Itinga is a Brazilian municipality located in the northeast of the state of

Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil, being the fourth largest state by area and the second largest in number of inhabitants with a population of 20,539,989 according to the 2022 Brazilian census, 2022 census. Located in ...

in the Jequitinhonha River valley. the population was 15,022 in a total area of 1,641 km². The city belongs to the mesoregion of Jequitinhonha and to the microregion of

Araçuaí Araçuaí () is a Brazilian Municipalities of Brazil, municipality located in the northeast of the state of Minas Gerais in the Jequitinhonha River valley. The Araçuaí River, a tributary of the Jequitinhonha, flows through it. Its population wa ...

. The elevation of the municipal seat is 269 meters. It became a municipality in 1943. Between the municipalities of

and Itinga is located the largest

lithium Lithium (from , , ) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Li and atomic number 3. It is a soft, silvery-white alkali metal. Under standard temperature and pressure, standard conditions, it is the least dense metal and the ...

mine in Brazil, explored and extracted by Sigma Lithium Resources.

Etymology

The name "Itinga" is a term of Tupi origin that means "white water", through the combination of the terms '''y'' ("water") and ''ting'' ("white").

History

The lands where the municipality of Itinga is located today were inhabited by the Botocudo tribes. Rock inscriptions by these groups are found in caves in the municipality. Non-indigenous settlement in the area began in 1810, when ''alferes'' Julião Fernandes Leão set up barracks along the Jequitinhonha River. Later, landowners built a chapel dedicated to

Saint Anthony of Padua Anthony of Padua, OFM, (; ; ) or Anthony of Lisbon (; ; ; born Fernando Martins de Bulhões; 15 August 1195 – 13 June 1231) was a Portuguese Catholic priest and member of the Order of Friars Minor. Anthony was born and raised by a wealth ...

, which gave rise to the city. Settlement in the area was encouraged due to its location on the banks of the Jequitinhonha River, as it was a meeting point for '' tropeiros'' and canoeists, and because it was home to a textile factory that operated between 1880 and 1928. Itinga was part of Araçuaí until 1943, when it became a municipality.

Geography

According to the regional division in force since 2017, established by the IBGE, the municipality belongs to the Intermediate Geographic Region of Teófilo Otoni and

Immediate Geographic Region of Araçuaí The Immediate Geographic Region of Araçuaí is one of the 7 immediate Intermediate and Immediate Geographic Regions, geographic regions in the Intermediate Geographic Region of Teófilo Otoni, one of the 70 immediate geographic regions in the Bra ...

. Until then, with the divisions into microregions and mesoregions in force, it was part of the microregion of Araçuaí, which in turn was included in the mesoregion of Jequitinhonha. The city is crossed by the Jequitinhonha River and is accessed via the BR-367 highway.

Economy

The city's

GDP Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the total market value of all the final goods and services produced and rendered in a specific time period by a country or countries. GDP is often used to measure the economic performance o ...

is around R$ 148.3 million

reais The Brazilian real ( pl. '; sign: R$; code: BRL) is the official currency of Brazil. It is subdivided into 100 centavos. The Central Bank of Brazil is the central bank and the issuing authority. The real replaced the cruzeiro real in 1994. ...

, with 47.9% of the added value coming from public administration, followed by services (28.7%), industry (13.3%) and agriculture (10.2%). The

GDP per capita This is a list of countries by nominal GDP per capita. GDP per capita is the total value of a country's finished goods and services (gross domestic product) divided by its total population (per capita). Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita is ...

of Itinga is R$ 9.8 thousand.

Culture

Itinga is renowned for its clay crafts, especially in the village of Pasmadinho, which is a town made up of artisans who produce and sell clay pots and utensils. Ulisses Mendes, one of the main artisans of the Jequitinhonha Valley, lives in the town. The city's anniversary on December 31st is the biggest

New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve refers to the evening, or commonly the entire day, of the last day of the year, 31 December, also known as Old Year's Day. In many countries, New Year's Eve is celebrated with dancing, eating, drinkin ...

celebration in the region, with nationally famous artists performing. The city also celebrates Carnival and, in September, the Nossa Senhora da Ajuda festival transforms the streets into open-air markets during the day, along with musical performances at night.

References

Statistics from IBGEIndicadores Minas
��info on health {{Authority control Municipalities in Minas Gerais