The state of Minas Gerais is the third largest of the twenty six states of Brazil at 588,383 square kilometres which makes it very slightly larger than France. Its population is almost 18million. Its name which means "general mines" or "large mines" is reference to the mines of gold and precious gemstones which were found there during the 18th and 19th centuries. As well as having sizeable reserves of gold and gemstones including Emerald, Topaz and Aquamarine to name just a few, Minas Gerais also has huge reserves of Iron.
Further reading:
Minas Gerais
| ← Middle English | Mineral → |
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