The county area is 797 km². Population is approximately 1,017,000 (2004 est.), with over 98% in the urban region. Its metropolitan area, defined in 2000, has some 19 cities and a population of 2.3 million people. Campinas is also the administrative center of the meso-region of the same name, with 3.27 million inhabitants and 43 cities. It is the third largest city in the state, after São Paulo (approx. 10,900,000) and Guarulhos (approx. 1,160,000).
Address of the Local Government is: Prefeitura Municipal de Campinas, Avenida Anchieta, 200, Centro, Campinas, SP, Brazil 13015-904.
|
Campinas, SP, Brazil
(2000)
|
| Area |
797.6 km² |
| Altitude |
854 m |
| Distance to capital |
83.5 km |
| Demographic density |
1213.5 inhab/km² |
| Population (total) |
969,396 |
| Population (urban) |
953,218 |
| % urban population |
98.33% |
| Average growth rate |
1.57 % |
| % country population |
0.57% |
| Longevity (years) |
69.7 m 72.2 f |
| Infant mortality |
1.41 % |
| Illiteracy rate |
5.3 % |
| Schooling rate (7-14) |
96.4 % |
| Average annual income |
US$ 2,712 |
| Poverty |
10.2 % |
| Human Development Index |
0.852 (high)
24th national ranking |
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The city was founded on July 14, 1774, by Barreto Leme. It was initially a simple outpost in the way to Minas Gerais and Goiás serving the "Bandeirantes" who were in search of precious minerals and Indian slaves. In the first half of the 19th century, Campinas became a growing populational center, with many coffee and sugarcane farms. The construction of a railway linking it to the city of São Paulo and Santos' seaport, in 1817, was very important for its growth. In the second half of the 19th century, with the abolition of slavery, farming and industrialization attracted many foreign immigrants to substitute the lost manpower, mainly from Italy. Coffee became a large export item and the city got increasingly richer. In consequence, a large service sector was established to serve the growing population, and at the first decades of the 20th century, Campinas could already boast as having an opera house, theaters, banks, movie theaters, radio stations, a philarmonic band, two newspapers, (Correio Popular) and Diário do Povo, a good public education system (with tne Escola Normal de Campinas and the Colégio Culto à Ciência), and hospitals, such as the Santa Casa de Misericórdia (a charity for poor people) and the Casa de Saúde de Campinas (for the Italian community), and the most important research center in agricultural sciences, the Instituto Agronômico de Campinas, which was founded by Emperor Pedro II. Finally, the construction of the first Brazilian highway in 1938, between Campinas and São Paulo, the Anhanguera Highway, was a turning point in the integration of Campinas to the rest of the state.
Campinas was the birthplace of opera composer Carlos Gomes (1836--1896)and of the President of the Republic Campos Salles (1841--1913). It was home for 49 years for Hércules Florence, reputed as one of the early inventors of photography, photocopying and the mimeograph.
Title and symbols
Campinas is also known as "Cidade das Andorinhas" (City of the Swallows), because it was a preferencial spot for these migratory birds, which flocked annually in enormous numbers to downtown. However, they almost disappeared around the 1950s, probably because the church and plaza where they used to roost were torn down. The name remains, however.
Campinas' official crest and flag has a picture of the mythical bird, the phoenix, because it was practically reborn after a devastating epidemy of yellow fever in the 1800s, which killed more than 25% of Campinas inhabitants.
Campinas is officially twinned with 11 cities:
Metropolitan Region of Campinas
As of 2000, Campinas became an official metropolitan region (RMC - Região Metropolitana de Campinas), with 19 municipalities, with a total of 2.3 million inhabitants and a total land area of 3,348 km2 (data of 2000), adjacent to the São Paulo metropolitan region (RMSP).
