Águas De São Pedro
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Águas de São Pedro () is a Brazilian municipality in the state of
São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
located from the state capital. At only , it is the second-smallest Brazilian municipality in terms of area, and had an estimated population of 3,521 . Águas de São Pedro means "Waters of Saint Peter". Its name is derived from the
mineral spring Mineral springs are naturally occurring springs that produce hard water, water that contains dissolved minerals. Salts, sulfur compounds, and gases are among the substances that can be dissolved in the spring water during its passage un ...
s in its territory and their location, which before the city's founding were part of the municipality of São Pedro (
Saint Peter Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the Jewish Christian#Jerusalem ekklēsia, e ...
). The average annual temperature in the city is , and most of the municipality's vegetation consists of reforested area. In 2016 there were 2,491 vehicles in the city. Exclusively an urban area, with no rural areas, the city had four health facilities in 2009. Its
Human Development Index The Human Development Index (HDI) is a statistical composite index of life expectancy, Education Index, education (mean years of schooling completed and expected years of schooling upon entering the education system), and per capita income i ...
(HDI) is 0.854, the second highest in the state of São Paulo, as well as the second highest in Brazil, surpassed only by
São Caetano do Sul São Caetano do Sul (; " Saint Cajetan of the South"), or simply São Caetano, is a city in São Paulo state in Brazil. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo. The population is 161,957 (2020 est.) in an area of 15.33 km2. It is ...
. Águas de São Pedro was incorporated in the 1940s. The city is known for its mineral waters of medicinal value, their natural sources popular tourist attractions. One of the springs, ''Fonte Juventude'', has the second most highly sulfurous water in the world. It also has two large parks, Dr.Octavio Moura Andrade Park and the ''Parque das Águas'' "José Benedito Zani", and the municipal mini-garden, all important green areas of the city. The municipality is located in the region of Itaqueri Ridge; ''Itaqueri'' means "lying stone" in Tupí–Guaraníin the south-central part of the state of São Paulo. It is a
planned city A planned community, planned city, planned town, or planned settlement is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed on previously undeveloped land. This contrasts with settlements that evolve ...
and since its founding has been a tourist destination.


History


Origins

Until 1800 the region of São Pedro and its enclave was
virgin forest An old-growth forest or primary forest is a forest that has developed over a long period of time without Disturbance (ecology), disturbance. Due to this, old-growth forests exhibit unique ecological features. The Food and Agriculture Organizati ...
. The first known people to set foot in Águas de São Pedro territory were, as in most municipalities in the
São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
countryside, ''
bandeirantes ''Bandeirantes'' (; ; singular: ''bandeirante'') were settlers in colonial Brazil who participated in expeditions to expand the colony's borders and subjugate Indigenous peoples in Brazil, indigenous peoples during the early modern period. T ...
'' seeking precious stones, especially
gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
, opening many roads and routes in the dense forest. One of these routes, called ''Caminho do Picadão'' (Way of the Forest Trail), started in
Itu The International Telecommunication Union (ITU)In the other common languages of the ITU: * * is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for many matters related to information and communication technologies. It was established ...
, passed through
Piracicaba Piracicaba ( ) is a Municipalities of Brazil, Brazilian municipality located in the Interior of São Paulo, interior of São Paulo (state), São Paulo state, in the Southeast Region, Brazil, Southeast Region of Brazil. It serves as the main city ...
and advanced towards the hinterlands of
Araraquara Araraquara ( ) is a city in the state of São Paulo (state), São Paulo in Brazil. The population is 250,314 (2022 est.) in an area of . It is also known as "the abode of the sun," because of its impressive sunset and because of its hot atmospher ...
. For years, many farms were established in the region, until in 1883, São Pedro was detached from Piracicaba and became politically independent. The economy at that time was based on
coffee Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially a ...
production, and many Italian families settled in these regions to work under partnership contracts to replace the
slave labor Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...
. In this way, the Italian immigrant Angelo Franzin arrived in Brazil in 1887, going to work on a farm called "Recreio", owned by João Rezende da Cruz; just a year later Franzin would run other farms, like Santa Rita, Santa Eulália and Rosário. After many years of work, he purchased land with his brother Jácomo and decided to try coffee planting. The first properties they acquired were the farms Palmeiras and Limoeiro, followed by the lands of Floresta Escura, Gonçalves, Tuncum and Araquá, as well as houses, lots, and two machines to process coffee beans.


Search for oil and the discovery of springs

In the 1920s
Júlio Prestes Júlio Prestes de Albuquerque (; 15 March 1882 – 9 February 1946) was a Brazilian poet, lawyer and politician. He was the last elected President of Brazil of the period known as the Old Republic, but never took office because the gover ...
, the governor of São Paulo, began exploration of the oil prospecting area in São Pedro. His efforts failed to find petroleum, and the equipment was abandoned, but still gushing out
mineral water Mineral water is water from a mineral spring that contains various minerals, such as salts and sulfur compounds. It is usually still, but may be sparkling ( carbonated/ effervescent). Traditionally, mineral waters were used or consumed at t ...
. Subsequently, other attempts were made to find oil at greater depths, and again no oil was found. One
oil rig An oil rig is any kind of apparatus constructed for oil drilling. Kinds of oil rig include: * Drilling rig A drilling rig is an integrated system that Drilling, drills wells, such as oil or water wells, or holes for piling and other construc ...
structure still remains; it is called the ''Torre de Petróleo Engenheiro Ângelo Balloni'' (Engineer Ângelo Balloni Oil Tower). Years later, in 1934, Franzin, owner of some of the land in the area, built a simple bath house (currently known as the "Youth Fountain") in one of the springs where he bathed, the waters of which had a characteristic smell of
sulfur Sulfur ( American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphur ( Commonwealth spelling) is a chemical element; it has symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms ...
. A year later, a group of townspeople bought a lot measuring around the original wood bath house, where they built a
health resort A destination spa or health resort is a resort centered on a spa, such as a mineral spa. Historically, many such spas were developed at the location of natural hot springs or mineral springs. In the era before modern biochemistry and pharmaco ...
. It was composed of twelve masonry bathtubs. In that same year, Octavio Moura Andrade decided to build a
spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa health treatments are known as balneotherapy. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters and hot springs goes back to pre ...
there, giving it the name of ''Caldas de São Pedro'', and, along with his brother, Antonio Joaquim de Moura Andrade, established the company ''Águas Sulfídricas e Termais de São Pedro S.A.'' (Saint Peter Thermal and Sulphydric Waters S.A.). For four years, the Institute for Technological Research (IPT) of the
University of São Paulo The Universidade de São Paulo (, USP) is a public research university in the Brazilian state of São Paulo, and the largest public university in Brazil. The university was founded on 25 January 1934, regrouping already existing schools in ...
conducted a series of studies of those waters. Generally, water from great depths has a high concentration of substances that may be harmful to human beings, and its pH may not be suitable for bathing. In 1940 the results were published in Bulletin 26 of the IPT. The waters were deemed good for bathing, and their medicinal properties were studied by Professor João de Aguiar Pupo, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine of São Paulo.


