Juiz de Fora is a city in the southeast of Minas Gerais, Brazil close to the state border with Rio de Janeiro. According to the 2006 estimate the population was 509,125 inhabitants. The area of the municipality is 1,437 km². The location is strategic for economic growth, between the three most important centers of southeast Brazil: Rio de Janeiro (189 km), Belo Horizonte (260 km) and São Paulo (486 km). Major highways connect Juiz de Fora with these three metropolitan areas, the most important being the BR 040, which connects Brasília with Rio de Janeiro, passing through Belo Horizonte. Often referred to only as "JF", this traditional city is located in the deep Paraibuna river valley, a major tributary of the Paraíba do Sul, in the Paraíba do Sul basin, between the Órgãos and Mantiqueira ranges.