Bauru

Municipality

Flag

Coat of arms

Location in São Paulo state

Bauru

Location in Brazil

Coordinates: 22°18′53″S 49°03′38″W / 22.31472°S 49.06056°WCoordinates: 22°18′53″S 49°03′38″W / 22.31472°S 49.06056°W

Country

Brazil

Government

• Mayor

Clodoaldo Gazetta

Area

• Total

667.68 km² (257.79 sq mi)

Elevation

537 m (1,762 ft)

Population (2015)

• Total

366,992

• Density

550/km² (1,400/sq mi)

Time zone

BRT/BRST (UTC-3/-2)

Postal code

17040

Area code

(+55) 14

Website

www.bauru.sp.gov.br

Bauru (Portuguese pronunciation: [bɐʊ̯ˈɾu]) is a Brazilian municipality in midwestern region of the state of São Paulo. It is the main city of the mesoregion and microregion of Bauru. The population is 366,992 (2015 est.) in an area of 667.68 km². Established in 1896, its boundaries are Reginópolis to the north, Arealva to the northeast, Pederneiras to the east, Agudos and Piratininga to the south and Avaí to the west.

The presence of a strong service sector, many college campuses - including the University of São Paulo and Universidade Estadual Paulista - and the city's location at the junction of three railroads and three highways make Bauru a major urban center of the State of São Paulo.

It is the hometown of Marcos César Pontes, the first Brazilian in space. It is also the town where Pelé grew up and learned his football (soccer) skills.

The city is served by two airports: the older Bauru Airport, and the newer Bauru-Arealva Airport, officially known as Moussa Nakhl Tobias Airport, located in the adjoining municipality of Arealva.

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 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.

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Wikipedia