The Campinas municipality is also the administrative center of the micro- and meso-regions of the same name. The following municipality add to the RMC: Elias Fausto (micro-region); and the following municipalities add to the meso-region: Aguaí, Amparo, Águas da Prata, Águas de Lindóia, Caconde, Casa Branca, Divinolândia, Espírito Santo do Pinhal, Estiva Gerbi, Itapira, Itobi, Lindóia, Mococa, Mogi Guaçu, Moji-Mirim, Monte Alegre do Sul, Pedra Bela, Pinhalzinho, Pirassununga, Porto Ferreira, Santa Cruz das Palmeiras, Santo Antônio do Jardim, São João da Boa Vista, São José do Rio Pardo, São Sebastião da Grama, Serra Negra, Socorro, Tambaú, Tapiratiba, Vargem Grande do Sul and Vinhedo.
Other cities which are geographically, historically or economically tied to the meso-region of Campinas could be mentioned: Louveira, Morungaba, Tuiuti, Atibaia, Bragança Paulista, Itupeva, Jundiai, Rafard, Salto, Itu, Mombuca, Rio das Pedras, Iracemápolis, Limeira, Capivari, Jarinu, Conchal, Araras and Piracicaba.
Economy
Campinas' main economic activities are agriculture (mainly coffee, sugarcane, and cotton), industry (textiles, machinery, agricultural equipment, chemical and petrochemical, pharmaceutics, paper and cellulose, telecommunications, computers and electronics, etc.), commerce and services.
The region is an economic powerhouse, responsible for 9% of Brazil's Gross Internal Product, with just over 3% of the country's population. Per capita income is one of the highest in Latin America (over US$ 2,700/year).
Campinas has been dubbed the Brazilian Silicon Valley, since it is home to many national and multinational high-tech industries (IBM, Motorola, Lucent, Nortel, Compaq, Celestica, Samsung, Alcatel, Bosch, 3M, Texas Instruments, General Motors, Honda, and many others), as well as to several research centers and universities (such as CPqD, EMBRAPA, UNICAMP, and PUCCAMP). It also has a sizable pharmaceutical industry sector, with companies like Medley Farma, Sigma Pharma, Merck, etc.
According to Wired Magazine, Campinas is one of the highest-growth high-tech areas in Latin America, second only to the city of São Paulo itself. Since 1995, the city received over US$ 7 billion in investments in telecommunications, information technology and electronics. Of the 500 largest companies listed by Fortune magazine, 50 are already established in the Campinas region.
One of the largest oil refineries of Latin America (350,824 barrels of crude per day), operated by Petrobras in the neighboring county of Paulínia, has attracted many petrochemical industries to the Campinas area, including DuPont, Rhone-Poulenc, and Royal Dutch Shell.
Transportation
Campinas is a major transportation and telecommunications hub for the State of São Paulo, as it is located on the major highways that connect the capital to the Northwest and Northern parts of the State. The city is served by the a Metropolitan Highway Ring (Anel Viário) and the following main highways:
All these highways are very modern and constructed according the highest international standards (see highway system of São Paulo). The Anel Viário José Magalhães Teixeira (SP-038) around the city currently interconnects the Anhangüera and Dom Pedro I highways.
Campinas has long been a major railway hub, too, although passenger train lines no longer operate there.
Its international airport, Viracopos Airport, has long been the State's main air cargo terminal, and its passenger traffic is rapidly expanding.
Communications
Campinas is a major telecommunications hub in the state and in the country. It has the largest per capita number of fixed and mobile telephone lines in the state and one of the largest in the country. The city is also a major hub for cable, fiber optic, microwave and satellite communication networks. Comsat operates near Campinas one of the largest satellite teleports and hubs in Latin America, and the National Research and Education Network (Rede Nacional de Pesquisa e Educação) has a high-capacity point of presence (POP) in the city.
Media
Two daily newspapers, which are among Brazil's most modern ones, are published in Campinas, both owned by media company Rede Anhangüera de Comunicações: Correio Popular and Diário do Povo. Several other local newspapers with weekly or monthly circulation are also published. Several magazines are also published in Campinas, the largest one being Metrópole, which circulates on Sundays as a supplement to Correio Popular.
The city has also a large number of radio stations as well as several local TV stations, including TV Universidades and Fenix TV (both not-for-profit, distributed by Net Campinas, the local cable distributor)
Ecology
Campinas owns a relevant ecological interest area (Portuguese: Área de Relevante Interesse Ecológico - Santa Genebra forest, with 2.51 km², created in 1985 and regulated by IBAMA, Campinas City Hall and José Pedro de Oliveira Foundation.
