Passa-Quatro is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in 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 ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. The population is 16,393 (2020 est.) in an area of 277.22 km².Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística
/ref> It is part of the microregion of São Lourenço.

History

The origin of the name comes from the explorations of the

bandeirante ''Bandeirantes'' (; ; singular: ''bandeirante'') were settlers in colonial Brazil who participated in expeditions to expand the colony's borders and subjugate indigenous peoples during the early modern period. They played a major role in exp ...

Fernão Dias Paes Leme who was given instructions to pass over a river four times, thus "Passa Quatro". The first inhabitants settled the region in 1674. The region wasn't populated until the second half of the 19th century when it became a district in 1854. In 1884, the Minas-Rio railway was constructed by the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

and spurred its development. Emperor Dom

Pedro II '' Dom'' PedroII (Pedro de Alcântara João Carlos Leopoldo Salvador Bibiano Francisco Xavier de Paula Leocádio Miguel Gabriel Rafael Gonzaga; 2 December 1825 – 5 December 1891), nicknamed the Magnanimous (), was the second and last monar ...

elevated the town to a city in 1888.

Geography

Mountains include the fourth tallest peak in Brazil, the Pedra da Mina (2,798 m) located within Serra Fina and the point of

Serra da Mantiqueira The Mantiqueira Mountains (Portuguese: ''Serra da Mantiqueira iterally: Mantiqueira Mountains Chain') are a mountain range in Southeastern Brazil, with parts in the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro. The name shows the range ...

where the boundary of

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

is located. The Pico dos Três Estados is another landmark located on the boundaries of São Paulo, Minas Gerais and

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

. There are dozens of other peaks over 2,000 m. The city was declared a hydro-mineral

spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa health treatments are known as balneotherapy. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters and hot springs goes back to pre ...

in 1941 due to its various fountains of torio-

radioactive Radioactive decay (also known as nuclear decay, radioactivity, radioactive disintegration, or nuclear disintegration) is the process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by radiation. A material containing unstable nuclei is conside ...

waters, which are reputedly sought out for curing liver and kidney problems. The winter is dry and the summer mild with temperatures varying between 16 and 22 degrees Celsius. In winter they can drop to 0 degrees with strong frost. This rural area has views of four of the ten highest peaks in the country. Trout fishing is possible all year. A tourist train service (narrow gauge) was inaugurated in the beginning of 2004 between the cities of Passa Quatro and Manacá. The municipality contains the Passa Quatro National Forest, created in 1968. The forest is controlled by

IBAMA The Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources ( Portuguese: ''Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renováveis'', IBAMA) is a government agency under the administration of the Brazilian Minis ...

and has native forest, exotic species, lakes, and the Iporã waterfall.

New Climber Point

Passa Quatro has a newer point of climber at Brazil, compared to Siurana: Gruta de Passa Quatro (Cave of Four Passes). There are a big negative and the local climbers are working to open the roads in this place. (The climbing point is in Passa Vinte, not in Passa Quarto)

Climate

References

External links

Passa Quatro (in Portuguese)
{{Geographic location , North = Itanhandu , West = Marmelópolis and Virgínia , Center = Passa-Quarto , East = Itanhandu and Itamonte , South = In São Paulo:
Cruzeiro,

Lavrinhas Lavrinhas is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. It is formed by the neighborhoods of Jardim Mavisou, Pinheiros, Capela do Jacu, Village Campestre and Centro, where its seat is located. The municipality is crossed by many rivers, c ...