Economic Development Secretariat - SEDE

Sister provinces are regions which establish agreements with the State of Minas Gerais with the common wish to widen and develop fraternal cooperation. Based on the principles of equality and mutual benefit, both parties should promote a friendly exchange and commercial contacts between their populations, as well as cooperate in the spheres of science and technology, sports, culture, public health and education


Signing of Sister States Agreement: 1996

Jiangsu Province is located in the middle of the east coast of China. It lies within the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and adjoins Shanghai, the largest economic center in China. With an area of 102,600 square km, Jiangsu Province houses a population of approximately 74.33 million. The province has a terrain varying from almost flat to gently rolling and has numerous lakes and a dense network of waterways. Situated in a transition belt from a subtropical to temperate zone, the province has four distinctive seasons with moderate rainfall. Fertile land, abundant water and a gentle climate give Jiangsu Province the reputation of "a land of milk and honey".

There are 13 municipalities under the jurisdiction of the provincial government, namely, Nanjing, Wuxi, Xuzhou, Changzhou, Suzhou, Nantong, Liangyungang, Huai'an, Yancheng, Yangzhou, Zhenjiang, Taizhou and Suqian. Under these municipalities, there are 52 counties or county-level cities. The capital of the province is Nanjing.

Source: www.jsfao.gov.cn/yingwen/index.asp
Areas covered by the cooperation (among others):

• Science & Technology.
• Pharmaceutical and biotechnology.
• Budget Planning and Schooling Aid, legal mechanisms for the bidding process of goods
• and / or services.
• Industry training for the production of dairy products and other agriculture-related sectors.
• Production of pesticide and optical fibre.
• Electronics, biotechnology, agri-business and high-tech industrial parks.
• Imports, by the Chinese side, of beef, leather, coffee and dairy products; technology transfer for the production and handling of fireworks and supply of raw material for the production of medicine in Minas Gerais.

Signing of Sister States Agreement: 1973

The sisterhood-type agreement between Minas Gerais State and Yamanashi Prefecture, in Japan, is the oldest of its kind for Minas and was established on 25th July, 1973, during the tenure in office of Governor Rondon Pacheco.

The Japanese prefecture excels in polishing and production of jewelry, whilst Minas Gerais, with its wealth of gems and precious stones contributed decisively for the definition of principles that lead to the signing of the agreement.

Located at the central part of Honshu Island - the most important in the Japanese archipelago - Yamanashi Prefecture has an area of 4.463 km2, with a total of 880 thousand people.

The region has a vast number of high-rise mountains, in the range of two to three-thousand metres above sea-level and approximately 78% of its territory is covered by forests and vegetation, including four national parks - among them the Fuji Hakone-Izu
National Park, home to Mount Fuji, one of the most famous sights in the country.

One of the greatest "treasures" of Yamanashi is, for sure, the production of fresh fruits - a real gift from its very rich nature. The prefecture holds a 4.463 km2  4.463 km2  4.463 km2  4.463 km2  4.463 km2  4.463 km2  4.463 km2  "number one" in the production of grapes, peaches and plums. The famous grapes from the Koshu region, are used in the production of "Koshu Wine", widely and internationally renowned.

Moreover, textiles, jewelry manufacture and production of the unique Japanese rice paper "washi" are centuries-old tradition that co-exist with the worldwide recognition for the high-tech process of precious stones processing in Yamanashi.

Mountain climbing and hot springs (onsen, in Japanese) are the main leisure activities in Yamanashi. The bubbling hot waters are to be found in several areas of the prefecture and one of the main resorts is located at Isawa, some 90 minutes from Tokyo.

Throughout the four seasons, visitors and tourists from big cities are attracted by the forests and lakes around Mount Fuji and also by mountain trekking in the Minami Alps (the Southern Japanese Alps), by the beauty of the local canyons, the quietness of the mountains in the Chichibu-Tama Kai range, the picturesque landscape of the Yatsugatake Plateau and, especially, the fresh air and the crystal clear waters of the entire region.

Source: www.pref.yamanashi.jp/global_net/html/Portuguese/81312254284.html
www.pref.yamanashi.jp/global_net/html/Portuguese/69753988572.html
Areas covered by the cooperation (among others):

• Electricity generation; the food industry; environment; mining industry; metal processing, information technology; professional training and manufacturing industry, most notably in the field of precious stones polishing and manufacture of fine jewelry.
• Annual training period in an administrative unit in Japan, in a programme provided by the Government of Yamanashi Prefecture for a representative of the Minas Gerais Government - an on-going initiative for the training and learning of young professionals in Japan, by way of a scholarship grant from Yamanashi.