Foundation and incorporation

Recognizing the importance of the thermal springs in the region, the São Paulo State Government on 19 June 1940 founded the (Hydromineral and Climatic Spa of Águas de São Pedro). Despite this, the city celebrates its birthday on 25 July, the date in 1940 of the founding of the first major building in the city, the ''Grande Hotel'' (now ''Grande Hotel São Pedro''). The municipality of Águas de São Pedro was incorporated by State Law No.233, of 24 December 1948.


Construction of the spa town and urban planning

To promote the development and exploitation of the medicinal waters in an economically viable way, Octavio Moura Andrade conceived and designed a city focused on
hydrotherapy Hydrotherapy, formerly called hydropathy and also called water cure, is a branch of alternative medicine (particularly naturopathy), occupational therapy, and Physical therapy, physiotherapy, that involves the use of water for pain relief and ...
and residential purposes: a
spa town A spa town is a resort town based on a mineral spa (a developed mineral spring). Patrons visit spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. Thomas Guidott set up a medical practice in the English town of Bath, Somerset, Ba ...
. Águas de São Pedro was created as a hydromineral spa, fully planned and aiming to serve both those who needed treatment and tourists looking for fun and leisure. The
urban planner An urban planner (also known as town planner) is a professional who practices in the field of town planning, urban planning or city planning. An urban planner may focus on a specific area of practice and have a title such as city planner, tow ...
Jorge de Macedo Vieira was chosen to integrate the use of space with the mineral waters, topography, soil, and climate, conducting a two-year-long detailed study of the area prior to designing the city. It was only in 1940 that the project was completed, being recorded in the Real Estate Registry Office of the District of São Pedro under number1, in accordance with the requirements of the Brazilian Federal Decree-Law No.58, of 10 December 1937. As part of this project several buildings were constructed, including a large luxury hotel to welcome tourists, as well as a casino, one of the first in the country with activity regulated by the government. A sanitation system was constructed, with the technical firm Saturnino de Brito from
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...
hired to study and control the sanitation system in the area around the ''Grande Hotel''. Several roads were reconstructed, including an road connecting São Pedro to the springs that can handle the traffic of heavy vehicles; construction of an
airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...
(now
São Pedro Airport 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 * Serb Autonomous Regions (''Srpska autonomna oblast'', SAO), during the breakup of ...
) in a 40-'' alqueire'' area (239.2
acre The acre ( ) is a Unit of measurement, unit of land area used in the Imperial units, British imperial and the United States customary units#Area, United States customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one Chain (unit), ch ...
s, or 96.8 ha) with four runways, a departure lounge, electricity, telephone, running water, hangar and refueling station. Energy infrastructure was improved. Because São Pedro's power grid was in disrepair, a private power line was built connecting São Pedro to the construction works of the spa, and in the ''Grande Hotel'' was installed an emergency powerhouse with two
diesel Diesel may refer to: * Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression * Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines * Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine ...
generators capable of supplying the hotel and the town.


Contemporary history

After the opening of the spa,
tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...
gained momentum. The city became one of the members of the ''Região Turística da Serra do Itaqueri'' (Touristic Region of the Itaqueri Ridge), composed of twelve municipalities. With the large influx of tourists, the need developed for improvements in the commercial sector, prompting renovation of the ''Rua do Comércio'' (Trade Street, old nickname for the street João Batista Azevedo). In 2013 a group of companies led by Telefônica Vivo announced plans to make Águas de São Pedro the first digital city in the country. In the first stage of the project, the telephone wiring of the city was replaced, changing from
copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...
to
optical fiber An optical fiber, or optical fibre, is a flexible glass or plastic fiber that can transmit light from one end to the other. Such fibers find wide usage in fiber-optic communications, where they permit transmission over longer distances and at ...
. An antenna, providing 4G technology, and security cameras were installed; tablets were distributed to students of the municipal school; presence sensors in a smart car parking system and a smart street lighting system were installed, reducing energy consumption. At the end of 2015, though continuing to provide services to the community, Telefônica Vivo transferred managing responsibility to the city government. The second stage would begin in 2016, with the installation of
interactive kiosk An interactive kiosk is a computer terminal featuring specialized hardware and software that provides access to information and applications for communication, commerce, entertainment, or education. By 2010, the largest bill pay kiosk network ...
s in public places, the training of teachers to work with new technologies, and the scheduling of medical appointments over the Internet, but ended up not being implemented. In addition, most of the residents went on to complain that most of the services promised no longer exist or do not work.


Geography

The municipality of Águas de São Pedro covers , the second-smallest Brazilian city in area, only larger than Santa Cruz de Minas. It represents 0.0015% of the state territory and 0.0004% of the area of
southeastern Brazil The Southeast Region of Brazil ( ) is composed of the states of Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro (state), Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo State, São Paulo. It is the richest region of the country, responsible for approximately 53% of t ...
. The municipality does not have a
rural area In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry are typically desc ...
, only an urban perimeter. Águas de São Pedro is divided into four
neighborhood A neighbourhood (Commonwealth English) or neighborhood (American English) is a geographically localized community within a larger town, city, suburb or rural area, sometimes consisting of a single street and the buildings lining it. Neigh ...
s: ''Jardim Jerubiaçaba'' (Garden ''Jerubiaçaba''; ''Jerubiaçaba'' means "loyalty" in Tupí–Guaraní) in the northeast, ''Jardim Iporanga'' (Garden ''Iporanga''; ''Iporanga'' means "beautiful river" in Tupí–Guaraní) in the east, ''Centro'' (Center), and ''Jardim Porangaba'' (Garden ''Porangaba''; ''Porangaba'' means "nice view" in Tupí–Guaraní) in the south. The city is located at
latitude In geography, latitude is a geographic coordinate system, geographic coordinate that specifies the north-south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from −90° at t ...
22°35'50.422" south and
longitude Longitude (, ) is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east- west position of a point on the surface of the Earth, or another celestial body. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees and denoted by the Greek lett ...
47°53'02.309" west, and at a distance of northwest of the
São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
state capital. Its only adjacent municipality is São Pedro, from which is one of the four
enclave An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is so ...
s of Brazil, besides
Arroio do Padre Arroio do Padre (, Portuguese language, Portuguese meaning Priest's Stream) is a Brazilian Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the southeastern part of the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Its 2020 population was 2,951. Much of the population ...
,
Ladário Ladário () is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul. The municipality of Ladário is surrounded by the municipality of Corumbá in all directions. Together, Corumbá and Ladário total 123,320 inhabitants. A town w ...
and
Portelândia Portelândia is a municipality enclave in southwestern Goiás state, Brazil. It is a prosperous community with a large production of soybeans. Geographical information Portelândia is located in the extreme west of the state, 65,5 kilometers east ...
.


