031
	Time zone	GMT -3 hours
	Voltage	110 V

Average Temperatures
Months	January	April	June	September
	ºC	ºC	ºC	ºC
Highest	27,8	27	24,2	27,1
Average	23,3	22	18,4	22,3
Lowest	18,3	16,6	12,1	17

Created to replace Ouro Preto as the capital of the state of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte is one of the few Brazilian towns that were planned. Situated at an altitude of 858.3 metres, its construction began in 1893 and it was inaugurated four years later with the name Cidade de Minas Gerais. In planning it, the engineers, Aarão Reis and Francisco Bicalho, found their inspiration in the town plan of Washington DC (USA).

Belo Horizonte is the fourth city in the country in population, with 2.3 million inhabitants. Its metropolitan region is formed by 20 municipalities. The capital is also a gateway to historical towns like Ouro Preto and Mariana and to the Lapinha and Maquiné grottões. Because it is a city that was actually planned, and also because of its neoclassical and modern architectural features, Belo Horizonte can be regarded as a landmark for town planning and for architecture in the country. Anyone visiting it must not miss the Pampulha centre, the site of the first revolutionary works of Oscar Niemeyer, the best known Brazilian architect.

The Pampulha also has works by the artist Cândido Portinari, the landscape architect Burle Marx and the sculptor Ceschiatti and includes the church of São Francisco de Assis, the Belo Horizonte Museum of Art, the Yacht Club, the Dancing Academy, the House of Juscelino Kubitschek, the Headquarters of the Zoo-Botanical Foundation, the monument to Iemanjá and the Mineirão and Mineirinho stadiums, registered as historic heritage.