Carapicuíba
Downtown Carapicuíba at night.
Flag Seal
Nickname(s): Caracas
Motto: Carapicuiba
Location in the state of São Paulo and Brazil
Coordinates: 23°51′54″S 46°50′09″W / 23.865°S 46.83583°W / -23.865; -46.83583Coordinates: 23°51′54″S 46°50′09″W / 23.865°S 46.83583°W / -23.865; -46.83583
Country	Brazil
Region	Southeast
State	São Paulo
Settled	March 26, 1580
Government
- Mayor	Sérgio Ribeiro (PT)
Area
- Total	34.967 km2 (13.5 sq mi)
Population (2009)
- Total	392,701
- Density	11,111.3/km2 (28,778.1/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-3 (UTC-3)
- Summer (DST)	UTC-2 (UTC-2)
HDI (2000)	0.793 – medium
Website	Prefeitura Municipal de Carapicuíba

Carapicuíba is a city in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. It is one of the most populated municipal city and one of the smallest in area in the state of São Paulo. The population in 2009 is 392,701, its density is 11,111.3/km² and the area is 35 km².

History

Before the first white man arrived, the region which today is Carapicuíba was inhabited by indigenous people. The hamlet was founded by José de Anchieta. Afonso Sardinha settled there with his farm with the will to use the indigenous people as a workforce. He then built a chapel. The indigenous people soon reacted to the European occupation, and rushed into the jungle. By the 17th century, it was part of the recently created municipality of Santana do Parnaíba. Nothing much has changed in the hamlet during this century and the most of the 18th one.

From 1770 on, however, the city and its surroundings started to change noticeably, as new villages were settled, like Embu and Cotia. Houses were built around the main chapel, in which several "entrepreneur" (actually, people who arranged the parties with folklore-related themes) lived.

Until the Sorocabana Railway was implemented, in 1870, little was developed in the village. However, when a station was opened near the section of the tracks that run through the city, many people started to live in the city. During the first half of the 20th century, agriculture started to play a role in the economy of the village, because of the climate and quality of the land. A bus line starting in Barueri, running through Carapicuíba, Osasco and ending in Pinheiros was created to take people to São Paulo in alternate itineraries.

In 1948, Carapicuíba became a district of Cotia, when it became independent from São Paulo. An year later, it became part of Barueri, also as a district.

In 1952 the Parish Nossa Senhora Aparecida was built, and is now known as "Igreja Amarela" (Yellow Church), and the city population kept on increasing. The post-war times saw the vertiginous decrease of the prospecting in Minas Gerais, which lead to a large number of people to go to São Paulo state, a number of them settling in the city. In the early 1960s, a movement in favor of the independence of Carapicuíba was led by the mayor of Barueri, Carlos Capriotti, and the district earned its city status in March 1965

Origin of the name

According to Professor Carlos Drumond, chief of the Department of Linguistics and Oriental Languages and titular professor at the Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas of University of São Paulo, the name comes from the indigenous words "cara" (fish), "picú" (long) and "iba" (inappropriate to be eaten).

Geography

The border with Barueri is a large plain formed by the side of the Rio Tietê. The exploration of sand in the area was so intensive that a large crater was formed. However, during the 1960s, the government of São Paulo state started a series of works to alter the route of the river, and the destruction of the wall between the river and the crater led to the flooding of it. Now, the place has become an artificial lake called "Lagoa de Carapicuíba" (Carapicuíba Lake). 8 thousand litres of sewage from the central, western and southern portions of the city of São Paulo pass through the lake towards Barueri. The average altitude is 717 meters and the climate is in general a humid subtropical climate.

Economy

This section requires expansion.

As of 2005, the city has a GDP of R$1,915,285,000.00 and a GDP per capita of R$5,004

Transportation

The city is served by the Line 8 of CPTM, having two stations within the area of the municipality. Three Bus services serve the city: ETT Carapicuíba and Viação Del Rey, with municipal and inter municipal lines, and Viação Osasco, with intermunicipal lines only.

Highways

The Rodovia Castelo Branco is the only major highway of the state of São Paulo that crosses the city, on its north portion. It is also possible to access the city from the Rodovia Raposo Tavares, crossing a part of the city of Cotia, and from Osasco via the Avenida dos Autonomistas. The Rodoanel Mário Covas also crosses the city and serves as the main connection to the other highways and the city of São Paulo itself.

Notable Carapicuibanos

• Amauri Carvalho de Oliveira, footballer
• Leonardo Dias de Oliveira, actor and geographer

		Barueri
	Jandira		Osasco
		Carapicuíba
		Cotia