Três Pontas

Três Pontas (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈtɾes ˈpõtas], Three Tips) is a municipality located in southern Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The municipality has about 57,000 inhabitants and a population density of 78.12 inhabitants/km². The road MG-167 is the only paved road that passes through the city, but the Rodovia Fernão Dias (BR-381), is less than 50 km from the city centre passing through Varginha. Almost all streets of the urban zone are paved, and there are services of water and sewage to all people.

The municipality does not have a rugged relief (the average level is 900m), and there are only three areas in which the altitude reaches 1100m above sea level. One of them is the Serra de Três Pontas (Three Tips Mountain), a place known in the region for its distinctive shape and natural environment. The streams Araras and Espera are the main water courses that pass through the municipality, and they flow into the Furnas Dam. The rivers Verde and Sapucaí pass on the south boundary and flow into Furnas Dam too. The Municipality is located on the basin of the Grande River.

The suave climate favors the growth of coffee, the main economic wealth of the city; it is known as one of the largest producers of coffee in Brazil.

The city takes its name from the peculiar shape of the mountain near the city, the three peaks were used as a reference point by ancient travelers and by runaway slaves. These slaves formed a settlement near the mountain, the Quilombo do Cascalho^[2] which was destroyed some time later.

The first inhabitants of the region were runaway slaves who formed two quilombos, followed by colonisers moving from Europe. Although many explorers came looking for gold, the soil in the Três Pontas area has no gold or important mineral resources, so farms were formed to create cattle and grow crops.

The chapel of Nossa Senhora d'Ajuda was founded on October 15, 1768, by the Captain Bento Ferreira de Brito. This event is held to be the founding of Três Pontas itself, as a permanent settlement - mixing rural and urban characteristics - slowly formed around the chapel. The locality was formally recognised as a village in April 1841.

City status was conferred upon the village on July 3, 1857.^[3] With the emergence of trade in coffee in the mid-19th century, and with the creation of roads, crops from Três Pontas reached the international market through Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo ports. Coffee has maintained the city economy ever since.

Três Pontas also had a rail spur, the Trespontana Railroad, which was inaugurated in 1895.^[4] The railway was closed in 1964 due to, among other reasons, the flooding of part of the line by Furnas Dam. The rail terminal site was redeveloped into the City Hall.

The municipality is bordered to the north with Campos Gerais and Santana da Vargem; to the south by the municipalities of Varginha, Elói Mendes and Paraguaçu; to the east by Nepomuceno and Carmo da Cachoeira; and to the west by Campos Gerais.^[6]

Três Pontas is about 290 kilometres (180 miles) away from Belo Horizonte, the state's capital. According to the map of urban hierarchy produced by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, Três Pontas is classified as a B zone center, which means the city has a restricted influence, only over the smaller cities around it; the Institute says that Três Pontas is under the influence of Varginha, and in turn of Belo Horizonte.^[7]

The municipality has a wavy relief, with altitudes between 800 and 900 metres (2,600 and 3,000 ft) above sea level, with the city located at about 905 metres (2,969 ft).^[8] However about twenty percent of the municipality is in mountainous regions, in which the height exceeds 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) above sea level. One of these areas is the Serra de Três Pontas (Three Tips Hill), located nineteen kilometers away from the city, where is located the highest point of the municipality, at 1,234 metres (4,049 ft) meters above sea level. The lowest point is located on the margins of the Furnas reservoir, at about 770 metres (2,530 ft) above the sea level.

Soils in the area are mostly red/yellow oxisols. According to the Brazilian Systems of Soils Classification all (or almost all) oxisols are acidic and nutrient-poor; when adjusted and fertilized these soils become highly productive.

According to the Geologic Map of Minas Gerais,^[9] the soils in the south portion of the municipality have kianite granulite rocks. In the north, it has rocks of the ortogneissics complexes (ortogneisses granitics, granulite, migmatite and anphibolite). In the region of Três Pontas Mountain the rocks are formed by metapelitic graphitous alternated with quartzite.

The climate of Três Pontas is tropical semi-humid, with a dry season that last between four and five months and the average temperature is between 15 °C and 18 °C in at least one month in the year.^[10]

During the summer rains are common in the late afternoon, and temperatures at this time are always very high. In the winter the arrival of polar air masses cause temperatures to drop and frost to form; in this time of year the relative humidity is low enough to cause discomfort to the population.

The municipality is watered by Verde and Sapucaí rivers (dammed in Furnas), belonging to the Rio Grande drainage basin. It also has the Araras and Espera streams, that are formed by the joining of several smaller streams. The Arara stream rises near the town and moves west to flow into the reservoir of Furnas. The Espera stream rises near the Três Pontas Mountain and flows into Furnas near a farm with the same name. Other streams that rises on the north of Três Pontas Mountain go north and flow into Rio Grande.

