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).