Itu, São Paulo

Itu is a historic city and municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of Sorocaba. The population was 168,240 as of 2022 Census, in an area of 640.72 km. The elevation is 583 m. This place name comes from the Tupi language, meaning big waterfall. Two rivers flow through Itu: Tietê and Jundiaí. Itu has five hospitals, eleven bank agencies and one shopping center, the Plaza Shopping Itu.

Itu was founded in 1610 by bandeiranteDomingos Fernandes. It became a parish in 1653. In 1657, it was elevated to a town and municipality. It became a part of Brazil in 1822. It became a city in 1843.

It is the 46th most populous municipality in the state of São Paulo and the 174th in Brazil, in addition to being the second largest city in the Sorocaba Metropolitan Region, behind only Sorocaba.