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Uberlândia is a city on the Rio Uberabinha in Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Originally called "São Pedro do Uberabinha", the city was a district of the city of Uberaba. In the 1930s, Uberlândia experienced a surge of growth during the construction of Goiânia, capital of neighbour state of Goiás, due to its exceptional location at the intersection of recently built federal roads that crossed the region. In the 1970s, the city experienced another surge of growth, surpassing Uberaba as the biggest city of the region and stablishing itself as an important regional economic center.
Uberlândia is the home city for some of the biggest private companies in Brazil; three out of the top five wholesellers have their main offices there. The city is also home to the oldest independent telecommunications company in Brazil, and to several service companies. Its burgeoning economy has attracted immigrants from other parts of Brazil, with negative effects over its social infrastructure.
On August 17, 1959, the automatic keys at the Uberlandia power station suddenly disconnected power to all four trunks. A technician at a substation 45 miles away immediately telephoned to report that all the keys at his location had been automatically disconnected as a UFO passed overhead, traveling in the direction of the generating station along the lines.