Vale

Vale is a term with several uses. In geography, vale is the word for a valley in English and several Romance languages, and it appears in place names and descriptions around the world. As a proper noun, Vale is also the name of a major Brazilian company and can be a surname or given name in various cultures.

Vale S.A., formerly known as Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (CVRD), is a Brazilian multinational mining and logistics company headquartered in Rio de Janeiro. It was established in 1942 by the Brazilian government to promote regional development around the Rio Doce valley. After decades as a state-owned enterprise, it was privatized in the late 1990s and rebranded as Vale. The company is one of the world's largest producers of iron ore and pellets and also produces nickel, copper, coal, and fertilizers. Vale operates mining and processing facilities, as well as extensive logistics networks that include ports and railways, supporting its global metal and ore shipments. It is traded on the Brazilian stock exchange (B3) and on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the VALE ticker.

Vale has been involved in major industrial incidents that drew global attention. The Samarco disaster in 2015, a joint venture with BHP Billiton, and the Brumadinho dam disaster in 2019 led to significant loss of life, environmental damage, and substantial financial settlements. These events prompted reforms in tailings management, governance, and compliance, and influenced safety standards across the mining sector.

Beyond the company, vale remains a common geographic and linguistic term for valley, used in various place names and as a surname in several cultures.