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municipality of São Paulo state, Brazil
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Bauru (Portuguese pronunciation: [bawˈɾu]) is a Brazilian municipality located in the interior of São Paulo state, recognized as the most populous city in the Central-West region of São Paulo. It is one of the 19 municipalities comprising the Bauru Immediate Geographic Region, which is one of four immediate regions within the Bauru Intermediate Geographic Region, encompassing a total of 48 municipalities.
Situated northwest of the state capital, Bauru is approximately 326 km away and covers an area of 667.684 km². According to the IBGE's Census of 2022, the city had an estimated population of 379,146 inhabitants, making it the 18th most populous municipality in São Paulo.
Founded in 1896, Bauru experienced significant population growth due to the March to the West, a government initiative under Getúlio Vargas to promote development and settlement in Brazil's central region. In the early 20th century, the city's infrastructure expanded with the arrival of the railway and, later, highways. Coffee cultivation became prominent in the early 1900s, but Bauru transitioned into an industrialized city, aligning with Brazil's national industrialization starting in the 1930s. Industry, alongside the service sector, is the primary source of municipal revenue, contributing to Bauru's 68th highest GDP in Brazil. Since the 1950s, sugarcane production has gained prominence in agriculture.
Several highways, including Marechal Rondon, Comandante João Ribeiro de Barros, Cesário José de Carvalho, and Engenheiro João Batista Cabral Renno, connect Bauru to various municipalities in São Paulo. The city is a critical hub for air, road, and rail transport. Beyond its economic significance, Bauru is a key cultural center in its region. The Bauru Municipal Botanical Garden and the Bauru Forest Garden are vital environmental preservation areas, while the Celina Lourdes Alves Neves Municipal Theater, the Bauru Cultural Center, and the Bauru Automobile Club are notable urban landmarks. The Municipal Culture Secretariat oversees cultural projects and events, enriching Bauru's cultural life.
One widely accepted theory regarding the origin of Bauru's name suggests it derives from mbai-yurú, meaning "waterfall" or "steep river" in the Tupi language. Alternatively, it may come from ybá-uru, translating to "basket of fruits," or "bauruz," the name given to the indigenous people living along the Batalha River. Teodoro Sampaio proposed that Bauru is a corruption of "upaú-r-u" or "upaú-r-y," referring to a "river of the lagoon," from Tupi terms "Upá" or "Upaú" (lagoon or dammed water) and "U" or "I" (flowing water or river).
The area now occupied by Bauru was historically contested by two indigenous groups: the Kaingang and the Guarani. In the 18th century, bandeirantes attempted to settle in the region, a key crossing point for the fluvial expeditions heading to Mato Grosso and Goiás, but were repelled by attacks from local indigenous groups. Non-Indians only managed to settle in the region in the 19th century, with settlers arriving from São Paulo’s coast, Minas Gerais, and Rio de Janeiro. After 1850, pioneers from São Paulo and Minas Gerais began exploring the vast region between the Botucatu Ridge, the Tietê River, the Paranapanema River, and the Paraná River, previously inhabited by Kaingang groups.
In 1856, Felicíssimo Antônio Pereira, originally from Minas Gerais, acquired land and established the Fazenda das Flores near present-day central Bauru. In 1884, part of this estate (also known as Campos Novos de Bauru) was subdivided to form the São Sebastião do Bauru settlement. Despite Kaingang attacks and relative isolation, the district progressed and became a district of Agudos in 1888. The influx of migrants from eastern São Paulo and Minas Gerais led to Bauru's emancipation as a municipality on August 1, 1896.
Bauru was officially established as a municipality in 1896. The exploration of this region of São Paulo state occurred extensively in the last decade of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century. The lands west of the Botucatu Ridge, beyond the Agudos Ridge, never supported the slavery system that prevailed in much of Brazil until 1888. The municipality of Lençóis Paulista marked the geographical limit of slavery in that region of São Paulo. This factor influenced the demographic and ethnic composition of the region. Consequently, the proportion of Black and mixed-race individuals in Bauru is relatively lower than in other parts of São Paulo, while the population of Asian descent, particularly Japanese, is higher than the national average.
