Juiz de Fora - Brasil

Juiz de Fora
- Municipality -
The Municipality of Juiz de Fora

Flag
Seal
Nickname(s): JF
Motto: Pro Patria et Urbe
Location in Brazil
Coordinates: 21°13′33″S 43°46′26″W
Country Brazil
Region Southeast
State Minas Gerais
Incorporated May 30, 1850
Government
• Mayor Custódio Mattos, PSDB
Area
• Total 1,437 km (554.8 sq mi)
Elevation 678 m (2,224 ft)
Population (2010)
• Total 517,872
• Density 354/km (916.9/sq mi)
Time zone UTC-3 (UTC-3)
• Summer (DST) UTC-2 (UTC-2)
Postal Code 36000-000
Area code(s) +55 32
Website Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais

Juiz de Fora (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈʒwiz dʒi ˈfɔɾɐ], External Judge), also known as J.F., is a city in the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, located close to the state border with Rio de Janeiro. According to 2006 estimates the current population is about 509,125 inhabitants. The geographical area of the municipality is 1,437 km (555 sq mi).

The city's location was determinant for its economic and demographic development, for it is placed between the three most important financial and economic metropolises of southeast Brazil (and also the three largest urban sprawls of the country): Rio de Janeiro (189 km (117 mi)), Belo Horizonte (260 km (160 mi)) and São Paulo (486 km (302 mi)). Major highways connect Juiz de Fora with these three metropolitan areas, the most important -and crucial for the city's recent growth- being the BR 040, which connects Brasília, Rio de Janeiro, and Belo Horizonte. Running throughout the city, the Paraibuna river is a major tributary of the Paraíba do Sul river, in which basin lies the core of Brazilian heavy and high-technology industries.

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Industry, Trade, and Culture

Juiz de Fora is the second most important industrial center in the state of Minas Gerais, despite being the fourth largest in terms of population. It was once the state's largest city, position which was held up until the beginning of the 20th century (it held the second position until the 1990s). There are important steel mills and automotive factories (Mercedes-Benz being the most famous) in the city, along with several textile factories.

The city is also an important trade center, with considerable area of influence, being considered the capital of the Zona da Mata region of the state. It has three shopping malls, several hyper-marts and a myriad of small shops that sell clothes and attract customers from a wide area around the city.

The massive presence of immigrants - especially from Portugal, Italy, Germany, Syria and Lebanon and more recent China - throughout its history has given the city a cosmopolitan spirit and diverse cuisine. Walking down Avenida Rio Branco, (a broad and straight avenue several kilometers long) one can find typical German, Italian, Arabic, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese and Indian restaurants, as well as traditional Brazilian and vegetarian cuisine.

Juiz de Fora is an important regional cultural center, one of the few towns in south-east Minas Gerais to have permanently functional cinemas, theatres, music venues and light entertainment. There is a nationally important museum (Museu Mariano Procópio) and a Philharmonic Orchestra (Orquestra Filarmônica Pró-Musica). The city also hosts a yearly classical music festival, the Festival Internacional de Música Brasileira Colonial e Música Antiga (International Festival of Brazilian Colonial Music and Early Music). It is home to the "Meninos Cantores da Academia" the second oldest choir in this category in Brazil. Cultural life is also boosted by a Federal University and several private-owned colleges; making it a popular destination for students. Some of the courses at the Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora are reputedly among the best in Brazil.

The cultural life of Juiz de Fora is marked by great eclecticism, which can be seen in its architecture. Art Nouveau buildings dating from the first decade of the 20th century are intermingled with those in Art Déco style from the mid-20th century, as well as the architectural art works by Niemeyer.

Important roads:

Important railroads:

Airports:

Climate

Although lying close to tropical latitudes, the climate is relatively mild. The altitude of 700 to 900 m (2,300 to 3,000 ft) makes the weather usually cooler and rainier than the lower surrounding areas. Under the Köppen climate classification, Juiz de Fora's climate is classified as a humid subtropical climate, with two distinct seasons, one hotter and rainier (October to April) and one cooler and drier (May to September). The average annual temperature is around 19 °C (66 °F) with a maximum of 24 °C (75 °F) and a minimum of 15 °C (59 °F). It is very humid with average humidity of 80%. The annual rainfall varies between 1,300 and 1,500 mm (51 and 59 in).

Climate data for Juiz de Fora
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 25.9
(78.6) 		26.8
(80.2) 		25.7
(78.3) 		23.9
(75.0) 		22.8
(73.0) 		21.2
(70.2) 		21.2
(70.2) 		22.2
(72.0) 		21.4
(70.5) 		23.8
(74.8) 		24.5
(76.1) 		25
(77) 		23.7
(74.7)
Average low °C (°F) 17.8
(64.0) 		18.2
(64.8) 		17.5
(63.5) 		16.3
(61.3) 		15.4
(59.7) 		13.2
(55.8) 		12.5
(54.5) 		12.4
(54.3) 		13.4
(56.1) 		15
(59) 		16.2
(61.2) 		16.9
(62.4) 		15.4
(59.7)
Precipitation mm (inches) 299.8
(11.803) 		217.4
(8.559) 		198.3
(7.807) 		107.1
(4.217) 		65.4
(2.575) 		34.2
(1.346) 		27.5
(1.083) 		16.5
(0.65) 		49.9
(1.965) 		112.4
(4.425) 		191
(7.52) 		327.1
(12.878) 		1,646.6
(64.827)
% humidity 83.4 81.1 83.9 84.3 83.3 86 77.9 73.6 83.1 81.2 81.3 85.3 82.03
Source: Climate-charts

