Aspectos geográficos da cidade de Cataguases

Resumo

The present article is intended to analyze some geographical aspects of the city of Cataguases, in the State of Minas Gerais. In the first chapter, studying the conditions of site and position, the author states that it was the position rather than the site which contributed to the economic development of the city due to the proximity of the so called Zona da Mata, forested area in Minas, if the several economic cycles related to the communication factor are taken into consideration. After this first, another Origin an Evolution, deals with the role represented by Cataguases in the past, when it was an important commercial center, and nowadays, when it begins to have an important industrial activity. The influences of the Leopoldina railroad until the first decade of the XX century and of the Rio Bahia highway from 1940 onwards are also compared. Under the title The City, the author studies the difference between the initial and the recent occupation. The city spreader primitively on the level tracts but nowadays the adjacent slopes are also being occupied. Besides this expansion, the recent occupation is also characterized by the functional character of the new constructions. In the next chapter, The Economic Importance of Cataguases, the author emphasizes the importance of the Rio Bahia highway to the neighboring region and the progress it brought to the city, chiefly in what concerns to production in general. Analyzing the origin of raw materials, the consuming market and the type of transport used, the author concludes that the road attracts the most part of the traffic. The author studies, then, the consequences of industrialization on the city and concludes that the standard of living of the laborers, the poor part of the population, presents a considerable increase. It is also noted that large investments of local funds contribute to an ever increasing rate of development of the city.