Bauru is a 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...

ian city and municipality in midwestern region of the state of São Paulo

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...

. It is also the capital of the micro-region of Bauru. The population in 2010 is 344 039, the area of the municipality is 675.2 km² and the population density is 464.56/km².

Established in 1896, its boundaries are Reginópolis

Reginópolis

Reginópolis is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The population in 2004 was 4,726 and the area is . The elevation is ....

 to the north, Arealva

Arealva

Arealva is a city in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The population in 2004 is 7,425 and the area is 507.86 km². The elevation is 445 m....

 to the northeast, Pederneiras

Pederneiras

Pederneiras is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The population in 2010 according to is 41,497 people and the total area is 729 km². The elevation is 475 m.- History :* Foundation: May 22nd, 1891...

 to the east, Agudos

Agudos

Agudos is a Brazilian city located in the west-central part of the state of São Paulo. Distance from the capital is 330 km and is accessed by the Rodovia Marechal Rondon.*Founded: 1898*Elevation: 580 m*Population: 32,026 inhabitants...

 and Piratininga

Piratininga

Piratininga is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil....

 to the south and Avaí

Avaí

Avaí is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The population in 2003 is 4,571 and the area is 543.66 km²....

 to the west.

It is the hometown of Marcos César Pontes, the first Brazilian in space. It is also the town where Pelé

Pelé

However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...

 grew up and learned his football (soccer) skills.

The city is served by two airports: the older Bauru Airport

Bauru Airport

Bauru State Airport is an airport serving Bauru, Brazil.It is operated by DAESP.-History:The airport was built in 1939 but all scheduled traffic was transferred to Moussa Nakhl Tobias Airport, located in the adjoining municipality of Arealva upon its opening in May 2006...

, and the newer Bauru-Arealva Airport

Bauru-Arealva Airport

Moussa Nakhl Tobias State Airport , commonly known as Bauru-Arealva Airport is the main airport serving Bauru and Arealva, Brazil. It is named after the Lebanese businessman and vice-mayor Moussa Nakhl Tobias , who immigrated to Brazil in 1959 and established himself in Bauru.It is operated by...

, officially known as Moussa Nakhl Tobias Airport, located in the adjoining municipality of Arealva

Arealva

Arealva is a city in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The population in 2004 is 7,425 and the area is 507.86 km². The elevation is 445 m....

.

Origin of the name

There are various theories intended to explain the origin of the name Bauru. One was proposed by Ismael Marinho Falcão, an engineer who lived for many years with the Kaingang

Kaingang

The Kaingang people are a Native American ethnic group spread out over the four southern Brazilian states of São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul. They are also called Caingang and Aweikoma, though some sources list Kaingang and Aweikoma as separate groups...

 tribe, which used to inhabit the region. According to him, the region was called ubaurú because of the abundance of an herbaceous plant called ubá, used for hampers and wicker baskets, and urú, a ground bird related to the chicken.

Others think that the name comes from mbai-yuru, meaning 'waterfall' or 'river in strong declivity'; or ybá or uru, 'basket of fruits'; or even bauruz, as the natives who inhabited the edges of the Batalha River

Batalha River

The Batalha River is a river of São Paulo state in southeastern Brazil.-References:*...

were called.

External links

UOL.com.br, History of Bauru - Origin of Bauru. SP.gov.br, Official Website - Prefeitura Municipal de Bauru

• Embrapa.br, Aerial view of the city