Signing of Sister States Agreement: 1996

Located at the northeastern tip of North America, Québec covers 1,667,926 km2 (643,819 sq. mi.). That's three times the size of France, 40 times the size of Switzerland and 50 times the size of Belgium. Its territory extends nearly 2,000 km (1,242 mi.) from the U.S. border to the Arctic Ocean, between Ontario to the west and New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador to the east.

With its entire southern portion dissected by the St. Lawrence, one of the largest rivers in the world, Québec is graced with an incredible variety of landscapes: a fertile fluvial plain between the Canadian Shield to the north and the Appalachian Mountains to the south, wide swaths of forest, taiga and tundra, all of which share over a million lakes and thousands of rivers, or some 180,000 km2 (69,480 sq. mi.) of fresh water. The highest peaks in Québec are Mont D'Iberville (1,622 m / 5,321 ft.), located in Nunavik's Torngat mountains, and Mont Jacques-Cartier (1,268 m / 4,160 ft.), part of the Chic-Chocs mountain range in the Gaspésie

Québec has three types of climate:
- humid continental south of the 50th parallel
- subarctic between the 50th and 58th parallels
- arctic above the 58th parallel
These correspond to the regions covered, respectively, by the forest, the taiga and the tundra.

Southern Québec enjoys four very different seasons, characterized by significant temperature variations. A rigorous, snowy winter-the average snowfall for Québec City is over three metres, or ten feet-is followed by a lush, exhilarating spring, then a warm summer that segues into a flamboyant fall. In essence, Québecers owe their legendary warmth and vitality to these astonishing climatic variations.

Source: www.bonjourquebec.com/qc-en/geographie0.html
Areas covered by the cooperation (among others):

• Fields of Economy, Science, Technology and Training.
• Efforts to promote international competitiveness.
• Promotion and creation of better job opportunities and improvement in the standard of living.
• Stimulate trade relations, investment, industrial cooperation projects and the transfer of technology.
• Support for industrial modernization and diversification.
• Exchanges between Quebec and Minas Gerais enterprises.
• Creation of joint ventures and information networks, together with exchanges of experience and specialized knowledge.
• Sectors of electricity generation, food industry, environment, mining and metal processing, information technology and manufacturing.
• Areas of geo-processing, agriculture and cattle farming; taxation supervision.

Signing of Sister States Agreement: 2003

Queensland is a state of Australia, in the north-east of the country. It is the second largest state by area and the third largest state by population.

Queensland is also Australia's most decentralised state: The capital and largest city is Brisbane, but other regional centres include the Gold Coast, Townsville, Rockhampton, Mackay, Cairns, Toowoomba, and Mount Isa. Queensland is often nicknamed the Sunshine State, since it enjoys warm weather and a sizable portion of the state is in the tropics.

On Friday, December 9, 2005 the population of Queensland officially reached 4 million. Queensland is the fastest growing state in Australia, with nine hundred people moving to the state a week.

Predictions have been made that by 2051 Queensland will become Australia's 2nd most populous state of 7.5 million behind New South Wales.

Queensland was originally a British Crown Colony that was separated from New South Wales in 1859. What is now Brisbane was originally the Moreton Bay penal colony, intended as a place to hold convicts who re-offended while serving out their sentences in New South Wales.

The state's borders are defined as:
- North The northernmost part of the state is the triangular Cape York Peninsula, which points toward New Guinea. The western side of the peninsula is washed by the Gulf of Carpentaria, while its eastern side borders the Coral Sea, an arm of the Pacific Ocean.
- East The eastern border is the Pacific Ocean
- West To the west, Queensland is bordered by the Northern Territory, at the 138° E. longitude, and to the south-west by the north-eastern corner of South Australia.
- South by New South Wales. This border has three sections:
    The watershed from Point Danger to the Dumaresq River
    The river section involving the Dumaresq, the MacIntyre and the Barwon
    The 29° S. latitude, over to the South Australian border.

State capital Brisbane, is located on the coast 100 km by road north of the New South Wales border.
The largest city by area in the world, Mount Isa, is located in Queensland. The city area is in excess of 40,000 km².