Initially, the new municipality relied on coffee cultivation, despite having less fertile soil compared to other parts of the state. In 1906, Bauru was selected as the starting point for the Northwest Brazil Railway, connecting Bauru to Corumbá in Mato Grosso do Sul, near the Bolivia border. During the first half of the 20th century, Bauru emerged as the primary economic hub of a vast region encompassing Western São Paulo, Northern Paraná, and Mato Grosso do Sul. The lack of a robust industrial sector prevented significant internal migration, such as the Northeastern migration that began in the 1930s to Greater São Paulo and Eastern São Paulo. The extermination of indigenous groups, particularly the Kaingang, was a tragic episode in the region’s incorporation into São Paulo’s territory. These factors underscored the importance of foreign immigration in shaping Bauru’s current ethnic and demographic profile.
The March to the West, initiated by Getúlio Vargas’s government to encourage development and settlement in Brazil’s Central-West, attracted many settlers to this part of São Paulo. Bauru’s population growth necessitated infrastructure investments, particularly as the industrial sector developed in the 1940s and 1950s. Decree No. 5349, issued on October 18, 1904, formalized the creation of the Northwest Brazil Railway Company, with its route starting from Bauru. In July 1905, the tracks reached the municipality, extending the Sorocabana Railway. In 1906, the first newspaper, "O Bauru," was established, and in 1908, telephone services were introduced. On March 9, 1911, the Bauru Judicial District was created, and on March 16 of the same year, public lighting was installed. In 1913, the first school was established, and in 1928, the Portuguese Beneficence Society Hospital, the region’s first major hospital, was founded. On March 8, 1934, the first radio station, PRC-8 (later PRG-8) Bauru Radio Club, was launched, and on April 19, 1942, a new water supply service was inaugurated. The cultural sector flourished in the 1940s and 1950s, exemplified by the opening of the Bauru Cultural Center on March 15, 1942, and the establishment of the Official Fine Arts Salon on July 16, 1950.
Bauru is renowned for the Bauru sandwich, created by Bauru lawyer Casimiro Pinto Neto at the Ponto Chic bar in Largo do Paiçandu, São Paulo, in 1934, while he was a student at the Law School of the University of São Paulo. The sandwich later gained fame through the "Zé do Esquinão" bar, located in downtown Bauru for decades. The original Bauru sandwich recipe, as prepared in the city, consists of French bread, roast beef, tomato slices, thin cucumber pickle slices, and melted white cheese.
In the latter half of the 20th century, rail transport was gradually replaced by highway construction. The city has since recorded strong development indicators, revitalizing degraded areas and now boasts a diversified industrial park with a skilled workforce. Its strategic location offers extensive transport options, including the largest road, rail, air, and waterway hub in São Paulo, along with reliable energy and telecommunications networks.
According to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, Bauru’s municipal area spans 667.684 km². Located at 22°18′54″ south latitude and 49°03′39″ west longitude, it is 326 kilometers northwest of the state capital. Bauru borders Reginópolis to the north, Arealva to the northeast, Pederneiras to the east, Piratininga to the south, Agudos to the southeast, and Avaí to the west.
Bauru’s terrain is predominantly undulating, with 64.71% of the territory characterized by rolling hills, while flat areas account for 23.85%. The landscape is low-lying and dissected at its edges, a remnant of post-Cretaceous tropical denudation processes, with an average elevation of 526 meters.
The city’s soils are primarily sandy, with low drainage density, a characteristic of the Western São Paulo Plateau, influenced by the region’s warm climate for much of the year. Predominant soil types include red-yellow latosol, found extensively, and red-yellow acrisol, common on steeper slopes, both with medium to sandy textures. Latosol areas are prone to large gullies. These soils are developed, stable, and well-drained but lose micro-aggregates under intense irregular occupation, leading to significant erosion.
The terrain’s density directly affects drainage networks, which, in turn, can alter the surface configuration. Bauru’s main rivers are the Bauru River and the Batalha River. The Bauru River originates near the urban perimeter in the former Fazenda Fortaleza (now a subdivision in the Lagoa Sul neighborhood), flowing 42 km to join the Tietê River between Boraceia, Pederneiras, and Itapuí. The Batalha River, originating in Agudos, is a significant Tietê tributary, stretching 167 km. It supplies Bauru with water.
