History and socioeconomy – Iron Quadrangle (I. Meneses, F.E. Renger & E. Deschamps)

Minas Gerais has been a key driver of the economy and development in Brazil, ever since its European discovery in the early 16th Century. Today the State occupies, after São Paulo, the second position as the richest, most developed and populated state in Brazil (IBGE 2010). Located to the south of the modern capital of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, the Iron Quadrangle is particularly rich in mineral resources.