industries of ceramics, cold meats, animal feed, textiles – Minas Silk, and various warehouses to process coffee. Coffee production Patrocínio has become one of the most important coffee producing areas of Brazil. About 78% of the economy is connected to coffee, with the activity employing more than 30,000 people. The cultivation of coffee began in the 1970s when strong frost decimated the large farms of Paraná and São Paulo. The region has a mild climate, good water distribution, with a large number of streams, and an annual rainfall considered ideal for coffee—about 1,600 milliliters. Main agricultural crops in planted area (2006) Area of permanent crops Coffee: 32,400 ha. Passion fruit: 105 ha. Banana: 90 ha. Tangerine: 70 ha. Coconut: 20 ha. Area of perennial crops Corn: 13,000 ha. Soybeans: 10,000 ha. Beans: 1,550 ha. Sorghum: 760 ha. Potatoes: 350 ha. Tomatoes: 276 ha. Manioc: 150 ha. Rice: 100 ha. Sugarcane: 100 ha. Farm information (year 2006) Number of farms: 2,725 Total agricultural area: 186,481 ha. Area of permanent crops: 28,489 ha. Area of perennial crops: 47,786 ha. Area of natural pasture: 85,506 ha. Workers related to the producer: 5,593 Workers not related to the producer: 12,412 Education The municicipal network has 12 schools with 7,180 students enrolled. Child education: 2,043 students Primary education: 4,435 students Middle school: 80 students Night school. 500 students In child education there are 2,043 students The municipality has 21 schools in the state network. There are also 4 private schools, Colégio Nossa Senhora do Patrocínio, Prisma, Atenas, ABC and several child care centers. There are two institutes of higher learning—Centro Universitário do Cerrado and the Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Patrocínio. Municipal Human Development Index The MHDI was 0.799 in 2000. Tourism Chapadão lake can be reached by BR-365 or by the Patrocínio/Cruzeiro da Fortaleza road. It is believed that Chapadão is the impact crater, which is clearly seen through Google Earth to the right of the city, being a small part of it a lake, and the large remainder farm land. The city offers attractive plazas, where its inhabitants enjoy evening strolls. The main ones are Monsenhor Tiago, or Matriz, Santa Luzia and Honorato Borges. Its hotel infrastructure offers more than 1,000 beds in a total of 14 hotels. Culture The Casa da Cultura de Patrocínio promotes and stimulates the cultural activities in the city. It offers courses in painting, jewelry making,