Itabira is a Brazilianmunicipal destrict an ane o the main ceeties o the state o Minas Gerais. The ceety belangs tae the mesoregion Metropolitana de Belo Horizonte an tae the microregion o Itabira.
The first dounsets date tae the early aichteent century, when the veelage o Itabira do Mato Dentro wis foondit bi splorers seeking gowd. The ceety obteened its poleetical emancipation on 9 October 1848, throu the Provincial Law no. 374.
It is currently the twinty-fowert lairgest ceety o the state in population, wi 107,721 inhabitants (IBGE, 2006). It is kent as the "Capital o Poetry", birthplace o Carlos Drummond de Andrade, ceety o the Circuit o the Gowd an o the Estrada Real (Keeng's Road or Ryal Road).
The aurie which Itabira is locatit is ane o the maist important culturally an economically o Minas Gerais an o Brazil, possessin a important historical collection for the construction o the history o the Brazilian fowk.
It is locatit in the sootheast aurie, in the hert of Minas Gerais, at 104 kilometres o Belo Horizonte, 697 kilometres o the ceety o São Paulo, 545 kilometres o the Rio de Janeiro, 845 kilometres o the federal caipital Brasília an 510 kilometres o Vitória. The heichest point o the ceety is 1.672 metres abuin sea level (see Alto da Mutuca).
Itabira is the main ceety in its aurie an suffers wi air pollution caused bi the extraction o airn ore, main economical branch o it syne the creation o the Companhia Vale do Rio Doce in 1942, bi Preses Getúlio Vargas. The day, it is the seicont lairgest minin company in the warld, an great pairt o its production comes frae the mines of Itabira.
