State of Minas Gerais

Minas Gerais State anchors Brazil's mineral wealth—the name means "General Mines" from 18th-century gold and diamond extraction. Today iron ore dominates: Vale and other mining companies extract from the Iron Quadrilateral (Quadrilátero Ferrífero) that made Brazil a global ore supplier. The January 2019 Brumadinho dam disaster (270 deaths) and 2015 Mariana disaster exposed risks of intensive extraction.

The state's 21 million residents make it Brazil's second most populous. Belo Horizonte, the capital (2.5 million, 5.9 million metro), was Brazil's first planned modern city (1897). The economy extends beyond mining to agriculture (coffee, dairy), manufacturing, and services. Minas historically supplied food to Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, earning a reputation for traditional cuisine.

Colonial-era architecture in Ouro Preto, Tiradentes, and other baroque cities reflects wealth that flowed from gold mining—now UNESCO World Heritage sites attracting cultural tourism. The mining-to-services transition continues as extraction depletes reserves and disaster liability constrains operations. Minas Gerais demonstrates how resource economies must evolve or face the consequences of depletion and environmental damage.