Três Pontas is in the transition area between the biome Mata Atlântica and the biome Cerrado.^[11] The original vegetation of the municipality was heavily wooded, though most of the trees have been cleared to allow coffee production.

The water and sewage service is by S.A.A.E. (Serviço Autônomo de Água e Esgoto, Water and Sewage Autonomous System). Três Pontas has 12,644 water connections, that means 100% of urban area homes served with treated water.^[12] The sewage system serves 12,572 homes; with 99.2% of houses having access to the sewage system, the city is among the places with better sanitation in Brazil.^[12]

In the municipality, 14,004 homes have water connections, 1,776 draw water from wells or springs on their own property and 263 have other forms of obtaining water.

Electrical power is supplied by CEMIG (Compania Energética de Minas Gerais, or Energetic Company of Minas Gerais).

Três Pontas has about 98% of paved streets in the urban area. Due to an increasing number of vehicles, there is a lack of parking lots in downtown; in peak hours, the traffic becomes slow in some streets.

The city has bus lines that serve almost all neighborhoods of the urban area.

According to the 2010 census, there are 18,517 houses^[13] in the municipality, that total 21,819 addresses.^[13] 3,474 addresses are in the countryside and 18,345 in the urban area.^[13] The census also found that 15,474 homes are houses (96.5%), 526 are apartments (3.3%) and 40 belong to a condominium (0.2%).^[14]

Três Pontas is crossed by the state highway MG-167 giving access to BR-491 (passing through Varginha) and BR-265 (passing through Santana da Vargem). Both federal highways give access to Rodovia Fernão Dias (BR-381).

The municipality is crossed by more than 300 kilometres (190 mi) of rural roads, mostly in good condition. Through these routes is possible get directly to Campos Gerais, Nepomuceno, Carmo da Cachoeira and Paraguaçu (passing through Pontalete crossing the Furnas Dam by a ferry line)

There are proposals to create a road from Três Pontas to Paraguaçu passing through Pontalete; and another for a road from Três Pontas to Carmo da Cachoeira.^[15]

The city has the Leda Mello Resende Airport^[16], 3 km from downtown, with paved runway, measuring 1150m in length by 20m in width, which allows for the landing and takeoff of small and medium-sized planes.

It is possible to arrive to the Pontalete district by boat, because the district is watered by Furnas Dam.

According to the 2010 census, 27,155 (50.4%) of Três Pontas population are women, and 26,705 (49.6%) are men.^[14]

The census also researched inhabitants' skin color.

• Municipal Human Development Index: .773^[17]
• State ranking: 152 out of 853 municipalities
• National ranking: 1251 out of 5138 municipalities
• Life expectancy: 72
• Literacy rate: 88

The municipal economy is mixed, with coffee the most important economic product.

Coffee is the predominant crop in Três Pontas, occupying the majority of the cultivated land. The municipality has over 30 million coffee trees spread across approximately 24,000 hectares (59,000 acres), making it the largest coffee-producing municipality in Brazil. About 75% of its coffee production is sold through the Coffee Growers' Cooperative of the Três Pontas Region.^[18]

Other crops cultivated in the region include corn, beans, and various vegetables. In 2010, the city produced 29,808 tons of coffee, equivalent to around 1% of Brazil's national output, with an average yield of 1,440 kg per hectare, generating a total revenue of R$ 157,982,000.

Source: government statistics.^[19]

Source: government statistics (Animal numbers).^[22]

Três Pontas has an Industrial Park, with small and medium industries, including: fertilizer industry, agricultural machinery, fabrics, plastic ware, precast products, metalwork, furniture, roasting, baking, graphics, and still photography.

Tourism in the region is driven by the dam and farm hotels.

The service sector contributes 62% of the municipality's revenue.^[23]

Commercial establishments by activity:

• Restaurants / Bars - 315
• Hotels and others - 6
• Coffee shops, Bakeries and Ice Cream – 78
• Gas stations with services - 12
• Markets – 152
• Obs.: Total number of registered taxpayers in the municipality in various brands of activity: 3938

The municipality is responsible for about 58% of health facilities; the other 42% are private. The city has a Pronto Atendimento Municipal (Municipal Emergency Services), which attends to the urgent and emergency cases. It also has the Hospital São Francisco de Assis (St. Francis Hospital), which has about 100 beds, surgical, obstetric, pediatric, ICU and medical clinic.^[24] The hospital also offers radiology services, ultrasound, sterilization center and clinic.

The Department of Health of Três Pontas manages various clinics scattered throughout neighborhoods.

