Atibaia (or ''Estância de Atibaia'') is a Brazilian
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
in the state of
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...
,
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
. The name is derived from an indigenous language called
Tupi, and means "healthy water river". Its name has changed over time, from the primitive Tupi word Tybaia, to Thibaia, Atubaia, Thibaya, and finally the city's modern name, Atibaia.
Its
strawberry crops are well known. These crops are cultivated mainly by
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
descendants, since the city was a common Japanese immigrant center.
History
In 1665, Jerônimo de Camargo and his expedition found a hill near a river named Tubaia (later called Atibaia River). Jerônimo de Camargo was a
Bandeirante
The ''Bandeirantes'' (), literally "flag-carriers", were slavers, explorers, adventurers, and fortune hunters in early Colonial Brazil. They are largely responsible for Brazil's great expansion westward, far beyond the Tordesillas Line of 149 ...
explorer.
[Atibaia, Brazil]
/ref> Their main objective was to search the interior lands of Brazil for rich mineral resources, such as gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...
, silver
Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...
and emeralds
Emerald is a gemstone and a variety of the mineral beryl (Be3Al2(SiO3)6) colored green by trace amounts of chromium or sometimes vanadium.Hurlbut, Cornelius S. Jr. and Kammerling, Robert C. (1991) ''Gemology'', John Wiley & Sons, New York, p. ...
in present-day state of Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais () is a state in Southeastern Brazil. It ranks as the second most populous, the third by gross domestic product (GDP), and the fourth largest by area in the country. The state's capital and largest city, Belo Horizonte (literally ...
.
Camargo had his men build a chapel by the Tubaia river, which served as shelter to "tropeiros"—interior explorers on horse back—as well. The area was already occupied by Mateus Nunes da Siqueira, a priest who established contact with the Guarulhos tribe.
In June 1665, a farm was established and Father Mateus built a village with the help of enslaved natives. The village was called Atibaia.
Atibaia was a very important settlement at that time, because it was part of the route to Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais () is a state in Southeastern Brazil. It ranks as the second most populous, the third by gross domestic product (GDP), and the fourth largest by area in the country. The state's capital and largest city, Belo Horizonte (literally ...
. São Paulo, probably the second most important city in Brazil at that time, was south of Atibaia, and the mining region north of it, locating Atibaia midway between those two important points.
As time passed, Atibaia became very important. Even the king of Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
, D. João VI, visited the small town. Many famous artists lived in or visited Atibaia, such as Benedito Calixto
Benedito Calixto de Jesus (14 October 1853 – 31 May 1927) was a Brazilian painter. His works usually depicted figures from Brazil and Brazilian culture, including a famous portrait of the '' bandeirante'' Domingos Jorge Velho in 1923, and scene ...
, a famous church fresco painter. The city boasts two of his paintings. Alberto Santos-Dumont
Alberto Santos-Dumont ( Palmira, 20 July 1873 — Guarujá, 23 July 1932) was a Brazilian aeronaut, sportsman, inventor, and one of the few people to have contributed significantly to the early development of both lighter-than-air and heavie ...
, the father of aviation, also visited Atibaia.
In April 1864, Atibaia was officially promoted to the status of city, due to the increased size of its population.
An important thoroughfare that divides the city is now called Avenida Jerônimo de Camargo.
The correct denomination for the native people is "atibaiano"; "atibaiense" is the nomination for those who live there but weren't born in the city.
Geography
Atibaia is located 64 km north-east of São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...
and 88 km south-east of Campinas
Campinas (, ''Plains'' or ''Meadows'') is a Brazilian municipality in São Paulo State, part of the country's Southeast Region. According to the 2020 estimate, the city's population is 1,213,792, making it the fourteenth most populous Brazilian ...
[ two major urban centres in the region.
The city is located on a strategic highway crossing: the junction of Rodovia D. Pedro I and Rodovia Fernão Dias, having direct access to important cities, such as ]São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...
, Belo Horizonte, Campinas
Campinas (, ''Plains'' or ''Meadows'') is a Brazilian municipality in São Paulo State, part of the country's Southeast Region. According to the 2020 estimate, the city's population is 1,213,792, making it the fourteenth most populous Brazilian ...
and Jacareí.
Atibaia has 478 square kilometers of area, 40% of this area is urbanized. The average altitude
Altitude or height (also sometimes known as depth) is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The exact definition and reference datum varies according to the context ...
is 800 meters.
Demographics
According to the census of 2007, executed by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE
The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics ( pt, Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística; IBGE) is the agency responsible for official collection of statistical, geographic, cartographic, geodetic and environmental information ...
), Atibaia has approximately 119,166 inhabitants. However, 30,000 of these are people who own land or summer homes in the city, but do not reside there.
Atibaia have a Gini index average = 0.43 according to 2007 IBGE data.
There is not great industrial activity in Atibaia, and so there is a huge labour
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
offer. According to the IBGE
The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics ( pt, Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística; IBGE) is the agency responsible for official collection of statistical, geographic, cartographic, geodetic and environmental information ...
census, 65% of the population (95,342 inhabitants) is part of the economically active age group.
Economy
In 2005, The Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) loaned Atibaia R$2 million, to try to help it improve its city hall management. The funds will be invested in information technology; human resource qualification; specialized technical services; equipment to support tax auditing; and infrastructure.
Sites of interest
There is a museum in Atibaia called the "Museu João Batista Conti". Begun in 1954, it contains arms, armor, furniture, historical objects, coins and works of religious art along with important documents on the colonial and imperial periods in Brazil.
Atibaia also has an evangelic seminary of the Word of Life organization or as known in Portuguese "Palavra da Vida". SBPV - Seminário Bíblico Palavra da Vida, founded in 1965, is located on the outskirts of Atibaia.SBPV - SBPV - Seminário Bíblico Palavra da Vida, Atibaia
/ref>
Neighboring towns
-Mairiporã
-Bom Jesus dos Perdões
-Bragança Paulista
-Jarinu
-Condominio do Regis (EPA)
-Piracaia
Sister cities
* Goyang, Gyeonggi Province
Gyeonggi-do (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Its name, ''Gyeonggi'', means "京 (the capital) and 畿 (the surrounding area)". Thus, ''Gyeonggi-do'' can be translated as "Seoul and the surrounding areas of Seoul". Seoul, the na ...
, South Korea
References
External links
City Hall website
*
{{Authority control
Municipalities in São Paulo (state)
Populated places established in 1665