Alfenas
Alfenas is a city and municipality in the southern part of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais state. In 2007 its population was 71,628 and the area of the municipality is 849Km2. The elevation is 888m. It is served by highways MG 179, BR 491 and BR 369. The distance to the state capital of Belo Horizonte is 335 km and the distance to São Paulo is 300 km. The slogan for the city is "Alfenas, the gateway to the sea of Minas", in reference to nearby Lake Furnas.
The main economic activity is the growing of coffee, with a planted area of 16,000 ha. Alfenas is the headquarters of the Brazil Specialty Coffee Association. After coffee other crops are corn, with 6,000 ha., potatoes, beans, tomatoes, and vegetables. Bananas and citrus fruits are also grown.
There are two universities: the public Unifenas (Universidade Federal de Alfenas) and the private Unifal (Universide José do Rosario Velano). Together enrollment was around 10,000 students in 2007.
One of Brazil's largest artificial lakes, Furnas is located scant kilometres away to the north. It bathes 34 municipalities. Its waters are used for boating, jet-ski, swimming, and fishing. The lake attracts a great number of tourists to the region and the city is well served by hotels. In 2006 there were 18 hotels with approximately 1,200 rooms.