Location
The Itatiaia National Park is the oldest national park of Brazil, created on 14 June 1937 by President Getúlio Vargas. The park is in the Mantiqueira Mountains. It covers parts of the municipalities of Itatiaia and Resende in Rio de Janeiro state, and Bocaina de Minas and Itamonte in Minas Gerais state. It is mountainous and rocky with altitudes ranging from 540 to 2,791 metres (1,772 to 9,157 ft). The highest point is the Black Needles peak (Pico das Agulhas Negras).
The higher part of the park contains the origins of 12 river basins that supply the Rio Grande (Grand River), a tributary of the Paraná River, and the Paraíba do Sul, the most important river in Rio de Janeiro state. The lower part of the park has lush Atlantic Forest vegetation and wide rivers with natural pools and waterfalls.
The Pico das Agulhas Negras is the state' third highest mountain at 2,878 metres (9,442 ft). The park attracts bird watchers from all over the world with its 350 species of birds. Other attractions include hiking and rock climbing. The park is surrounded by the Serra da Mantiqueira Environmental Protection Area which provides an ecological buffer zone for the park.
The high area of the park is accessible through an entrance about 35 km from the main entrance and gives access to the Pico das Agulhas Negras and Prateleiras complex. The low area of the park is much closer to the city of Itatiaia and has many waterfalls, such as Véu da Noiva with 45 meters. The low area has also a Natural History museum. Itatiaia means "many-pointed rock" in the Tupi language.
Manhuaçu is a municipality in Eastern Minas Gerais state, in Brazil. Its population was 91,169 (2020) and its area is 628 km2.
Pico das Agulhas Negras is the fifth-highest mountain in Brazil, standing at 2,791 metres (9,157 ft) above sea level, making it one of the highest in the Brazilian Highlands. It is located in Itatiaia National Park, in the Serra da Mantiqueira range, on the border of the states of Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais. It is the highest point in the state of Rio de Janeiro, the third-highest peak in Minas Gerais, and the second-highest in the Mantiqueira range.
Resende is a municipality in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro. The population is 132,312 in an area of 1094 km2. Resendense refers to people or things that come from or inhabit Resende. It is the oldest town in this region, which has boundaries with the state of São Paulo and Minas Gerais. It is an important industrial, automotive, metallurgical, and tourist center, and headquarters of the world's second-largest military complex, the Academia Militar das Agulhas Negras (AMAN). Resende is of national importance and houses the Nuclear Fuel Factory complex of the "Indústrias Nucleares" of Brasil, the only one able to enrich uranium. Resende's automotive area holds MAN Latin America, the biggest truck and bus factory of Brazil, limited to PSA Peugeot Citroën and Michelin.
Passa-Quatro is a municipality in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil. The population is 16,393 in an area of 277.22 km2. It is part of the microrregion of São Lourenço.
Itatiaia is a Brazilian municipality of the state of Rio de Janeiro. It is located at an altitude of 390 meters. Its population was 32,064 in 2020 and its area is 224.96 km².
The Mantiqueira Mountains are a mountain range in Southeastern Brazil, with parts in the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro. It rises abruptly from the northwestern bank of the Paraíba do Sul River and extends northeastward for approximately 320 km (200 mi), reaching a height of 2,798 m (9,180 ft) at Pedra da Mina. The mountains, which eventually merge with the Serra do Espinhaço, were originally forest-covered, except for the peaks that rise above the tree line. They provide charcoal and pasture for cattle; on the lower slopes there are several health and tourist resorts, such as Campos do Jordão, Brazil's highest city. The name Mantiqueira derives from a Tupi word meaning "mountains that cry", denoting the large number of springs and streams found there.
Caparaó National Park is a national park created in 1961 to protect the Caparaó Mountains, located on the border between Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo states in Brazil. Pico da Bandeira, one of the highest mountains in Brazil, is located there.
Serra da Canastra National Park is a national park in the Canastra Mountains of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Serra da Mantiqueira Environmental Protection Area (Portuguese: Área de Proteção Ambiental da Serra da Mantiqueira is a protected area of Brazil that includes parts of the states of Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.
Pedra da Mina is the fourth highest mountain in Brazil, located in the Serra Fina section of the Mantiqueira Mountains, one of the country's most important mountain ranges. The mountain stands on the border of the states of Minas Gerais and São Paulo, respectively to its north and south. With a 2,798-metre (9,180-ft) elevation, it is the highest point of the Mantiqueira Mountains and of the state of São Paulo, and the second highest mountain in the state of Minas Gerais.
Mata dos Ausentes Ecological Station is a state-administered ecological station in Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Snow in Brazil occurs yearly in the high plains of the country's South Region. Elsewhere in the country it is a rare phenomenon but has been registered several times.
Pico dos Três Estados is a mountain peak at which the three Brazilian states of Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo all meet, respectively in the municipalities of Passa Quatro, Resende and Queluz.
Pico dos Marins is a mountain peak in Brazil, between the cities of Piquete and Cruzeiro, state of São Paulo. The peak stands only about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) south of the Minas Gerais state border, but it is located entirely in São Paulo territory. It is part of a short spur of the southwestern section of the Mantiqueira Mountains, and it has an elevation of 2,420.7 metres (7,942 ft).
The Mantiqueira Mosaic is a protected area mosaic that contains conservation units in the states of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Minas Gerais, Brazil. The conservation units are of different types and are managed at the federal, state or municipal level. The mosaic provides a level of integrated and coordinated management.
The Rio Pombo Nature Park, formerly the Serrinha do Alambari Municipal Park, is a municipal nature park in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The Serra do Papagaio State Park is a state park in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. It protects a mountainous region of Atlantic Forest.
The Serrinha do Alambari Environmental Protection Area is an environmental protection area in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The Pedra Selada State Park is a state park in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The Pico do Itambé State Park is a state park in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. It protects one of the higher peaks in the state.
