Ouro Verde de Minas


Ouro Verde de Minas is a Brazilian municipality located in the northeast of the state of Minas Gerais. Its population as of 2007 was estimated to be 6,832 people living in a total area of 174 km². The city belongs to the mesoregion of Vale do Mucuri and to the micro-region of Teófilo Otoni. It became a municipality in 1962.
Ouro Verde de Minas is located at an elevation of 549 meters, 49 km. southeast of Teófilo Otoni. The distance to the state capital, Belo Horizonte, is 494 km. Neighboring municipalities are: Teófilo Otoni, Ataléia, and Frei Gaspar.
The main economic activities are services, small industries, and agriculture. A large percentage of the population lives in the rural area and is engaged in subsistence farming. The GDP in 2005 was approximately R$17 million, with 10 million from services, 1 million from industry, and 5 million from agriculture. There were 605 rural producers on 12,000 hectares of land. Only 5 farms had tractors. Approximately 1,700 persons were dependent on agriculture. The main cash crop was coffee while sugarcane, beans and corn were grown on a small scale. There were 16,000 head of cattle. There was one bank and 192 automobiles, giving a ratio of 34 inhabitants per automobile.
There were 3 health clinics. Patients with more serious health conditions are transported to Teófilo Otoni. Educational needs were met by 20 primary schools, 1 middle school, and 1 pre-primary school.
In 2000 the per capita monthly income of R$98.00 was well below the state and national average of R$276.00 and R$297.00 respectively.
The highest ranking municipality in Minas Gerais in 2000 was Poços de Caldas with 0.841, while the lowest was Setubinha with 0.568. Nationally the highest was São Caetano do Sul in São Paulo with 0.919, while the lowest was Setubinha. In more recent statistics Manari in the state of Pernambuco has the lowest rating in the country—0,467—putting it in last
place.