Barbacena is a city and municipality in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. As of 2005, the municipality had 115,000 inhabitants. The total area of the municipality is 788km2.
It is in the foothills of the Serra da Mantiqueira south of the state capital Belo Horizonte at an elevation of 1,136 meters making it one of the ten highest cities in Brazil.
Located on the important BR 040 highway (also called Rodovia JK), which links Brasília to Rio de Janeiro, it is 160 km from the state capital and 90 km from Juiz de Fora.
It has a humid tropical climate with cool summers due to the elevation. Summer averages are 24º and winter averages 13º. The cool climate and abundant rainfall have made Barbacena a center for flower production.
Cattle raising and the dairy industry are quite developed and the city is a big producer of milk products There are several small textile factores. Barbacena is the biggest producer of flowers in Minas Gerais, and the city is nicknamed "City of Roses".
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