Contagem (Portuguese pronunciation: [kõˈtaʒẽj]) is a city in the center of the state of Minas Gerais, in Brazil. It is located only 21 kilometers from the capital, Belo Horizonte and forms part of a metropolitan area with a population of 4.8 million.

The city belongs to the mesoregion Metropolitana de Belo Horizonte and to the microregion of Belo Horizonte and has a territorial extension of 195.2 km² and borders the municipalities of Ribeirão das Neves, Esmeraldas, Betim, Ibirité and Belo Horizonte. The elevation of the city hall is 939 meters.

According to estimates from 2008 the municipal population was 617,741 making it the second most populous city in the state of Minas Gerais, after Belo Horizonte.

The population is very young with 86% of the population being less than 50 years old.

Educational indicators:

Contagem is primarily a city of heavy industry with a diversified industrial complex; even though minerals processing and chemicals still have a large importance. The municipality is responsible for 4.2% of the state GDP, occupying second place after Belo Horizonte. Serious problems with both water and air pollution exist and the Pampulha Lake (Belo Horizonte) receives large quantities of heavy metals from the city.

Paul William Walker IV (born September 12, 1973) is an American actor with Albanian ancestry. He became well known in 1999 after his role in the hit film Varsity Blues. He is also known for starring in the surprise summer hit The Fast and the Furious. His other films include Joy Ride, Running Scared, Into the Blue and Eight Below. The films he has starred in have grossed more than $1.7 billion. He also appears in the National Geographic Channel series Expedition Great White..

Walker was born in Glendale, California and raised in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles County, the son of Cheryl, a fashion model, and Paul Walker III, a sewer contractor. His paternal grandfather was a professional boxer. He is the oldest of five, having two brothers and two sisters. Walker was raised as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormon, church. He attended and graduated from Village Christian School. After high school, he attended several community colleges where he majored in marine biology.