The State Park of the Peak of Itambé

The Cordillera do Espinhaço is a mountain range rich in mineral deposits such as iron, manganese, bauxite or gold, and is located on the Atlantic plateau, extending over the states of Minas Gerais (beginning north of the village Ouro Branco in the south of the capital Belo Horizonte) and going to the north of the state of Bahia, Chapada Diamantina being its prolongation.
The northeastern limit of this cordillera lies at the border with the state of Piauí in the north.
With a width of more or less 100 km, this massif constitutes the division between the river São Francisco and the rivers that descend directly to the Atlantic Ocean.
It is considered a world biosphere reserve because it is one of the richest regions of the planet, thanks to its great biological diversity.
Indeed, the state of Minas Gerais is located at the intersection of the three great biomasses of Brazil, Mata Atlântica, Cerrado and Caatinga.
On the other hand, it is the only cordillera of Brazil, relatively extended (a few thousand quilometers) and is intersected by summits and valleys (the highest being Pico do Itambé being 30km (as the crow flies) small town of Diamantina in Minas Gerais).

The Itambé Park (2060 meters) is an integral part of this cordillera (located at some 300 km at the north of the capital, Belo Horizonte), the village of São Antonio do Itambé is located at the foot of the summit, on the south side.
On the north side is the hamlet of Capivari and the Protected Village of Milho Verde.
It was created on 21 January 1998, comprising the municipalities of Serro, São Antonio de Itambé and Serra Azul, or about 4,700 hectares, in the Alto Jequitinhonha region, which has a particular vegetation.

*Santo Antônio do Itambé is located at the foot of the Peak of Itambé.

Located at the foot of the Peak of Itambé at the south side.

*The districts of Milho Verde, of Três Barras and Capivari
are located at about 10 kilometers from the north side of the Peak of Itambé

Between the small historic town Diamantina at the north of Milho Verde and Serro, a small district of the municipality of Serro where can be found a treasure of natural beauty.
Thus is Milho Verde located on the slopes of Cordilheira do Espinhaço, very close to the source of Rio Jequitinhonha.

*The small town of Serro.

This town is an important agglomeration of Caminho dos Diamantes and Estrada Real, a legacy of a past where mines attracted numbers of gold and precious stones researchers from the southern regions of São Paulo or the northern regions of the country from the end of the 17th century.
Currently, it produces the famous the cheese of Serro, one of the most tasty formations of the region of Minas Gerais.

The Cordillera do Espinhaço covers 11 conservation units and environmental protection (APB - Área de Proteção Ambiental) in the State of Minas Gerais which are:

You can found the influences of Cerrado biomass or Mata Atlantica based the geographical location in the park (west area or zone),