Geomorphology and hydrology

The
geomorphology Geomorphology () is the scientific study of the origin and evolution of topographic and bathymetric features generated by physical, chemical or biological processes operating at or near Earth's surface. Geomorphologists seek to understand wh ...
of the area of Águas de São Pedro is characterized by
reliefs Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...
of low, soft
hill A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct summit, and is usually applied to peaks which are above elevation compared to the relative landmass, though not as prominent as Mountain, mountains. Hills ...
sseparated by valleys without major river plainsand it is slightly rugged, with sites that only rarely exceed of unevenness. The municipality is at an altitude of above sea level, and located in a geographic region called the São Paulo State Peripheral Depression, near the border with the Western Plateau, in an area of basaltic
cuesta A cuesta () is a hill or ridge with a gentle slope on one side, and a steep slope on the other. In geology, the term is more specifically applied to a ridge where a harder sedimentary rock overlies a softer layer, the whole being tilted somew ...
s. Águas de São Pedro is located in the so-called Piramboia Formation (''Piramboia'' means " snake fish" in Tupí–Guaraní), one of the five stratigraphic subdivisions of the
Paraná Basin The Paraná Basin (, ) is a large cratonic sedimentary basin situated in the central-eastern part of South America. About 75% of its areal distribution occurs in Brazil, from Mato Grosso to Rio Grande do Sul states. The remainder area is distribu ...
, all formed at different periods, in which
Triassic The Triassic ( ; sometimes symbolized 🝈) is a geologic period and system which spans 50.5 million years from the end of the Permian Period 251.902 million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Jurassic Period 201.4 Mya. The Triassic is t ...
and
Early Cretaceous The Early Cretaceous (geochronology, geochronological name) or the Lower Cretaceous (chronostratigraphy, chronostratigraphic name) is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous. It is usually considered to stretch from 143.1 ...
ages
sediment Sediment is a solid material that is transported to a new location where it is deposited. It occurs naturally and, through the processes of weathering and erosion, is broken down and subsequently sediment transport, transported by the action of ...
s predominate. The sediments are composed of thin to medium
arenite Arenite (from the Latin ''arena'', "sand") is a sedimentary clastic rock with sand grain size between 0.0625 mm (0.00245 in) and 2 mm (0.08 in) and containing less than 15% matrix. The related adjective is ''arenaceous''. The e ...
s, white-orange to reddish in color, and with tangential
cross-bedding In geology, cross-bedding, also known as cross-stratification, is layering within a stratum and at an angle to the main bedding plane. The sedimentary structures which result are roughly horizontal units composed of inclined layers. The origina ...
in a mid-size to large base; these features are indicative of temporary rivers in the past in a
semiarid A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of sem ...
environment. The city is situated in the central part of the Medium Tietê Zone, which occupies about , or two-fifths of the total area of the Peripheral Depression. It is bounded by Araquá River (''Araquá'' means "hole of the world" in Tupí–Guaraní), which has a general north–south route, and also by the Limoeiro and Das Palmeiras lakes. The region where Águas de São Pedro is located is also part of the
watershed Watershed may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, an area of land where surface water converges (North American usage) Music * Watershed Music Festival, an annual country ...
of the Piracicaba River. The Piracicaba basin extends over an area of , covering the southeastern state of São Paulo and the southern end of
Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil, being the fourth largest state by area and the second largest in number of inhabitants with a population of 20,539,989 according to the 2022 Brazilian census, 2022 census. Located in ...
.


Climate

According to the
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
, Águas de São Pedro has a
tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry "winter") and ''As'' (for a dry "summer"). The driest month has less than ...
(Aw), close to the
humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
(Cfa), with a decrease in
rainfall Rain is a form of precipitation where water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. ...
during
winter Winter is the coldest and darkest season of the year in temperate and polar climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Dif ...
, an annual average temperature of , dry and mild winters (with occurrence of light
frost Frost is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface, which forms from water vapor that deposits onto a freezing surface. Frost forms when the air contains more water vapor than it can normally hold at a specific temperature. The process is simila ...
s on a few days of the season), and rainy
summer Summer or summertime is the hottest and brightest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, daylight hours are the longest and darkness hours are the shortest, with day ...
s with high temperatures. The hottest month, February, has an average temperature of , with an average maximum of and a minimum of . The coldest month, July, has an average temperature of , with and being the maximum and minimum averages, respectively. Fall and spring are transitional seasons. The total annual rainfall is measured at , and July is the driest month, with of precipitation. In January, the wettest month, the average is . Since the early 2000s, however, hot and dry days during winter have been increasingly frequent not only in Águas de São Pedro, but also in much of the state of São Paulo, often surpassing , especially between the months of July and September. During the dry season and in the long '' veranicos'' in the middle of the rainy season, there have been increasing reports of smoke from burned-over land in sugarcane plantations and scrubland, mainly in the rural area around the city, leading the federal court to prohibit such activity in the region.
Hailstorm Hail is a form of solid precipitation. It is distinct from ice pellets (American English "sleet"), though the two are often confused. It consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice, each of which is called a hailstone. Ice pellets generally fal ...
s are not common in the city, but one of the most recent occurred on 17 February 2010.


Ecology and environment

The original vegetation in the area of Águas de São Pedro was the
cerrado The Cerrado () is a vast ecoregion of Tropics, tropical savanna in central Brazil, being present in the states of Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Tocantins, Maranhão, Piauí, Bahia, Minas Gerais, São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Paraná ...
, a mixed formation classified into two strata: the upper stratum, composed of trees with variable height of from , with crowns often sparse and spaced apart, and the lower stratum, composed of continuous coverage of grasses and other plants less than a meter tall, and trees with trunks and twisted and gnarled branches, thick
bark Bark may refer to: Common meanings * Bark (botany), an outer layer of a woody plant such as a tree or stick * Bark (sound), a vocalization of some animals (which is commonly the dog) Arts and entertainment * ''Bark'' (Jefferson Airplane album), ...
, large leaves, and thorns. This natural vegetation, however, is quite devastated. Today the vegetation is predominantly planted. The city has , 17.40% of its total area, of reforested areas, mostly concentrated in Dr.Octavio Moura Andrade Park in the northwest, and , or 0.69% of its total area, of
floodplain A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river. Floodplains stretch from the banks of a river channel to the base of the enclosing valley, and experience flooding during periods of high Discharge (hydrolog ...
vegetation, all concentrated on the banks of the Araquá River in the southeast portion of the municipality.