• Center for Health Catumbi (Centro de Saúde Catumbi)
• Padre Victor Health Center (Centro de Saúde Padre Victor)
• Health Centre St. Edwirges (Centro de Saúde Santa Edwirges)
• Health Center Marilena Village (Centro de Saúde Vila Marilena)
• Center for Health Polyclinic (Centro de Saúde Policlínica)

There are also centers in rural communities and periodic visits.

The Municipal Pharmacy provides medications to low income families.

The Municipal Health Department also carries out periodic preventive campaigns for public awareness about the prevention of various diseases, especially dengue.

Três Pontas has a Centre of Ophthalmology and a dental center, both with free care for low income families.

There are also several private clinics in several areas of health.

According to the 2010 Census, there are 51 health facilities^[13] public and private in the city.

Most schools are under the responsibility of Municipal Secretary of Education. The city has 14 municipal schools in the urban area (being 11 day care centers and kindergarten schools, one from 1st to 3rd grade, one from 1st to 5th grade and one from 1st to 9th grade) and 7 in the rural zone (being 6 from 1st to 5th grade and 1 kindergarten).^[25]

The city has four state schools (that have students from 6th to 9th grade and high school) and four private schools (that have students from kindergarten to high school).

Três Pontas is home to the Centro Universitário do Sul de Minas (University Center of South Minas).^[26]

Três Pontas has many schools with professional courses to serve young people wishing to enter the labor market. A professional school of the SEST/SENAT is also being built.^[27]

According to the 2010 census, there are 34 schools^[13] in Três Pontas.

Celso Brant Public Library

Administrated by Culture, Leisure and Tourism Secretary, the library has more than 20 thousand books. It was created in 1959.

Heitor Vila Lobos Municipal Music School

School of Guitar, Violin, Cello, Piano, Keyboard, Accordion, Sweet Flute, Flute, Saxophone, Drums, Guitar, Choir, Canto Single, Music Perception, Practice Set, Musicalization Music and Image. It was established in 1987.

Milton Nascimento Cultural Center

Theatre which presents the main cultural events of the city.

Sports

The Sports Municipal Secretary arranges several events to promote sports in the city. Among these are: karate classes, football and volleyball for children and teenagers.

There are also many championships among teams of schools and neighborhoods.

The main football matches are played at Ítalo Tomagnini Municipal Stadium, but there are other football fields in other neighborhoods. Other sports, like futsal and volleyball are played at the Gymnasium Aureliano Chaves.

Tourism

In Três Pontas the preferred tourist destination is the Pontalete District,^[28] because of the Furnas Dam. Perfect for those who like water sports, the district has many good bars and restaurants.

Other people can visit the Três Pontas (Three tips) Mountain^[29] that's about 19 km from city. On the mountain there are many trails,^[30] some waterfalls and even a wall made by the slaves.

On the road between Três Pontas and Varginha, the tourist can visit he Coffee Museum that show how the coffee culture was.

Most people, are Catholic.

The city has three parishes

• Parish Nossa Senhora d'Ajuda (Our Lady of Help) .^[31] The main church is the Matriz Nossa Senhora d'Ajuda Church, in downtown, where are the remains of Padre Victor.

• Parish Nossa Senhora Aparecida (Our Lady of Aparecida). The main church is Aparecida Church

• Parish Cristo Redentor. The main church is Nossa Senhora das Graças (Our Lady of Graces) Church (known as Catumbi Church).

The three parishes belong to the Diocese of Campanha.

The carmelite nun Tereza Margarida of the Heart of Mary founded a contemplative carmel in Três Pontas.

Radio Station

Sentinela FM - 99.9 MHz^[32]

Community Radio Liberdade FM - 87.9 MHz^[33]

Radio Três Pontas - AM 1540 kHz^[34]

Transamérica Hits - Fm 92.5 MHz

Newspaper

Jornal Correio Trespontano (Trespontano Mail Newspaper)^[35]

• City's Anniversary: July 3

Commemorated with shows and parties

• Expocafé: June

One of the biggest events of the coffee growing country, where millions of dollars are moved, and the event grows every year. In 2012 was held between June 19 and June 22.^[36]

• Festival Música do Mundo (Music of the World Festival): September CANCELED 2011
• Priest Victor party: September 23

• List of municipalities in Minas Gerais

• IBGE
• AluguelTP - Aluguel de casas, aptos e salas comerciais em Três Pontas
• CicloTP - Ciclism and trailsin Três Pontas and region
• Prefeitura Municipal - Prefeitura Municipal de Três Pontas.
• Blog do Silvano Alves - Blog that shows the news of Três Pontas.
• Câmara Municipal de Três Pontas - Camara of Três Pontas
• Map of Três Pontas on Google Maps
• Map of Três Pontas on Google Map Maker