Juiz de Fora

Juiz de Fora (, External Judge), also known as J.F., is a city in the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, located close to the state border with Rio de Janeiro. According to 2006 estimates the current population is about 509,125 inhabitants. The geographical area of the municipality is 1,437 km2 (555 sq mi).

The city's location was determinant for its economic and demographic development, for it is placed between the three most important financial and economic metropolises of southeast Brazil (and also the three largest urban sprawls of the country): Rio de Janeiro (189 km (117 mi)), Belo Horizonte (260 km (160 mi)) and São Paulo (486 km (302 mi)). Major highways connect Juiz de Fora with these three metropolitan areas, the most important -and crucial for the city's recent growth- being the BR 040, which connects Brasília, Rio de Janeiro, and Belo Horizonte. Running throughout the city, the Paraibuna river is a major tributary of the Paraíba do Sul river, in which basin lies the core of Brazilian heavy and high-technology industries.