Demographics

As of the 2010 Brazilian Census recorded by the
Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (; IBGE) is the agency responsible for official collection of statistical, geographic, cartographic, geodetic and environmental information in Brazil. IBGE performs a decennial national cen ...
(IBGE), Águas de São Pedro has a
population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...
of 2,707. Of that total, 2,361 inhabitants are
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
(87.22%), 279 are
Pardo In the former Portuguese and Spanish colonies in the Americas, ''pardos'' (feminine ''pardas'') are triracial descendants of Europeans, Indigenous Americans and Africans. History In some places they were defined as neither exclusively ...
(brown) (10.31%), 41 are
Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
(1.51%), and 26 are Asian (0.96%). It is the 594th most populous city in the state, and has a population density of 749.45 inhabitants per square kilometer. Of the total population, 1,262 inhabitants were men and 1,445 were women. Half of the housing units of the city (50.6%) are owned by vacationers. Many people stay in the municipality only on weekends and holidays and have their homes just for recreation and as a real estate investment. In the year 2000, 305 people (16.2% of the city's population) stated having some type of
disability Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be Cognitive disability, cognitive, Developmental disability, d ...
, almost two percent higher than the national average. The Municipal Human Development Index (MHDI) of Águas de São Pedro, is at 0.854, considered very high by the
United Nations Development Programme The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. The UNDP emphasizes on developing local capacity towar ...
(UNDP), and is the second highest in the state of São Paulo, as well as the second highest in Brazil. Considering only education, the index is at 0.825, compared to 0.637 for Brazil as a whole; the longevity index is 0.890 (0.816 for Brazil); and the income index is 0.849 (0.739 for Brazil). The city ranks high in the majority of indicators, and above the national average in all indicators, according to the UNDP. The
Gini coefficient In economics, the Gini coefficient ( ), also known as the Gini index or Gini ratio, is a measure of statistical dispersion intended to represent the income distribution, income inequality, the wealth distribution, wealth inequality, or the ...
, which measures
social inequality Social inequality occurs when resources within a society are distributed unevenly, often as a result of inequitable allocation practices that create distinct unequal patterns based on socially defined categories of people. Differences in acce ...
, is 0.40, on a scale in which 1.00 is the worst and 0.00 is the best. The incidence of poverty, measured by the IBGE, is measured at 5.91%, on a scale in which the lower limit is 0.17% and the upper limit is 11.65%; and the incidence of subjective poverty is measured at 4.24%.


Religion

As with the cultural variety in Águas de São Pedro, there are various religious manifestations present in the city. As of the 2010 Brazilian Census, the population had 1,836
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
s (67.81%), 435 Evangelics (16.07%), 228 people without religion (8.41%), 125 Spiritists (4.63%), 29 people with religion either undetermined or multiple belonging (1.08%), 13
Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
(0.47%), 9 Orthodox Catholics (0.33%), 7
Spiritualist Spiritualism may refer to: * Spiritual church movement, a group of Spiritualist churches and denominations historically based in the African-American community * Spiritualism (beliefs), a metaphysical belief that the world is made up of at least ...
s (0.24%), 6
Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses is a Christian denomination that is an outgrowth of the Bible Student movement founded by Charles Taze Russell in the nineteenth century. The denomination is nontrinitarian, millenarian, and restorationist. Russell co-fou ...
(0.23%), 6people with new Eastern religions (0.23%), 4people of other Christian religion (0.15%), 3
Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
s (0.12%), 3people with esoteric traditions (0.11%), and 3people from
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...
(0.12%).


Roman Catholic Church

The history of the Catholic Church in Águas de São Pedro started when Mrs. Maria Julia das Dores Andrade, mother of the city founder, asked him to build the "House of God" along with the construction of the ''Grande Hotel''. The highest place of the city was selected to erect it. In 1946 a chapel was completed, its architecture based on a chapel seen by Dr.Octavio in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The chapel was dedicated to Our Lady of the
Immaculate Conception The Immaculate Conception is the doctrine that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Mariology, Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Debated by medieval theologians, it was not def ...
. In 1954 Águas de São Pedro was removed from the City of São Pedro
parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...
, and on 29 May of that same year, the present-day Immaculate Conception Parish was founded by Don Ernesto de Paula. The parish is subordinate to the Diocese of Piracicaba. Years after the foundation of the parish, a new site near the central area of the city was selected for the construction of a new church, but those plans were not completed because
Canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...
Marcos Van Inn, the creator of the project, died. Then the parochial hall of the city was nominated by the Bishop of Piracicaba, Don Aníger Maria Melillo, to be adapted into the city's Mother Church, as it remains today. The title of Immaculate Conception was transferred from the old chapel to the Mother Church, and the chapel is now dedicated to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception of the Apparition.


Protestant Church

The most diverse evangelical beliefs are present in the city, mainly
Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a movement within the broader Evangelical wing of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes direct personal experience of God in Christianity, God through Baptism with the Holy Spirit#Cl ...
, including the Assemblies of God in Brazil (the largest evangelical church in the country),
Christian Congregation in Brazil The Christian Congregation in Brazil () was founded in Brazil by the Italian-American missionary Luigi Francescon (1866–1964), as part of the larger Christian Congregation (Pentecostal), Christian Congregation movement. History Louis Frances ...
, among others. These denominations are growing more and more throughout Brazil.


