Minas Gerais

Minas Gerais, large inland estado (state) of southeastern Brazil. It is the country’s storehouse of mineral riches, as indicated by its name, which in Portuguese means “General Mines.” The state is bounded to the north by the states of Goiás and Bahia; to the east by Bahia, Espírito Santo, and Rio de Janeiro; to the south by Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo; and to the west by São Paulo, Mato Grosso do Sul, and Goiás. It is Brazil’s fourth largest state and has the second largest population, exceeded only by that of São Paulo. Minas Gerais’s capital and largest city is Belo Horizonte, located in the south-central part of the state. Area 226,460 square miles (586,528 square km). Pop. (2010) 19,597,330.