Campinas has always been a very "green" town, with many beautiful trees in the streets and public parks. Among the verdant public parks, there are the "Bosque Municipal", the "Lagoa do Taquaral Park", the "Ecological Park of Campinas" and the "Lagoa da UNICAMP" Park. Jogging and bicycle treks were built in these parks and are used by the population.
Climate
Campinas is located in the São Paulo plateau, in the transition area to the Mantiqueira mountain range. It has an excellent climate throughout the year, characterised by mostly sunny days (more than 200 days in the year), mild temperature range (average yearly temperature of 22.4 degrees Celsius, ranging from an average minimum of 12.2 degrees to a maximum of 29.9 degrees) and a constant regime of cool winds. Due to this, Campinas is low in atmospheric pollution and nebulosity and the local airport almost never closes due to bad wheather.
The wet season is mid-October to mid-June, with heavier rains particularly in January and February, and the dry season is mid-June to mid-October. Average rainfall is 24.3 mm in August and 267.8 mm in January. Average humidity ranges from 37% (August) to 56% (January).
In the region around Campinas near the state of Minas Gerais there is a number of cities enjoying even milder mountain climate, such as Serra Negra, Águas de Lindóia, Socorro, Itapira, Itatiba, Atibaia, Joanópolis, where several water spas are located.
Education and health
Campinas has also two strong services sectors: education and health care, therefore being an attraction hub for students and patients from all over Latin America. Besides one state university, UNICAMP, Campinas boasts of a student population of over 60,000, with many private universities building campuses in the city. Several of its hospitals and specialized clinics are among the best in Brazil, such as the huge State University of Campinas Clinics Hospital, Instituto Penido Burnier, Centro Infantil Domingos Boldrini and many others.
Universities and colleges
Technical schools
Culture
The city has always has held a position of distinction in the State of São Paulo regarding cultural manifestations and resources. This has increased greatly with the proliferation of universities. Campinas has three theater houses, one symphonic orchestra (considered one of the three best of the country), classic music ensembles, choral groups, 43 movie theaters, dozens of libraries, including a municipal library, art galleries, museums, etc. Cultural life is varied and intense, particularly in popular music.
Resources for foreigners
Due to the high concentration of multinational and foreign-controlled companies, Campinas has developed a unique and resourceful structure to welcome and to serve executives and workers from other countries who reside in the city. There are two primary/secondary schools that teach in English or German and follow the Northern hemisphere school calendar, the American School of Campinas and the Colégio Visconde do Rio Branco (German). Campinas is also the seat of a branch of the American Chamber of Commerce. A number of high-level walled housing condominiums such as Gramado, Alphaville, and others, provide world-class comfort and security at reasonable prices. Hotel and restaurant infrastructure is excellent and plentiful, with many international chains operating in the city, such as Accor and Meliá. A Convention & Visitors Bureau exists in the city and is very helpful. A big convention center of international class is available at the Royal Palm Hotel, and videoconferencing facilities for rental are available at the Campinas Videoconference Center (at Edumed Institute).
Administration
Campinas has an annual municipal budget of over US$ 300 million dollars, one of the highest in Brazil. The current Mayor is Hélio de Oliveira Santos, a physician and federal congressman, representing a coalition of several political parties, led by the Partido Democrático Trabalhista. His term started on Jan. 1, 2005 to Dec. 31, 2008.
The municipality is subdivided into one main district and four subdistricts, Joaquim Egídio, Sousas, Barão Geraldo and Nova Aparecida. It has also 14 regional administrations:
- East (Vila Industrial)
- East (Avenida Norte-Sul)
- East (Vila Nogueira)
- North (Jardim Chapadão)
- Northwest (Vila Padre Manuel da Nóbrega)
- South (São Bernardo)
- Southwest (Campos Elíseos)
- South (Jardim Nova Europa)
- South (Jardim São Pedro)
- South (Jardim Ouro Branco)
- North (Jardim Eulina)
- Southwest (Jardim Cristina)
- Northwest (Parque Valença)
- East (Jardim Carlos Gomes)
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