dos Poções, Coração de Jesus, Francisco Sá, Glaucilândia, Ibiracatu, Japonvar, Juramento, Lontra, Luislândia, Mirabela, Montes Claros, Patis, Ponto Chique, São João da Lagoa, São João da Ponte, São João do Pacuí, Ubaí, Varzelândia, and Verdelândia. The population was 501,480 in 2000 and the area was . Distances It is from the capital, Belo Horizonte, and is connected by the following highways: BR 135 – Bocaiúva/Januária BR 365 – Pirapora/Uberlândia BR 251 – Rio-Bahia/Salinas/Coração de Jesus BR 122 – Janaúba Climate The climate is tropical with an annual average temperature of . The vegetation of the municipality is mainly Cerrado with areas of transition between cerrado and Caatinga. Economy Primary sector: Producer of dairy and beef cattle, followed by agriculture: beans, corn, manioc, cotton, and irrigated rice. Secondary sector: The industrial sector began to increase with the arrival of electric power in 1965 and the participation of the government agency SUDENE in the industrial development of the region. Today industry is the main activity in the city. The factories installed are, among others, the largest factory of condensed milk in the world (Nestlé), one of the three factories of insulin in Latin America (BIOBRAS now Novo Nordisk Produção Farmacêutica do Brasil), a modern textile factory (COTENOR), and the seventh largest cement factory in Brazil (LAFARGE BRASIL) Montes Claros is also recognized nationally as the capital of Carne de Sol, a local jerky-like dry beef and Arroz com Pequi, a very popular meal that is made of rice and Pequi. According to CAGED (Cadastro Geral de Empregados e Desempregados), Montes Claros is ranked #3 in the list of the cities of the state of Minas Gerais in number of employed people, only behind Belo Horizonte and Uberlândia. Education and health Several higher education institutions are located in Montes Claros. There are three public universities: Universidade Estadual de Montes Claros (Unimontes), Instituto Federal do Norte de Minas Gerais (IFNMG) and a campus of the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), and five private colleges: Universidade Paulista (UNIP), Universidade Norte do Paraná (Unopar), Faculdades Pitágoras, Faculdades Unidas do Norte de Minas (FUNORTE), Faculdade de Ciência e Tecnologia de Montes Claros (Facit), Faculdade de Saúde Ibituruna (Fasi), and Faculdades Santo Agostinho. In 2005 there were 1 public and 2 private hospitals with 996 beds. There were also 62 public and 78 private clinics. Airport Mário Ribeiro Airport has a runway with capability to receive planes