Divinópolis

Divinópolis

Divinópolis, Brazil

Divinópolis, city, south-central Minas Gerais estado (state), Brazil. It is situated near the Pará River in highlands at 2,205 feet (672 metres) above sea level.

It was made the seat of a municipality in 1911 and gained city status in 1915. The growing of cassava (manioc), corn (maize), rice, coffee, feijão (beans), sugarcane, and other crops and the raising of livestock are economically important in the surrounding area. Divinópolis is one of the most important industrial centres in Minas Gerais, with textile mills, garment manufacturers, tanneries, dairy factories, and metallurgical plants producing charcoal-based pig iron and steel. One of Brazil’s first facilities for the production of fuel ethanol (distilled from cassava) operated in the city in the 1930s. The Federal University of São João del-Rei maintains a branch campus in Divinópolis, offering courses in fields related to health. Roads, railway, and air service link the city to Belo Horizonte, the state capital, 75 miles (120 km) east. Pop. (2010) 213,016.