Economy

According to data for 2016 from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), the municipality had a
gross domestic product Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the total market value of all the final goods and services produced and rendered in a specific time period by a country or countries. GDP is often used to measure the economic performanc ...
(GDP) of R$132,616,560.00, of which R$7,533,360.00 were product taxes net of subsidies, and the GDP per capita was R$41,378.02. Also according to the IBGE, in 2016 the city had 225 local units (shops) and a total of 1,569 employed persons, with 1,271 of them salaried.
Salaries A salary is a form of periodic payment from an employer to an employee, which may be specified in an employment contract. It is contrasted with piece wages, where each job, hour or other unit is paid separately, rather than on a periodic basis. Sa ...
along with other compensation totaled R$32,625,000.00 and the average monthly wage of the municipality was 2.2
minimum wage A minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that employers can legally pay their employees—the price floor below which employees may not sell their labor. List of countries by minimum wage, Most countries had introduced minimum wage legislation b ...
s. The city does not have a rural area, so the
primary sector The primary sector of the economy includes any industry involved in the extraction and production of raw materials, such as farming, logging, fishing, forestry and mining. The primary sector tends to make up a larger portion of the economy in d ...
does not factor in the local GDP. Although the municipality does not depend on any major industry, the gross value added to the GDP from the
secondary sector In macroeconomics, the secondary sector of the economy is an economic sector in the three-sector theory that describes the role of manufacturing. It encompasses industries that produce a finished, usable product or are involved in constructi ...
was R$10,504,940.00. R$94,367,210.00 of the municipal GDP is from services, currently the major source of GDP of Águas de São Pedro. A major part of the
tertiary sector The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector (raw materials) and the ...
is tourism, and the city's economy is geared exclusively toward this sector. The municipality of Águas de São Pedro is integrated with the Tourism Region of the Itaqueri Ridge and has as its main attraction its medicinal mineral waters. According to city officials, the new tourism routes go through regionalization. Tourists attracted by the natural attractions also help to stimulate the commercial sector of the city. The busiest retail centres are Carlos Mauro Avenue and Trade Street, which after renovations costing R$302,000.00 has become a
pedestrian street Pedestrian zones (also known as auto-free zones and car-free zones, as pedestrian precincts in British English, and as pedestrian malls in the United States and Australia) are areas of a city or town restricted to use by people on foot or ...
. According to the Brazilian Secretary of Foreign Trade (SECEX), in 2016 the exports of Águas de São Pedro totaled only US$838, all originated from Australia. Among the products exported are imitation jewelry, woven baskets and plastic
lid A lid or cover is part of a container, and serves as the closure (container), closure or Seal (mechanical), seal, usually one that completely closes the object. Lids can be placed on small containers such as Tub (container), tubs as well as large ...
s. The holidays also tend to bring more income to the city. In the 2016
Carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Carnival typi ...
, for example, the Municipal Secretary of Tourism said that the influx of tourists would result in the addition of R$5million into the local economy. Several economic programs were created to highlight the Tourism Region, attract more tourists, and improve the commercial and lodging sectors.


Media

Only one newspaper is published in the city, called ''Jornal Águas News'', founded 21 May 2016 and have biweekly circulation. The city, however, is served by regional newspapers reporting events in the city, such as ''A Tribuna de São Pedro'', and ''Jornal O Regional'', from São Pedro, and ''Jornal de Piracicaba'', ''A Tribuna Piracicabana'', and ''Gazeta de Piracicaba'', from Piracicaba. Águas de São Pedro has only one radio station broadcasting from the city, ''Rádio FM Estância Ltda.'' (
call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally as ...
ZYD 970), which began in 1987 and now is branded as ''92 FM''. In telecommunications, the city was served by Telecomunicações de São Paulo. In July 1998, this company was acquired by Telefónica, which adopted the Vivo brand in 2012. The company is currently an operator of cell phones, fixed lines, internet (fiber optics/4G) and television (satellite and cable).


Culture and recreation


Tourism

On weekends the city receives an influx of tourists that numbers up to twice the number of year-round residentsabout 6,000 tourists. On the long holidays, the number of tourists can reach 30,000. Águas de São Pedro is one of eleven municipalities considered hydromineral spas by the government of the state of São Paulo, by fulfilling certain prerequisites set by state Law. Federal Law no.2,661 from 3 December 1955 states: "It is considered thermomineral, hydromineral, or simply
mineral spa Mineral spas are spa resorts developed around naturally occurring mineral springs. Like seaside resorts, they are mainly used recreationally although they also figured prominently in prescientific medicine. Origins Spas were used for mille ...
the location recognized by state law, and which has springs of thermal or mineral, natural waters exploited in compliance with the provisions of this law and the Federal Decree-Law no.7,841, from 8August 1945." This recognition ensures these municipalities a larger budget from the state to invest in regional tourism. Also, the city has the right to add before its name the title of hydromineral spa, the term by which the city is to be designated by both the municipal administration as well as the state references. As green areas the city has the ''Mini Horto'' (Mini Garden), a place with a
plant nursery A nursery is a place where plants are plant propagation, propagated and grown to a desired size. Mostly the plants concerned are for gardening, forestry, or conservation biology, rather than agriculture. They include retail nurseries, which se ...
and a
pond A pond is a small, still, land-based body of water formed by pooling inside a depression (geology), depression, either naturally or artificiality, artificially. A pond is smaller than a lake and there are no official criteria distinguishing ...
, and two large parks: * Dr. Octavio Moura Andrade Park (named in 1975), area with more than one million square meters (approximately 10,763,900 square feet), with 16
hiking trail A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. " ...
s with a length of . In the park can be found several species of the regional
fauna Fauna (: faunae or faunas) is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding terms for plants and fungi are ''flora'' and '' funga'', respectively. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively ...
and
flora Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...
, as about 250 types of birds and approximately 40
coati Coatis (from Tupí), also known as coatimundis (), are members of the family Procyonidae in the genera '' Nasua'' and '' Nasuella'' (comprising the subtribe Nasuina). They are diurnal mammals native to South America, Central America, Mexico, ...
s. * ''Parque das Águas'' "José Benedito Zani" (Waters Park "José Benedito Zani", named in 2000), an area with with a
jogging Jogging is a form of trotting or running at a slow or leisurely pace. The main intention is to increase physical fitness with less stress on the body than from faster running but more than walking, or to maintain a steady speed for longer periods ...
track, an
outdoor gym An outdoor gym is a gym built outside in a public park, with the all-weather construction of its exercise machines somewhat modeled on playground equipment. It is similar to the 1960s–1970s proliferation of fitness trails, which continue to ...
, a skate ramp, and a bikeway. Águas de São Pedro had the ''Museu das Telecomunicações "Gilberto Affonso Penna"'' (Museum of Telecommunications "Gilberto Affonso Penna"), better known as ''Museu do Rádio'' (Radio Museum), which was inaugurated in 2003 and had a collection of 117 items, ranging from gramophones to radio transmitters and typewriters. After a renovation in the place where it was located, the ''Centro Educacional e Cultural Angelo Franzin'' (Angelo Franzin Educational and Cultural Center, also known by the acronym CECAF), the museum was closed and has no forecast of reopening. There are two local
holiday A holiday is a day or other period of time set aside for festivals or recreation. ''Public holidays'' are set by public authorities and vary by state or region. Religious holidays are set by religious organisations for their members and are often ...
s in Águas de São Pedro: the city anniversary (25 July) and the day of the Immaculate Conception (8 December).


