Atibaia
Encyclopedia
Atibaia is a Brazilian city located in the state of São Paulo
, Brazil
. 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
descendants, since the city was a common Japanese immigrant center.
, silver
and emeralds in present-day state of Minas Gerais
.
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
. 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
, D. João VI, visited the small town. Many famous artists lived in or visited Atibaia, such as Benedito Calixto
, a famous church fresco painter. The city boasts two of his paintings. Alberto Santos-Dumont
, an aviation pioneer, 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", but "atibaiense" is common.
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
, Belo Horizonte
, Campinas
and Jacareí
.
Atibaia has 478 square kilometers of area, 40% of this area is urbanized. The average altitude
is 800 meters.
), 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 a great industrial activity in Atibaia, and so there is a huge labour
offer. According to the IBGE
census, 65% of the population (95,342 inhabitants) is part of the economical active age group.
loaned Atibaia R$ 2 million, to try and 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.
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.
São Paulo (state)
São Paulo is a state in Brazil. It is the major industrial and economic powerhouse of the Brazilian economy. Named after Saint Paul, São Paulo has the largest population, industrial complex, and economic production in the country. It is the richest state in Brazil...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. The name is derived from an indigenous language called Tupi
Tupian languages
The Tupi or Tupian language family comprises some 70 languages spoken in South America, of which the best known are Tupi proper and Guarani.-History, members and classification:...
, 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
Strawberry
Fragaria is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, commonly known as strawberries for their edible fruits. Although it is commonly thought that strawberries get their name from straw being used as a mulch in cultivating the plants, the etymology of the word is uncertain. There...
crops are well known. These crops are cultivated mainly by Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
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 explorer. Their main objective was to search the interior lands of Brazil for rich mineral resources, such as goldGold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
, silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
and emeralds in present-day state of Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the...
.
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
Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the...
. 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
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, D. João VI, visited the small town. Many famous artists lived in or visited Atibaia, such as Benedito Calixto
Benedito Calixto
Benedito Calixto de Jesus 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 scenes from the coastline of São Paulo...
, a famous church fresco painter. The city boasts two of his paintings. Alberto Santos-Dumont
Alberto Santos-Dumont
Alberto Santos-Dumont , was a Brazilian early pioneer of aviation. The heir of a wealthy family of coffee producers, Santos Dumont dedicated himself to science studies in Paris, France, where he spent most of his adult life....
, an aviation pioneer, 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", but "atibaiense" is common.
Geography
Atibaia is located 64 km north-east of São Paulo and 88 km south-east of CampinasCampinas
Campinas is a city and municipality located in the coastal interior of the state of São Paulo, Brazil. is the administrative center of the meso-region of the same name, with 3,783,597 inhabitants as of the 2010 Census, consisting of 49 cities....
two major urban centres in the region.
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, Belo Horizonte
Belo Horizonte
Belo Horizonte is the capital of and largest city in the state of Minas Gerais, located in the southeastern region of Brazil. It is the third largest metropolitan area in the country...
, Campinas
Campinas
Campinas is a city and municipality located in the coastal interior of the state of São Paulo, Brazil. is the administrative center of the meso-region of the same name, with 3,783,597 inhabitants as of the 2010 Census, consisting of 49 cities....
and Jacareí
Jacareí
Jacareí is a city of approximately 211,308 inhabitants in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The name comes from a native brazilan language . It's a word that means something like "the rivers where alligators are found"....
.
Atibaia has 478 square kilometers of area, 40% of this area is urbanized. The average altitude
Altitude
Altitude or height is defined based on the context in which it is used . As a general definition, altitude is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The reference datum also often varies according to the context...
is 800 meters.
Demographics
According to the census of 2007, executed by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGEIBGE
The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics or IBGE , is the agency responsible for statistical, geographic, cartographic, geodetic and environmental information in Brazil...
), 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 a great industrial activity in Atibaia, and so there is a huge labour
Employment
Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. An employee may be defined as:- Employee :...
offer. According to the IBGE
IBGE
The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics or IBGE , is the agency responsible for statistical, geographic, cartographic, geodetic and environmental information in Brazil...
census, 65% of the population (95,342 inhabitants) is part of the economical active age group.
Economy
In 2005, The Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES)BNDES
The Brazilian Development Bank is a federal public company associated with the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade. Its goal is to provide long-term financing for endeavors that contribute to the country's development...
loaned Atibaia R$ 2 million, to try and 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.