| Official Name: | Rio Pomba |
| Settlement Type: | Municipality |
| Pushpin Map: | Brazil |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Brazil |
| Coordinates: | -21.2667°N -53°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Brazil |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Southeast |
| Subdivision Type2: | State |
| Subdivision Name2: | Minas Gerais |
| Subdivision Type3: | Mesoregion |
| Subdivision Type4: | Microregion |
| Subdivision Type5: | Metrop. region |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Area Total Km2: | 252 |
| Population Total: | 17,959 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 [1] |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone1: | BRT |
| Utc Offset1: | -3 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Area Code Type: | Area code |
Rio Pomba is a municipality in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais founded on 25 December 1767. The population is 17,959 (2020 est.) in an area of 252 km2.[2] The municipality is located at a mean elevation of 441 m.
In the 1700s, the region of the Pomba River valley was inhabited by the Coroados and Coropós indigenous peoples. As they came into contact with the colonizers, initially the residents of Guarapiranga (Piranga), they experienced oppression and domination, leading to violent clashes. In 1776, Governor Luís Diogo Lobo da Silva sought a religious solution to the conflict from the Diocese of Mariana. Father Manuel de Jesus Maria offered himself for a "civilizing" mission.[3]
On October 13, 1831, an imperial resolution elevated the settlement of São Manuel do Pomba to a village, which came to encompass the parishes of numerous other localities such as Mercês, São João Nepomuceno do Rio Novo, Santa Rita da Meia Pataca, Bonfim, among others. The current name was adopted in 1948.