Mineral springs

Águas de São Pedro is popular for its mineral waters, as its name indicates. There are three fountains in the municipality: ''Fonte Juventude'' (Youth Fountain), ''Fonte Gioconda'' (''Gioconda'' Fountain), and ''Fonte Almeida Salles'' (Almeida Salles Fountain), all with a much higher mineralization than most other Brazilian mineral springs. Of these three, only the last two have a natural outcrop, as the ''Juventude'' fountain water comes from the
artesian well An artesian well is a well that brings groundwater to the surface without pumping because it is under pressure within a body of rock or sediment known as an aquifer. When trapped water in an aquifer is surrounded by layers of Permeability (ea ...
at an old oil exploration site. The water in the ''Fontanário Municipal'' (Municipal Fountain) is potable, and for baths, there is the ''Spa Thermal Dr. Octavio Moura Andrade'', the municipal bath house. The water of the ''Fonte Juventude'' is collected at a depth of ; it is the most highly sulfurous water in Brazil and the
Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...
and is the second in the world in sulfurous components (only behind the Pergoli fountain in Tabiano,
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
), with 34.3
milligram The kilogram (also spelled kilogramme) is the base unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI), equal to one thousand grams. It has the unit symbol kg. The word "kilogram" is formed from the combination of the metric prefix kilo- (m ...
s of sulfur oxygenated compounds, 4mg of
hydrogen sulfide Hydrogen sulfide is a chemical compound with the formula . It is a colorless chalcogen-hydride gas, and is toxic, corrosive, and flammable. Trace amounts in ambient atmosphere have a characteristic foul odor of rotten eggs. Swedish chemist ...
, and 53mg of
sodium hydrosulfide Sodium hydrosulfide is the chemical compound with the formula NaSH. This compound is the product of the half-neutralization of hydrogen sulfide () with sodium hydroxide (NaOH). NaSH and sodium sulfide are used industrially, often for similar purp ...
and
sodium sulfide Sodium sulfide is a chemical compound with the formula Na2 S, or more commonly its hydrate Na2S·9 H2O. Both the anhydrous and the hydrated salts are colorless solids, although technical grades of sodium sulfide are generally yellow to brick red ...
per liter of water. It is indicated for immersion baths and treatment of
skin disease A skin condition, also known as cutaneous condition, is any medical condition that affects the integumentary system—the organ system that encloses the body and includes skin, Nail (anatomy), nails, and related muscle and glands. The major funct ...
s. ''Fonte Gioconda'' has a high
sodium sulfate Sodium sulfate (also known as sodium sulphate or sulfate of soda) is the inorganic compound with formula Na2SO4 as well as several related hydrates. All forms are white solids that are highly soluble in water. With an annual production of 6 mill ...
content (42 mg/100 mL), and is therefore indicated in the treatment of
stomach disease Stomach diseases include gastritis, gastroparesis, Crohn's disease and various cancers. The stomach is an important organ in the body. It plays a vital role in digestion of foods, releases various enzymes and also protects the lower intestine fr ...
s. The fountain was named in honor of the Giocondo family, who ceded the land around the spring to Octavio Moura Andrade. The ''Fonte Almeida Salles'' is named in honor of the homonymous doctor of the Secretariat of Agriculture of the State of São Paulo who first visited it and tested the medicinal qualities of the water. It is a
sodium bicarbonate Sodium bicarbonate ( IUPAC name: sodium hydrogencarbonate), commonly known as baking soda or bicarbonate of soda (or simply “bicarb” especially in the UK) is a chemical compound with the formula NaHCO3. It is a salt composed of a sodium cat ...
water indicated for stomach and liver diseases.


Caminho do Sol

Idealized by José Palma in 2002, the ''Caminho do Sol'' (Way of the Sun) is a preparatory way to the Way of St. James, and it is recognized by the
Xunta de Galicia The Xunta de Galicia (; "Regional Government of Galicia") is the collective decision-making body of the government of the autonomous community of Galicia, composed of the President, the Vice-president(s) and the specialized ministers (''Consel ...
. The route ends at the city of Águas de São Pedro, in the ''Casa de Santiago'' (House of St.James) located in the ''Mini Horto''. Several pilgrims, with bicycles or hiking, come to the city every year along the way as a religious pilgrimage or tourism. The way is long and passes through 12 municipalities in the following order: Santana de Parnaíba,
Pirapora do Bom Jesus Pirapora do Bom Jesus is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo. The population is 19,178 (2020 est.) in an area of 108.49 km2. The name ''Pirapora'' comes from the Tupi languag ...
,
Cabreúva Cabreúva is a municipality ('' município'') in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The population is 50,429 (2020 est.) in an area of 260.23 km2. The elevation is 640 m. The city takes its name from the Cabreúva tree ('' Myrocarpus frondosu ...
, Itu, Salto, Elias Fausto,
Capivari Capivari is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The population is 56,379 (2020 est.) in an area of 323 km2. Media In telecommunications, the city was served by Companhia Telefônica Brasileira until 1973, when it began to ...
, Mombuca, Saltinho, Piracicaba, São Pedro, and Águas de São Pedro.


Arts and crafts

In the field of
performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which involve the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. P ...
, between 2006 and 2010, an ongoing Theatre Exhibition of São Pedro and Águas de São Pedro was held. In 2010 the project won the "Competition to Support Festivals of Art in the State São Paulo" that was promoted by the Secretariat of State for Culture, part of the "Cultural Action Program" organized by the ''Associação Cultural Arte'' (Art Cultural Association), which ensured that the event had full and unrestricted support from the governments of the two cities.
Craft A craft or trade is a pastime or an occupation that requires particular skills and knowledge of skilled work. In a historical sense, particularly the Middle Ages and earlier, the term is usually applied to people occupied in small scale pr ...
s are also one of the most spontaneous forms of cultural expression of Águas de São Pedro. In the city it is possible to find a variety of crafts, made with regional raw materials and created in accordance with the local
culture Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...
and way of life. The "ART'S TRAMAArtisans Association of São Pedro and Region", along with other institutions such as the municipal government or the Superintendence of Craft Work in Communities (SUTACO), bring together many craftsmen from the region and provide space for production, exhibition and sale of crafts such as quilts and crochet table runners, flowers produced with dry corn leaves, and woven pieces produced on looms. Usually, this material is sold at bazaars (like the ones promoted by the municipal Social Solidarity Fund), fairs, exhibitions or craft stores.


Sports

In 1941 the ''Grande Hotel'' hosted the first major chess competition in Brazil, the '' Torneio Internacional de Águas de São Pedro'' (Águas de São Pedro International Tournament). More recently, Águas de São Pedro has sent delegations to participate in the ''Jogos Regionais do Idoso'' (Senior Regional Games, known by the
acronym An acronym is a type of abbreviation consisting of a phrase whose only pronounced elements are the initial letters or initial sounds of words inside that phrase. Acronyms are often spelled with the initial Letter (alphabet), letter of each wor ...
JORI) and the ''Jogos Abertos do Idoso'' (Senior Open Games, known by the acronym JAI). In 2018 56 athletes were sent to participate in the 22nd JORI, a competition with participation of athletes from 40 municipalities, and Águas de São Pedro attained 11th place.


