city, west-central Minas Gerais estado (state), Brazil. It lies at 2,808 feet (856 m) above sea level in the highlands. Made the seat of a municipality in 1866, it gained city status in 1892 with the name of Patos, which was lengthened in 1944 to Patos de Minas. The cultivation of soy, feijão (beans), corn (maize), cassava (manioc), rice, coffee, and oranges, along with phosphate-fertilizer processing and livestock raising, are the main sources of income in the locality. Dairy products, xarque (jerked beef), and hog by-products are processed in the city, and factories that manufacture products such as ceramics are also located there. Patos de Minas is linked by air, road, and railroad connections to Belo Horizonte, capital of the state. Pop. (2005 est.) 123,100.