The state is divided into several major regions. Other smaller geographical regions of note include:
    - the Atherton Tablelands
    - the Granite Belt
    - the Channel Country in the far south-west.
Queensland has many places that are blessed with natural beauty, including:
    - the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast having some of the state's most popular beaches
    - the Bunya Mountains and the Great Dividing Range with numerous lookouts,
      waterfalls and picnic areas.
    - Carnarvon Gorge
    - Whitsunday Islands and Hinchinbrook Island
The state contains five World Heritage listed preservation areas.
    - Australian Fossil Mammal Sites at Riversleigh in the Gulf Country
    - Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves
    - Fraser Island
    - Great Barrier Reef
    - Wet Tropics of Queensland
Highest maximum temperature: 49.5C (121.1F), Birdsville, 24 December 1972 (The temperature of 53.1C (127.5F) at Cloncurry on 16 January 1889 is not considered official, the figure quoted from Birdsville is the next highest, so that record is considered as being official).

Lowest minimum temperature: -11.0C (12.2F), Stanthorpe, 4 July 1895

Population
The population of Queensland officially reached 4 million in December, 2005. Queensland's population is less centralised in the capital city than the rest of the country. At 30 June 2004 the capital city represented 45.7% of the population; for the whole country, capital cities represented 63.8% of the total population.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queensland

Areas covered by the cooperation (among others):

• Fields of Environment and Foreign Trade.
• Area of management of water resources.
• Area of mining and the trade related to iron ore and its by-products.

Signing of Sister States Agreement: 2003

Heartland of Argentina

Córdoba, capital of Córdoba province, is located at the northern tip of a triangle between Santiago, Chile and Buenos Aires. Called the Heartland of Argentina for its location in the geographical center of the country, Córdoba has a strong colonial history blending with modern economic growth.
The city lies in a fertile, agricultural area, watered by the Primero river, also called Río Suquia, which runs through the city. The province is scenic, with other rivers, lakes and valleys. Together with the mild climate, this was an ideal spot for early settlement on the colonial route between Lima and the Atlantic.

Founded before Buenos Aires, Córdoba was the first capital of the country and (photos) is now Argentina's second most important city. It's growing in commercial importance, with an automobile industry and an expanding tourism industry. The combination of colonial past, modern buildings and a convenient base for exploring the nearby Andes and the Pampas make Córdoba a favored spot for conventions and language schools. Its location provides the arena for many adventure and/or extreme sports.

Source: http://gosouthamerica.about.com/cs/southamerica/a/ArgCordoba.htm

Areas covered by the cooperation (among others):

• Setores de meio ambiente e de comércio exterior.
• Área de gerenciamento de recursos hídricos.
• Área de setor de mineração e comércio de minério de ferro e derivados.

Province of Torino - Piemonte (Piedmont-Piemont) Region, Italy


The Province of Torino is one of the largest and most populated in Italy with a surface area of 6,830 square km, and a total population of over 2,100,000 inhabitants. The province of Turin is the second widest in Italy, and the first as far as number of communes is concerned, with 315 Municipalities, with a network of province roads covering over 3700 km across a mostly high-mountain territory.
 
The university and politechnic are among the most ancient and renowned in Italy, and, though smaller than Milan, the area is surely an industrial capital thanks to the automotive factories, machine technology and more recently the IT sector.

The province of Torino was foremost in the Italian industrial development, thanks to the wealth of raw materials and the hydroelectric plants, but also to an enterpreneur class of great experience and foresight.

But alongside with industrial progress, the province was able to maintain a strong cultural and historical identity, and to preserve natural landscapes of astounding variety and beauty, with natural parks, protected area, tiny villages in the Alps amid forests and small lakes, hundreds of miles of trekking itineraries, ski tracks for downhill and cross-country...

Source: www.italyworldclub.com/piemonte/torino/index.html
Areas covered by the cooperation (among others):

• Strengthening of international competitiveness. Stimulus to scientific and technological development. Promotion of better job opportunities and improvement in quality of living.
• Economic development with co-operation and exchange in fields of mutual interest such as auto industry, electricity generation, food industry, environment, mining, processing and transformation of metals, professional training and manufacturing.
• Opening of a trade representative office of Piemonte in Minas Gerais - the "Antenna Piemonte" for the promotion of exchange between small & medium-sized business from Minas Gerais and Piemonte.
  
  

DAEGU – SOUTH KOREA

Signing of Sister States Agreement: 1994

Present Status: Initiatives in planning stage for further strengthening of ties

Present Status: Initiatives in planning stage for further strengthening of ties