Government

The municipal administration is formed by the mayor and nine ''vereadores'' (councillors), who are elected for a term of four years. The installation of the Municipal Council and the inauguration of the first Sanitary Mayor, Carlos Mauro, appointed by the State Governor, took place on 2 April 1949. The mayor holds
executive power The executive branch is the part of government which executes or enforces the law. Function The scope of executive power varies greatly depending on the political context in which it emerges, and it can change over time in a given country. In ...
and has nine secretariats under his command: Administration, Education, Finances, Tourism, Environment and Safety, Health, Social and Thermal Promotion, Public Works, and Urban Services. They assist the mayor in his government, planning, developing, orienting, coordinating and implementing policies in their respective areas. The
legislative power A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers o ...
is represented by the
unicameral Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature consisting of one house or assembly that legislates and votes as one. Unicameralism has become an increasingly common type of legislature, making up nearly ...
Municipal Council and its councillors, who are responsible for legislating and supervising the actions of the City Hall. The municipality is governed by the Organic Law of the Municipality of the Spa of Águas de São Pedro, from 5 April 1990. There is no
courthouse A courthouse or court house is a structure which houses judicial functions for a governmental entity such as a state, region, province, county, prefecture, regency, or similar governmental unit. A courthouse is home to one or more courtrooms, ...
in Águas de São Pedro; the municipality is part of the district court of São Pedro. According to the Regional Electoral Court of São Paulo, the city had in 2014 2,881 voters, a number greater than the number of inhabitants. This happens because the city has many vacationers and students that end up transferring their electoral register to the municipality.


Politics

The current mayor is Paulo Sergio Barboza de Lima, a member of the
Brazilian Social Democracy Party The Brazilian Social Democracy Party (, PSDB), also known as the Brazilian Social Democratic Party or the Party of Brazilian Social Democracy,. is a Centre-right politics, centre-right political party in Brazil. As the formerly third largest p ...
, and the
vice mayor The deputy mayor (also known as vice mayor and assistant mayor) is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official that is present in many local governments. Duties and functions Many elected deputy mayors are members of the loca ...
is Celso Henrique de Azevedo Marques, affiliated with the Party of the Republic. The Municipal Council is composed as follows: two seats are held by the
Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Form ...
(PSD); two seats by the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB); one seat by the Party of the Republic (PR); one seat by the Democrats (DEM); one seat by the
Workers' Party Workers' Party is a name used by several political parties throughout the world. The name has been used by both organisations on the left and right of the political spectrum. It is currently used by followers of Marxism, Marxism–Leninism, Maoism ...
(PT); one seat by the Popular Socialist Party (PPS); and one seat by the Brazilian Republican Party (PRB). In the last elections in 2018, the most successful party in Águas de São Pedro was the Social Liberal Party, getting the most votes in all positions except for state representatives. Of the total votes, it won 64.03% (1st round) and 78.64% (2nd round) of the votes for the presidential candidate; 28.87% of the votes for the senator candidate; and 26.09% of the votes for candidates for federal deputy.


Education

Águas de São Pedro is served by three public schools: * ''Escola Municipal de Educação Infantil "Vida"'' ("Vida" Municipal Pre-school), also known by the acronym EMEI Vida. * ''Escola Municipal de Ensino Fundamental de Águas de São Pedro "Maria Luiza Fornasier Franzin" I, II e III'' (Águas de São Pedro Municipal Elementary School "Maria Luiza Fornasier Franzin" I, II and III), also known by the acronym EMEFASP "Maria Luiza Fornasier Franzin" I, II and III. The numbers I, II and III represents the three different buildings of the school; each building houses different school grades. * ''Escola Estadual Angelo Franzin'' ("Angelo Franzin" State School), also known by the acronym E.E. "Angelo Franzin", is a high school. The city also has an institution of
higher education Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...
: inaugurated in 1995, the ''Centro Universitário SenacCampus Águas de São Pedro'' (Senac University CenterÁguas de São Pedro Campus) is a private university maintained by the Brazilian National Commercial Training Service, that is known by the acronym Senac (). It was formerly known as Senac Faculties, but in 2004 it was accredited by the Brazilian Ministry of Education and Culture as University Center. In Brazil there is a difference between Faculty, University Center and University, which respectively differ in size, in the academic titles of its teaching staff and in the time of dedicated service. In 2017 the municipality had a total student enrollment of 686 (105 in the pre-school, 431 in the elementary school, and 150 in the high school) and 51 teachers (5 in the pre-school, 34 in the elementary school, and 12 in the high school) in its schools. According to the ''Indicador Social de Desenvolvimento dos Municípios'' (Social Index of Development of Municipalities, known by the acronym ISDM) of the
Getúlio Vargas Foundation Getúlio may refer to: * Getulio Agostini (1943-1990), Venezuelan botanist * Getulio Alviani (1939-2018), Italian painter * Getúlio Côrtes (born 1938), Brazilian singer * Getúlio (footballer, 1947-2008), Getúlio Pedro da Cruz, Brazilian foot ...
in 2010, the percentage of illiterate people over 18 years of age was 1.71%, and among people aged 15–17 was 0%. According to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) data from the 2010 census, there were in Águas de São Pedro a total of 2,441 people over 10 years of age, of which 741 had no education and had not completed primary school, 360 had completed primary school and had incomplete secondary education, 729 had completed secondary education and had incomplete higher education, and 610 had completed higher education.


Infrastructure

The city of Águas de São Pedro had 990 residences in 2010. Of this total 654 were owned properties, with 610 owned and already paid for, 44 being paid for, and 266 rented; 69 properties were lent, with 38 lent by an employer and 31 lent by other means.


