City (pop., 200 prelim.: city, 2,229,697; metro. area, 4,208,508), eastern Brazil.
Capital of Minas Gerais state, it lies on the western slope of the Serra do Espinhaço at an elevation of 2,811 ft (857 m). The site was chosen in the late 19th century to accommodate expansions that the former capital could not. Brazil's first planned city, it was laid out on a radiating pattern following the models of Washington, D.C. , and La Plata , Arg. It is the hub of a large agricultural region and the area's commercial and industrial centre.