José Gonçalves de Minas is a municipality in the northeast of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais

Minas Gerais

Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the...

. As of 2007 the population was 4,547 in a total area of 382 km². The elevation of the town center is 546 meters. It is part of the IBGE statistical meso-region of Jequitinhonha

Jequitinhonha

Jequitinhonha is a Brazilian municipality located in the northeast of the state of Minas Gerais.The population as of 2007 was estimated to be 23,982 people living in a total area of 3,518 km². The city belongs to the mesoregion of Jequitinhonha and to the microregion of Almenara. ...

 and the micro-region of Capelinha

Capelinha

Capelinha is a Brazilian municipality located in the north-center of the state of Minas Gerais. Its population as of 2007 was 33,061 living in a total area of 966 km². The city belongs to the statistical mesoregion of Jequitinhonha and to the statistical microregion of Capelinha. It became a...

. It became a municipality in 1997.

The economy is based on charcoal production, cattle raising and subsistence agriculture, with the main crops being beans, manioc, sugarcane, and corn. There are extensive plantations of eucalyptus trees for charcoal production. In 2005 there were 254 rural producers but only 8 tractors. As of 2005 there were 3 public health clinics, none of which were equipped for diagnosis or general treatment. Educational needs were met by 6 primary schools and 1 middle school. There were 92 automobiles in 2006, giving a ratio of 50 inhabitants per automobile (there were 366 motorcycles). There were no banks in 2007.

Neighboring municipalities are: Cristália

Cristália

Cristália is a Brazilian municipality located in the north of the state of Minas Gerais. In 2007 the population was 5,731 in a total area of 841 km². The elevation is 728 meters. It became a municipality in 1962.-Location and Distances:...

, Grão Mogol

Grão Mogol

Grão Mogol is a Brazilian municipality located in the north of the state of Minas Gerais. In 2007 the population was 14,954 in a total area of 3,890 km². The elevation is 829 meters. It became a municipality in 1840.-Location and Distances:...

, Virgem da Lapa

Virgem da Lapa

Virgem da Lapa is a Brazilian municipality located in the northeast of the state of Minas Gerais. Its population as of 2007 was estimated to be 14,103 people living in a total area of . The city belongs to the mesoregion of Jequitinhonha and to the microregion of Araçuaí...

, Berilo

Berilo

Berilo is a municipality in the northeast of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. As of 2007 the population was 13,214 in a total area of 586 km². The elevation is 401 meters. It is part of the IBGE statistical meso-region of Jequitinhonha and the micro-region of Capelinha...

, Francisco Badaró

Francisco Badaró

Francisco Badaró is a municipality in the northeast of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. As of 2007 the population was 10,269 in a total area of 463 km². The elevation of the town center is 398 meters. It is part of the IBGE statistical meso-region of Jequitinhonha and the micro-region...

, Chapada do Norte

Chapada do Norte

Chapada do Norte is a municipality in the northeast of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. As of 2007 the population was 15,429 in a total area of 828 km². The elevation of the town center is 751 meters. It is part of the IBGE statistical meso-region of Jequitinhonha and the micro-region...

, Leme do Prado

Leme do Prado

Leme do Prado is a municipality in the northeast of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. As of 2007 the population was 4,930 in a total area of 281 km². The elevation is 431 meters. It is part of the IBGE statistical meso-region of Jequitinhonha and the micro-region of Capelinha...

, and Botumirim

Botumirim

Botumirim is a Brazilian municipality located in the north of the state of Minas Gerais. In 2007 the population was 6,435 in a total area of 1,572 km². The elevation is 948 meters. It became a municipality in 1962.-Location and Distances:...

. The distance to Belo Horizonte

Belo Horizonte

Belo Horizonte is the capital of and largest city in the state of Minas Gerais, located in the southeastern region of Brazil. It is the third largest metropolitan area in the country...

 is 529 km.

Social indicators

José Gonçalves de Minas is ranked low on the MHDI and was one of the poorest municipalities in the state and in the country in 2000.

• MHDI: .646 (2000)
• State ranking: 758 out of 853 municipalities
• National ranking: 3,835 out of 5,138 municipalities in 2000
• Life expectancy: 66
• Literacy rate: 70
• Combined primary, secondary and tertiary gross enrolment ratio: .728
• Per capita income (monthly): R$95.00

The above figures can be compared with those of Poços de Caldas

Poços de Caldas

Poços de Caldas is a city and municipality in south-western Minas Gerais state, Brazil, in the microregion of the same name. Its estimated population in 2009 was 151,449 inhabitants...

, which had an MHDI of .841, the highest in the state of Minas Gerais

Minas Gerais

Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the...

. The highest in the country was São Caetano do Sul

São Caetano do Sul

São Caetano do Sul is a city in São Paulo state in Brazil, located in the Greater São Paulo Metropolitan Area. It is the city with the highest per capita income in Brazil and it also has the highest Human Development Index .-Geography:São Caetano do Sul is located on a plateau that is part of the...

 in the state of São Paulo

São Paulo

São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...

 with an MHDI of .919. The lowest was Manari in the state of Pernambuco

Pernambuco

Pernambuco is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. To the north are the states of Paraíba and Ceará, to the west is Piauí, to the south are Alagoas and Bahia, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean. There are about of beaches, some of the most beautiful in the...

with an MHDI of .467 out of a total of 5504 municipalities in the country as of 2004. At last count Brazil had 5,561 municipalities so this might have changed at the time of this writing.