Santa Isabel, São Paulo

Santa Isabel

Flag

Coat of arms
Nickname(s): Paraíso da Grande São Paulo ("Greater São Paulo's paradise")

Location of Santa Isabel
Santa Isabel

Location of Santa Isabel

Coordinates: 23°18′57″S 46°13′15″W / 23.31583°S 46.22083°W / -23.31583; -46.22083Coordinates: 23°18′57″S 46°13′15″W / 23.31583°S 46.22083°W / -23.31583; -46.22083
Country  Brazil
Region Southeast
State  São Paulo
Government
  Mayor Padre Gabriel (PV)
Area
  Total 363.33 km2 (140.28 sq mi)
Population (2015)[1]
  Total 54,926
  Density 150/km2 (390/sq mi)
Time zone UTC-3 (UTC-3)
  Summer (DST) UTC-2 (UTC-2)
HDI (2000) 0,766 medium
Website Santa Isabel City Hall
Street Kubitschek in Vila Nova Santa Isabel.

Santa Isabel (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈsɐ̃tɐ jzɐˈbɛw]) is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo.[2] The population is 54,926 (2015 est.) in an area of 363.33 km².[1] The elevation is 655 m. It is located 60 miles east of the downtown of the city of São Paulo.

History

The town of Santa Isabel was named after a Portuguese queen, Isabel or Elizabeth of Aragon (b. 1271- d. 1336), who was canonized by Pope Urban VIII in 1625. The town was founded in the 18th century, when Brazil was still a colony of Portugal.

Geography and ecology

Santa Isabel belongs to the Guarulhos macro region, thus it is part of the Greater São Paulo region as well. The municipality lies in the basins of the Rio Jaguari and the Rio Paraíba do Sul and 84% of the municipality is protected by environmental laws because of its significance as a potable water source [3]

The area suffered ecologically from unauthorized uses and in 1996 the Ibirapitanga Reserve on the Rio dos Pilões was created to preserve one of the last stands of Brazilian Atlantic forest and to permit managed urban growth.[3]

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, November 22, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.