Piracicaba

Piracicaba
Municipality
Flag Coat of arms
Location in São Paulo state
Piracicaba Location in Brazil
Coordinates: 22°43′31″S 47°38′57″W / 22.72528°S 47.64917°WCoordinates: 22°43′31″S 47°38′57″W / 22.72528°S 47.64917°W
Country	Brazil
Region	Southeast Region
State	São Paulo
Government
• Mayor	Gabriel Ferrato (PSDB)
Area
• Total	1,378.07 km^2 (532.08 sq mi)
Elevation	547 m (1,795 ft)
Population (2015)
• Total	391,449
• Density	280/km^2 (740/sq mi)
Time zone	BRT/BRST (UTC-3/-2)
Postal code	13400-000
Website	www.piracicaba.sp.gov.br

Piracicaba is a city located in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. The population is 391,449 (2015 est.) in an area of 1378.07 km².^[1] It is at an elevation of 547 m above sea level.

Name

The place name comes from a word in the Tupi language that means "place where the fish stops".^[2] The name arises from the fact that the waterfalls of the Piracicaba River, which bisects the city, is a point at which "piracema"—fish swimming upstream to reproduce. Larger fish species such as the dourados can still be observed.

History

In 1766, Antonio Correa Barbosa, charged with the task of establishing a settlement on the estuary of Piracicaba river, opted for a location about 90 km from it.^[3] The settlement was officially founded on August 1, 1767, as a povoação subordinated to the vila of Itu.^[2] In 1784, Piracicaba gets emancipated from Itu, becoming a freguesia.^[2]

In 1821, the freguesia is promoted to vila, known as Vila Nova da Constituição. In 1856, Vila Nova da Constituição is promoted to city status and in 1877 it is officially named "Piracicaba", following a law by the then councilman and future Brazilian president Prudente de Morais.^[2]

In 1944, the city was made the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Piracicaba.^[4]

Notable institutions, events, resources

Piracicaba is home to the oldest agricultural university in Brazil, the Luiz de Queiroz School of Agriculture of the University of São Paulo.^[5] Founded in 1901, the school is located on a farm with a large collection of trees and plants. It is also recognized as a leader in the field of precision agriculture.

Piracicaba is known by the nickname "Noiva da Colina" (bride of the hills),^[6] and is the annual host to the "Festa das Nações" (Nations' Fair, where people may find foods from all over the world), and to the "Salão Internacional do Humor" (International Fair of Humor), where cartoonists from around the world display comic drawings.^[7][8]

Economy

Upscale houses in the city

Avenues in Piracicaba

Piracicaba is famous for sugarcane plantations,^[9] traditional cane spirit production, and traditional music.

In particular, its economy, as of this year, is fueled by the cultivation of sugarcane. The harvest of sugarcane produces many products, including sugar, oil, and ethanol.^[10] Copersucar, a large company that has a center of research on genetic improvement of sugarcane participates in this growing industry.

Another characteristic economic feature is the presence of large industries, where the main ones are Caterpillar,^[11] ArcelorMittal, and Hyundai.^[12]

Farms

Geography

Piracicaba's altitude is 554 meters.^[13] Temperatures through the year vary from 37.5° Celsius maximum to 16.0° Celsius minimum, and Piracicaba experiences annual rainfall of 123 centimeters. The area of the city is 1,312 square kilometers, making it the 19th largest city in the State of São Paulo. The urban area of Piracicaba is approximately 158 square kilometers, and 95% of the population resides in it.

Demographics

The population in 2015 was 391,449.^[1] The Human Development Index for the city was 0.836 in 2000, and 0.744 in 2013, both falling in the "high" category.

Utilities

Water and power are supplied at a level approaching 100%. As of this date, there were approximately 164 telephones, and 333 cars, both statistics per thousand people.

Sister cities

• Seongnam, South Korea

Notable natives

• José Altafini, also known as "Mazola", a Brazilian footballer.
• André Cypriano, documentary photographer
• Evaristo Conrado Engelberg, engineer and inventor
• Marcos Pizzelli-Brazilian footballer.
• Rubens Ometto Silveira Mello, owner of Cosan.

References

1. "IBGE - Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estat韘tica". ibge.gov.br. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
2. "IBGE | Cidades | São Paulo | Piracicaba | Histórico". cidades.ibge.gov.br. Retrieved 2016-03-04.
3. Tecnologia, Imagenet. "Prefeitura do Município de Piracicaba". www.urbal.piracicaba.sp.gov.br (in Breton). Retrieved 2016-03-04.
4. Piracicaba, Diocese de. "Criação da Diocese | Diocese de Piracicaba". www.diocesedepiracicaba.org.br. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
5. "Who we are | University of São Paulo". www.en.esalq.usp.br. Retrieved 2016-03-04.
6. "A "Noiva da Colina" e o véu — A Província - Paixão por Piracicaba". A Província - Paixão por Piracicaba (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2016-03-04.
7. "EBC". memoria.ebc.com.br. Retrieved 2016-03-04.
8. "Salão Internacional de Humor de Piracicaba | História". salaointernacionaldehumor.com.br. Retrieved 2016-03-04.
9. Audi, Raul. "A study on sugarcane cultures in the Piracicaba region by means of photointerpretation: Part II". Bragantia 27 (2): 383–394. doi:10.1590/S0006-87051968000200013. ISSN 0006-8705.
10. Moraes, Márcia Azanha Ferraz Dias de; Zilberman, David (2014-03-31). Production of Ethanol from Sugarcane in Brazil: From State Intervention to a Free Market. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 87. ISBN 9783319031408.
11. "A Caterpillar no Brasil". MEMORIAL DO EMPREENDEDORISMO. Retrieved 2016-03-04.
12. AW Staff (2011-02-28). "Brazil: Hyundai breaks ground on Piracicaba plant". automotiveworld.com. Retrieved 4 March 2016. (subscription required (help)). [Quoting:] Hyundai has launched construction on its Piracicaba plant in Brazil’s Sao Paulo state. The new 150,000upa plant is Hyundai’s seventh outside of South Korea. The manufacturer is investing US$600m in the Piracicaba facility, which will start production in the second half of 2012...
13. "LOCALIZAÇÃO, RELEVO E EXTENSÃO TERRITORIAL DE PIRACICABA" (PDF). IPPLAP. Retrieved April 4, 2016.

External links