Ipatinga

Ipatinga is a Brazilian municipality in the interior of the state of Minas Gerais, in the Southeast Region of Brazil. Situated in the Vale do Rio Doce, it is part of the Vale do Aço Metropolitan Region, about 210 km east of the state capital, and its seat lies near the confluence of the Piracicaba and Doce rivers. The municipality covers just over 160 km2, with about 40 km2 of urban area. Settlement began in the 19th century with the bandeirantes and accelerated in the 1910s and 1920s with the railway; the Usiminas steel plant, chosen for the area in the 1950s, drove rapid growth, and the municipality was emancipated in 1964. The 2022 census counted 227,731 inhabitants, and the city generates over 60 percent of the metropolitan region gross domestic product.