History

Juiz de Fora in 1893. Federal University of Juiz de Fora

The origins of Juiz de Fora trace back to the beginnings of the 18th century, when a road called "Caminho Novo" (New Way) was opened, linking Rio de Janeiro to the gold rush area of Minas Gerais. The region was covered with dense forest (thus its name since, "Zona da Mata", Forest Zone). Despite the opening of the new route, the area remained largely uninhabited, and most of its scarce settling was centered around the road itself. The first permanent inhabitants of the municipality were merchants and farmers who supplied the travelers's needs on the long road from the harbor to the gold region and vice-versa.

Further development would only take place after the decline of gold mining in the central zone of Minas Gerais. The capital previously invested in the mines was now invested in coffee plantations, and the region of Zona da Mata became a fertile ground to invest. The position of the village then called Santo Antônio do Paraibuna was favorable due to the road connection with the capital of the country and its harbour.

In 1850, the small village was officially elevated to city status. Progress increased with the building of the modern União e Indústria (Union and Industry) road in 1861 to replace the Caminho Novo, its name reflecting the newfound wealth of the city, for industry replaced coffee-related agriculture as its economic heart. Five years later a new railroad line reached the city and in 1889 the first hydroelectric powerplant of Latin America was built on the Paraibuna river, on the outskirts of the city, along União Indústria.

As both foreign and domestic capital fueled the industry boom, the city became a major center (it then became the largest urban area of the state). It was such so that in the first decade of the 20th century, Juiz de Fora was among the main textile and industrial centers in South America, and in Brazil particularly, the city's wealth was second to few centers (such as São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro). As the coffee rush frontier moved southweswards, it reached the state of São Paulo and its immensely fertile plateaus. As the State became the richest in the federation, industry flourished, as had happened to Juiz de Fora itself. The city of Juiz de Fora saw itself, then, as the only major industrial center in a state that was being much surpassed by São Paulo in industrial output and worse still, much of the wealth generated by the state (a large bulk by Juiz de Fora itself) was being used in the building of the new state capital, Belo Horizonte (replacing Ouro Preto, at the center of the gold region), founded by the end of the 19th century and intended to be the largest of the state, following the Brazilian and Latin-American tradition of centralization. The Great Depression of the 30's worsened the city's decadence, which would only be overcome five decades later. By the 1940s, the city had lost its nation-wide influence, due to the continued growth of Belo Horizonte and the loss of industry.

The city's decay can be seen in the figures for its population, which remained stagnant from the early 1930s to the late 1960s. By the mid-1970s, the city started to experience new growth, which continues to this day. This new era began with the stabilizing of a federal university (UFJF) in the city and the decision by the Brazilian military junta, (1964-1985) to promote the city as a major military center. This sparked a phenomenon rarely experienced by post-industrial towns: the industrial rebirth of the city, this time following Brazilian industrialization itself, based on heavy-industry, such as steel and engineering.

Recently, the city seems to be experiencing a new era in its history, again following a boom in Brazilian economy, and is reinventing itself as a major center for services (such as telecommunications, with an important call center) and education (following the federal university, private colleges have been established in the city).

Today Juiz de Fora is an important commercial center for the surrounding region and is the core of an unofficial metropolitan area of more than 1 million inhabitants.

Demography

The population, which was 238,510 in 1970 with 7.6% living in rural areas is estimated to be 513,619 in 2005 with less than 1 percent living in rural areas. At this growth rate the population is estimated to pass 570,000 by 2010.

The population of Juiz de Fora since the first census, in 1872:

1872 - 18,800

1890 - 22,600

1920 - 118,500

1940 - 118,400

1950 - 111,300

1960 - 125,000

1970 - 238,500

1980 - 305,800

1991 - 385,100

1996 - 424,000

2000 - 456,400

2002 - 471,693

2005 - 501,153

2006 - 509,109

2007 - 513,348

2008 - 520,612

Famous People From Juiz de Fora

Sport

Juiz de Fora is the home of Tupi Football Club. Tupi is the 1932 runner-up champion of Campeonato Mineiro, and has won several city championships. Tupi won the Minas Gerais Second Division in 2001, was 3rd place in 2008 Campeonato Mineiro and won Taça Minas Gerais in 2008. It is widely regarded as one of the most important teams of the state, despite lacking national prestige. They won the 2011 Campeonato Brasileiro Série D (national fourth division) after beating Santa Cruz in both legs of the final, having qualified for the tournament after América de Teófilo Otoni withdrew before the start of the competition.

In 2011, UFJF volleyball team won promotion to Superliga Brasileira de Voleibol for the first time. In its first season, UFJF finished 11th from 12 teams and is pending invitation to stay at the top division for 2012/13 season.