Brazil 2014 - Host Cities: Belo Horizonte

Summary (from wikipedia)

Belo Horizonte is the capital city of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, located in the southeastern region of the country. As of 2013, the municipality's population is 2,479,175, making it the most populous city in Minas Gerais state and the sixth most populous city in the country. However the city's metropolitan area, the "Greater Belo Horizonte", is home of more than 5.15 million inhabitants (excluding the "Metropolitan Attach", or the "Expanded Metro area" which adds more than 650,000 people), making it the third most populous urban agglomeration in Brazil, after only the Greater Sao Paulo City and the Greater Rio de Janeiro

The region was first settled in the early 18th century, but the city as it is known today was planned and constructed in the 1890s, in order to replace Ouro Preto as the capital of Minas Gerais. The city features a mixture of contemporary and classical buildings, and is home to several modern Brazilian architectural icons, most notably the Pampulha Complex. In planning the city, Aarão Reis and Francisco Bicalho sought inspiration in the urban planning of Washington, D.C. The city has employed notable programs in urban revitalization and food security, for which it has been awarded international accolades.

The city is built on several hills and is completely surrounded by mountains. There are several large parks in the immediate surroundings of Belo Horizonte. The Mangabeiras Park (Parque das Mangabeiras), located 6 km (4 mi) south-east from the city centre in the hills of Curral Ridge (Serra do Curral), has a very broad view of the city. It has an area of 2.35 km2 (580 acres), of which 0.9 km2 (220 acres) is covered by the native forest. The Jambeiro Woods (Mata do Jambeiro) nature reserve extends over 912 hectares (2,250 acres), with vegetation typical of the Atlantic forest. More than one hundred species of birds inhabit the reserve, as well as ten different species of mammals.

Stadium (adapted from http://arenacastelao.com/)

The Governador Magalhães Pinto Stadium, better known as Mineirão, is a football stadium in Brazil, listed by the Executive Council of the Municipality of Belo Horizonte Cultural Heritage.

It was inaugurated on September 5, 1965, with a match between the Mining Selection and River Plate of Argentina. With an audience of 73,201, the festivities were treated to music, fireworks and parachutists. On departure, the state combined won 1-0, with goals from player of the Atlético Mineiro, Bugle. On 7 September (date of Brazilian independence), the first match of the Brazilian team was held at the stadium. The entire team of Palmeiras, including coaching and reservations, wore the shirt of the Brazilian national team to play a friendly match against the national team of Uruguay. The Brazilian side won 3-0

Learn more
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belo_Horizonte
http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Est%C3%A1dio_Governador_Magalh%C3%A3es_Pinto