Belo Horizonte is the capital and largest city in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, located in the southeastern region of the country. According to 2010 Census data, the city has a population of 2,375,440 inhabitants living within its urban core, making it, that year, the sixth most populous city in Brazil, behind Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Brasilia and Fortaleza. However, with over 5,497,922 people (as of 2010) residing in the Belo Horizonte Metropolitan Region, or Greater Belo Horizonte, formed by more than twenty cities, it ranks as the third most populous urban agglomeration in the country, after Greater Sao Paulo and Greater Rio.

 

The region was first settled in the early 18th century, but the city as it is known today was planned and constructed in the 1890s, in order to replace Ouro Preto as the capital of Minas Gerais. The city features a mixture of contemporary and classical buildings, and is home to several modern Brazilian architectural icons, most notably the Pampulha Complex. In planning the city, Aarão Reis and Francisco Bicalho sought inspiration in the urban planning of Washington, D.C. The city has employed notable programs in urban revitalization and food security, for which it has been awarded international accolades.

 

The city is built on several hills and is completely surrounded by mountains. There are several large parks in the immediate surroundings of Belo Horizonte. The Mangabeiras Park (Parque das Mangabeiras), located 6 km south-east from the city centre in the hills of Curral Ridge (Serra do Curral), has a very broad view of the city. It has an area of 2.35 km2 (580 acres), of which 0.9 km2 (220 acres) is covered by the native forest. The Jambeiro Woods (Mata do Jambeiro) nature reserve extends over 912 hectares (2,250 acres), with vegetation typical of the Atlantic forest. More than one hundred species of birds inhabit the reserve, as well as ten different species of mammals.