Transportation

In 1892 a
railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
was opened in the town of São Pedro; it belonged to the ''Companhia União Sorocabana e Ytuana'', which later served as a route for those who wanted to reach Águas de São Pedro. Between 1907 and 1919 it was part of the Sorocabana Railway, and until 1966 it belonged to the Sorocabana Railroad, part of the already defunct Piracicaba Line. The station was deactivated at the end of the 1960s, when the first paved roads were built in São Pedro and its enclave. Today, only one highway passes through the city, the SP-304,
Rodovia The Brazilian Highway System ( Portuguese: ''Sistema Nacional de Rodovias'') is a network of trunk roads administered by the Ministry of Transport of Brazil. It is constructed, managed and maintained by the National Department of Transport Infras ...
Geraldo de Barros. It connects Águas de São Pedro with the cities of São Pedro ( northwest) and Piracicaba ( southeast). Due to the high volume of truck traffic, part of the road that passes through the urban area developed several
pothole A pothole is a pot-shaped depression in a road surface, usually asphalt pavement, where traffic has removed broken pieces of the pavement. It is usually the result of water in the underlying soil structure and traffic passing over the affecte ...
s. In response to that problem, politicians of the municipality and the neighbouring cities pressured the state governor for the duplication of the highway. After the Department of Highways (DER) approved the project, the construction began on 22 August 2014, was finished and the state governor officially declared the work completed by inaugurating the last kilometer built on 16 March 2018. The city is located near the
São Pedro Airport 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 * Serb Autonomous Regions (''Srpska autonomna oblast'', SAO), during the breakup of ...
, which opened in 1938 and has undergone renovation in 2010. It is situated near SP-304, and has a dirt runway long. The old city bus station was upgraded to properly receive the passengers of
intercity bus An intercity bus service (North American English) or intercity coach service (British English and Commonwealth English), also called a long-distance, express, over-the-road, commercial, long-haul, or highway bus or coach service, is a public t ...
es, re-opening on 31 December 2008. The municipal fleet in 2016 had a total of 2,491 vehicles, registering 1.29 inhabitants per vehicle, which causes traffic flow problems, especially in the city center on weekends.


Utilities

Electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...
is provided to the city by the '' Companhia Paulista de Força e Luz'' (São Paulo State Power and Light Company). The entire public power grid has been donated to the company and has been run by it since 1973.
Water Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known liv ...
is provided by the Basic Sanitation Company of the State of São Paulo (
Sabesp Sabesp is a Brazilian water and waste management company headquartered in São Paulo. It provides water and sewage services to residential, commercial and industrial users in São Paulo and in 363 of the 645 municipalities in São Paulo State, ty ...
) since 1977, providing
tap water Tap water (also known as running water, piped water or municipal water) is water supplied through a Tap (valve), tap, a water dispenser valve. In many countries, tap water usually has the quality of drinking water. Tap water is commonly used f ...
to 100% of the city, but serves only 93.47%–95% of the city with sewage collection. Águas de São Pedro had not a
sewage treatment Sewage treatment is a type of wastewater treatment which aims to remove contaminants from sewage to produce an effluent that is suitable to discharge to the surrounding environment or an intended reuse application, thereby preventing water p ...
plant, so all the collected sewage (70,000 L/day, BOD/month) was not treated and flowed into the Araquá River, which is also one of the city's main
water resource Water resources are natural resources of water that are potentially useful for humans, for example as a source of drinking water supply or irrigation water. These resources can be either freshwater from natural sources, or water produced artificia ...
s. The absence of a sewage treatment plant in the city has generated complaints from the population, questioning the responsibility of Sabesp in this problem. Other problematic cases such as water catchment,
siltation Siltation is water pollution caused by particulate terrestrial clastic material, with a particle size dominated by silt or clay. It refers both to the increased concentration of suspended sediments and to the increased accumulation (temporary o ...
, and environmental degradation have caused the mayor to consider not renewing the city's contract with the company. After several negotiations, the contract was renewed in May 2013. The first equipment for the construction of a sewage treatment plant arrived in November 2015, and the building was finished in 2016.
Telephone A telephone, colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that enables two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most ...
and
cable Internet In telecommunications, cable Internet access, shortened to cable Internet, is a form of broadband internet access which uses the same infrastructure as cable television. Like digital subscriber line (DSL) and fiber to the premises, cable Internet ...
services are offered by Vivo. At its foundation, it was attended by the company ''Companhia Telefônica Brasileira'' (Brazilian Telephone Company, known by the acronym CTB), and at the end of 1963, Octavio Moura Andrade and partners founded the ''Telefônica Águas de São Pedro Ltda.'' (Águas de São Pedro Telephone Ltd.), who started to lead the telephone industry in the municipality. In 1973, the company was acquired by ''Telecomunicações de São Paulo S/A'' (São Paulo Telecommunications S.A., known by the acronym TELESP), and became part of the South-Central Regional A5 (OA5) District of the company. After the privatization of the Brazilian state-owned telephone companies in 1998,
Telefónica , S.A. () is a Spanish multinational telecommunications company with registered office and headquarters located in two different places, both in Madrid, Spain. It is one of the largest telephone operators and mobile network providers in the ...
(now trading as Vivo) started to control the telephone services of the municipality.


Health care

In 2009 the municipality had four health care facilities, two private and two public (the Municipal First Aid Clinic and the Basic Health Unit Eurides de Lima "Dinho Barbosa"). The city also has outpatient care with medical care in basic specialties, dental care with a dentist, and access to services in the ''
Sistema Único de Saúde The ''Sistema Único de Saúde'' (, ''Unified Health System''), better known by the acronym SUS, is Brazil's publicly funded health care system. Created in 1990, the SUS is the largest government-run public health care system in the world, by nu ...
'' (Unified Health System, known by the acronym SUS). In December 2009 Águas de São Pedro had sixteen doctors, four general practitioners, four nursing assistants, three nurses, two nursing technicians, two physiotherapists and eight people distributed in other categories, for a total of 39 health care professionals.


Public safety

The absence of murders for more than a decade is celebrated in Águas de São Pedro. Since its foundation, the municipality had recorded only one murder case, a
double homicide Homicide is an act in which a person causes the death of another person. A homicide requires only a volitional act, or an omission, that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from accidental, reckless, or negligent act ...
on 17 August 1994, when Fátima Rinaldi Dante, 40 years old, and her granddaughter, Maria Virgínia Dante, 1year old, were shot dead. The case was never solved. The city has a third-class police station, and is patrolled by the 2nd group of the 3rd company of the 10th battalion of the
Military Police of São Paulo State The Polícia Militar do Estado de São Paulo (''São Paulo State Military Police'') is a military law enforcement agency of the state of São Paulo, Brazil. It is the largest state police force in Brazil. According to São Paulo state law, the a ...
and the Municipal Civil Guard. Also, the city does not have a Fire Department station, being then attended by the one located in the neighboring city of São Pedro.


Sister cities

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Cubatão Cubatão is a city in the state of São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Brazil, 12 kilometers away from Santos (São Paulo), Santos seaport, the largest in Latin America. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of the Baixada Santista. The population i ...
,
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
(1991) * Molinaseca,
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
(2012)


See also

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List of municipalities in São Paulo This is a list of the municipalities in the state of São Paulo (SP), located in the Southeast Region of Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countr ...
*
Interior of São Paulo The interior of São Paulo is an informal term to describe the zone that covers the entire area of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo outside the Greater São Paulo, Metropolitan Region and the coast of São Paulo. The interior stands ou ...


Notes and references


Notes


References


Bibliography

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Further reading

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External links

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Council website
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Tourism website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aguas de Sao Pedro Populated places established in 1940 Enclaves and exclaves Municipalities in São Paulo (state) Spa towns in Brazil