According to the Center for Meteorological and Climatic Research Applied to Agriculture (CEPAGRI) at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Bauru’s climate is classified as a tropical highland climate (Aw per the Köppen climate classification), prevalent in central-western São Paulo. It features dry, mild winters and rainy, warm summers, with the warmest month’s average temperature exceeding 22°C. Autumn and spring serve as transitional seasons. The annual rainfall averages approximately 1,330 millimeters (mm), concentrated in spring and summer, with a significant decrease in winter.
During the rainy season, precipitation primarily falls as rain, occasionally accompanied by hail. These events are sometimes marked by electrical discharges, such as lightning and thunder. In winter, during the dry season, relative humidity levels often drop below 30%. This period also sees frequent wildfires in brushlands, contributing to deforestation and atmospheric pollution, which degrades air quality. Winter also brings polar air masses, some strong enough to lower temperatures to 10°C or below, occasionally causing rare frosts.
Bauru hosts the Institute of Meteorological Research (IPMet), a complementary unit of the São Paulo State University (UNESP), established in 1969 to conduct meteorological research for weather forecasting across São Paulo, as well as to quantify and monitor storms and rainfall using a weather radar.
In partnership with IPMet, the National Institute of Meteorology (INMET) installed an automatic weather station at the institute, operational since August 30, 2001. The station recorded a record low of 2.1°C on August 4, 2011. The highest temperature reached 41.6°C on October 7, 2020. The highest 24-hour precipitation accumulation was 135.4 mm on January 19, 2017. On March 1, 2018, a peak wind gust of 23.8 m/s (85.7 km/h) was recorded. The lowest relative humidity, at 9%, occurred on August 23, 2006, triggering an emergency state.
The original and predominant vegetation in Bauru is the Atlantic Forest, but due to climatic factors and deforestation, the Cerrado biome is increasingly prevalent.
In the early 20th century, deforestation for the construction of the Northwest Brazil Railway and urban expansion led to numerous cases of leishmaniasis, as the disease-carrying mosquito migrated from forests to homes, causing an epidemic that earned the nickname "Bauru ulcer."
To curb deforestation, several conservation areas have been established. As of 2011, Bauru had nine such areas: the Community Grove (16,200 m²); the Pederneiras State Forest (1,941 hectares, established in 2002); the Bauru Ecological Station (278.7 ha, established in 1983); the Bauru Experimental Station (43.09 ha, established in 1939); the Batalha River Environmental Protection Area (APA) (established in 1998 to protect the riparian forest along the Batalha River); the Bauru Municipal Botanical Garden (established in 1994); the Vargem Alegre Municipal APA (established in 1996); the Água Parada APA (established in 1996); and the Bauru Municipal Zoo (established in 1992, covering 30 ha and housing endangered species).
Bauru also features parks, medium and large squares, sports courts, and recreational areas such as the Vitória Régia Park and Castelo Park, among others.
The Bauru Municipal Botanical Garden began construction in the 1910s at a site used for water extraction, rich in springs protected by forests. The park’s Visitor Center, opened on July 7, 2003, displays information about the park, with key attractions including ecological trails, a herbarium, and a nursery. The Bauru Forest Garden spans 50 hectares, hosting an experimental station for research on pine, eucalyptus, and other exotic and native plant species. The Bauru Municipal Zoo, inaugurated on August 24, 1980, houses various animal species and attracts approximately 150,000 visitors annually.
According to the 2022 Brazilian Census, conducted by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), the population of Bauru was 379,146 inhabitants, with a population density of 567.85. It ranks as the 18th most populous municipality in the state and the most populous in the Mesoregion of Bauru, with a population density of 510.83 inhabitants per km².
The 2010 Brazilian Census reported that 166,692 inhabitants were male and 177,347 were female. According to the same census, 338,891 residents lived in the urban area and 5,148 in the rural area.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Bauru”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.