Ouro Preto
Ouro Preto is also a university town with an intense student life. The Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto (Federal University of Ouro Preto or UFOP) has approximately 10,000 students in the city. Many of them live in communal houses that are somewhat similar to fraternity houses as found in North American colleges. These communal or shared houses are called "repúblicas", of which 66 belong to the university, called "repúblicas federais", and 250 are privately owned ("repúblicas particulares").