Viçosa

Viçosa is a Brazilian city (20°45'S, 42°52’W, approximately 650 m a.s.l.) located in the state of Minas Gerais in southeastern Brazil. Viçosa is approximately 360 km away from the city of Rio de Janeiro and 240 km away from Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais state. The climate of Viçosa is subtropical, with a rainy, hot season (September/October to March/April) when the maximum daytime temperatures reach approximately 30°C. In winter, the climate is characterised by cool breezes and fog in the middle of the night and in the morning, with minimum temperatures ranging from 5 to 13°C. The average annual temperature is 19°C.

The population of Viçosa is approximately 76,000 with a floating population of approximately 20,000, consisting mainly of students from the Federal University of Viçosa (UFV) and other institutes of higher education. The city focuses its activities around the UFV, founded in 1926 by the former president of Brazil, Arthur Bernardes da Silva, who was born in Viçosa. The city attracts an estimated 400,000 people a year from various parts of Brazil and abroad, who come either for a quick stay to take part in academic/scientific events (approximately 500 annual events) or for a longer period at UFV to expand their academic background and acquire further knowledge. Despite its small size, Viçosa is a cosmopolitan city. Living in Viçosa means being constantly part of an exchange program. The variety of people living here endows the city with a high level of cultural diversity. Indeed, Viçosa offers highly distinct lifestyles depending on what you intend to experience here. In particular, the young people give the city a youthful atmosphere, with a large number of festivals taking place throughout the week. In summary, if you wish to start a postgraduate program in Plant Physiology at UFV, you will find excellent hospitality here.