The Microregion of Caraguatatuba (), often referred as Litoral Norte (''Northern Coastline''), is a
microregion
Microregion is a designation for territorial entities.
Austria
*Microregion (Tyrol)
Brazil
* Microregion (Brazil)
Klaus Roth and Ulf Brunnbauer
A microregion is a geographic region of a size between that of a community and that of a district.p. ...
in the easternmost coastal part of
São Paulo State
SAO or Sao may refer to:
Places
* Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD
* Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso
* Saco Transportation Center (station code SAO), a train station in Saco, Maine, U.S. ...
,
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 microregion is bordered by the state of
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...
to the east. It is a famous touristic destination, mainly because of the 160 beaches. According to
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 ...
, Caraguatatuba Microregion has a GDP of R$2,019,94,.048,00 and a population of 281,532 people spread over an area of 1,947.702 km², which means that the density is 144.5/km². The population increases considerably during the summer, because of the tourists.
Municipalities
The microregion consists of the following municipalities:
*
Caraguatatuba
*
Ilhabela
Ilhabela ( Portuguese for ''Beautiful Island'') is an archipelago and city situated in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of São Paulo state in Brazil. The city is from the city of São Paulo and from the city of Rio de Janeiro. The largest is ...
*
São Sebastião
*
Ubatuba
Ubatuba is a Brazilian municipality, located on the southeast coast, in the state of São Paulo. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of Vale do Paraíba e Litoral Norte. The population is 92,819 (2021 est.) in an area of 723.88 km², of whi ...
History
The first city to be settled was São Sebastião, in 1636. Ubatuba came next, in 1637, and then Ilhabela in 1805. Caraguatatuba was the last one, in 1857. However, it is important to note that the channel between Ilhabela and São Sebastião had already been sailed by the Portuguese in 1502.
All four cities relied on agriculture and fishing as its main economic activities for most of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, whereas São Sebastião served as a major
sugar cane
Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus '' Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalk ...
,
coffea
''Coffea'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. ''Coffea'' species are shrubs or small trees native to tropical and southern Africa and tropical Asia. The seeds of some species, called coffee beans, are used to flavor vario ...
and
tobacco
Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
production site. In the second half of the 20th century, the cities started to receive several tourists, mostly from
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 nearby cities. This made it possible for the region to make money out of tourism, via hotels, restaurants, handicraft stores and nightclubs.
Geography
The
Serra do Mar
The Serra do Mar (, Portuguese for ''Sea's Ridge'' or ''Sea Ridge'') is a 1,500 km long system of mountain ranges and escarpments in Southeastern Brazil.
Geography
The Serra do Mar runs parallel to the Atlantic Ocean coast from the state ...
mountain range dominates the landscape of the microregion. Urbanization took place in the plains between the mountains and the sea. The highest point is the ''Pico de São Sebastião'' (''Saint Sebastian's Peak''), in
Ilhabela
Ilhabela ( Portuguese for ''Beautiful Island'') is an archipelago and city situated in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of São Paulo state in Brazil. The city is from the city of São Paulo and from the city of Rio de Janeiro. The largest is ...
, at above sea level. The
oceanic climate sets the temperatures around the region between 20 and 30 °C for most of the year. Rain falls moderately, but it falls more frequently particularly in
Ubatuba
Ubatuba is a Brazilian municipality, located on the southeast coast, in the state of São Paulo. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of Vale do Paraíba e Litoral Norte. The population is 92,819 (2021 est.) in an area of 723.88 km², of whi ...
, which is the reason of the city's nickname ''Ubachuva'' (lit. ''Ubarain'').
Transportation
Highways
The only road crossing all the microregion (except for the island municipality of Ilhabela) is the
BR-101
The BR-101 (also called ''Translitorânea'' (transcoastal), officially named ''Rodovia Governador Mário Covas''.[São José dos Campos
São José dos Campos (, meaning Saint Joseph of the Fields) is a major city and the seat of the municipality of the same name in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. One of the leading industrial and research centers with emphasis in aerospace scien ...](_blank)
via the
Tamoios Highway. From Ubatuba, it is possible to reach
Taubaté
Taubaté is a medium-sized city in the State of São Paulo, in southeastern Brazil.
Location
Its strategic location between the two most important Brazilian cities (São Paulo away, and Rio de Janeiro away), connected to both by the President ...
via the
Oswaldo Cruz Highway.
To reach
Ilhabela
Ilhabela ( Portuguese for ''Beautiful Island'') is an archipelago and city situated in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of São Paulo state in Brazil. The city is from the city of São Paulo and from the city of Rio de Janeiro. The largest is ...
, the island is only accessible via the
ferry boat
A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water tax ...
s departing from São Sebastião. The crossing takes 15 minutes, although sometimes people must wait more than an hour to take the boat.
Air
Ubatuba Airport
Gastão Madeira State Airport is the airport serving Ubatuba, Brazil.
It is operated by Rede Voa.
History
On March 15, 2017 Voa São Paulo was granted by the government of the State of São Paulo the concession to operate this facility, previou ...
is the only one in the microregion. It operates from sunrise to sunset only, and it is used mainly for non-commercial flights. It has a single 930 m asphalt 09/27 runway.
[ Data current as of October 2006.]
References
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Caraguatatuba