Sete Lagoas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sete Lagoas (meaning 'Seven Lagoons' in Portuguese) is a town in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais.
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[edit] Location
Sete Lagoas is situated about 70 kilometres from Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais. The BR 040 motorway connects Sete Lagoas with Belo Horizonte and the national capital Brasília. The altitude is 761 metres above sea level, the latitude and longitude are 19S and 44W.
[edit] Population
The current population is about 200,000 and has grown significantly over the last decade: between 1982 and 2004 the number of registered voters has almost doubled.
[edit] History
Evidence of pre-Columbian presence has been found in the Gruta Rei do Mato (Cave of the Forest King).
From around 1700, colonists entered Minas Gerais in search of gold, gems and diamonds. Nowadays, the Santa Luzia quarter is unofficially still called "o garimpo" (meaning "the goldmine").
Between 1780 and 1867, the name 'Sete Lagoas' was used for several regional types of administrations. The municipality of Sete Lagoas was founded in 1867.
Although "Sete Lagoas" means "Seven Lagoons", there are currently more than seven lakes and lagoons in Sete Lagoas (10 within the urban perimetre, 17 in the municipality). Some were dug out, others became part of the town when the town expanded. There are, however, 7 'official' lakes according to a municipal law from 1989. These are: Lagoa da Boa Vista, Lagoa da Catarina, Lagoa da Chácara, Lagoa do Cercadinho, Lagoa José Felix, Lagoa do Matadouro and Lagoa Paulino.
[edit] Places to go
The city is known for its lakes, its waterfall, the Serra Santa Helena and its caves.
The two most important lakes are the Lagoa Paulino and te Lagoa Boa Vista. The Lagoa Paulino is situated in the City centre and is surrounded by bars and shops. The Lagoa Boa Vista is surrounded by parks, sports facilities and a small zoo.
The Gruta Rei do Mato (Cave of the Forest King) is the best known cave and is named after a fugitive who lived in it. The cave is situated in a wooded limestone (Karst) hill. It has three large chambers with numerous stalactites, stalagmites and rimstone dams.
The waterfall is situated in the Parque da Cascata which lays in a Karst crater on top of the Serra Santa Helena. The brook of the waterfall leaves the crater through a cave that is hard to reach. The place were the brook wells out of the Serra is a place for practices of the Macumba religion.
The Serra Santa Helena is only 3 kilometres from the city centre and offers a nice view over the city and its lakes. There is a small chapel on top and a visit can be combined with a visit to the Parque da Cascata. The Serra is often used by paragliders.
[edit] Food
Food is an important element of the culture of Minas Gerais. In Sete Lagoas, two dishes can be found that are hardly found elsewhere: Galopé and Muchacho. Galopé is a dish of chicken (galo) and pork feet (pé de porco). Muchacho is also composed of chicken and pork but it also contains cheese.
[edit] Sports
Democrata Futebol Clube is a football club based in Sete Lagoas. The club plays its home matches at Joaquim Henrique Nogueira stadium. Other football clubs are Ideal Sport Club, Bela Vista Futebol Clube and América Futebol Clube.
[edit] External links
- Official homepage (Portuguese)
- Pictures of Sete Lagoas made by paraglider Arnaldo Macedo Pontes
(This website is a bit slow but it is really worth the wait)
