Jaú

For other uses, see Jau (disambiguation).
Jaú
Municipality

Flag

Coat of arms

Location in São Paulo state
Jaú

Location in Brazil

Coordinates: 22°17′45″S 48°33′28″W / 22.29583°S 48.55778°W / -22.29583; -48.55778Coordinates: 22°17′45″S 48°33′28″W / 22.29583°S 48.55778°W / -22.29583; -48.55778
Country  Brazil
Region Southeast Region
State São Paulo
Government
  Mayor Rafael Lunardelli Agostini (2012-2016) (PSB)
Area
  Total 687 km2 (265 sq mi)
Elevation 541 m (1,775 ft)
Population (2015)
  Total 143,283
  Density 210/km2 (540/sq mi)
Time zone BRT/BRST (UTC-3/-2)
Website www.jau.sp.gov.br

Jaú is a municipality in the center of the state of São Paulo, in Brazil. The population is 143,283 (2015 est.) in an area of 687 square kilometres (265 sq mi).[1] The elevation is 522 metres (1,713 ft). The city takes its name from the native fish species jau.

History

Our Lady of Patrocínio Church, in Jaú

The history of the city goes back to 1853, when a group of people decided to settle and found a village. Not until 1889, however, did it achieve the status of town. Its most widely known inhabitant is João Ribeiro de Barros, the first man to travel from Europe to South America by plane, in 1927, 23 days before Charles Lindbergh's flight.

Economy

Jaú is located in a tropical weather region, known for its very fertile lands, which were once called "terra roxa" (purple land). The city is known as the national capital of female shoes, which are exported to the whole world.

Sports

Esporte Clube XV de Novembro is a traditional sport club of the town, founded in 1924. The club plays its home matches at Estádio Zezinho Magalhães. Jaú is also the birthplace of freestyle swimmer Renata Burgos, who represented Brazil at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/20/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.