Guarulhos


Guarulhos is a city and municipality located in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo, São Paulo state, Brazil. It is located northeast of the state capital, São Paulo. It is the second most populous city in the state of São Paulo, the 13th most populous city in Brazil, and the most populous city in the country that is not a state capital. Its population is 1,345,364 as of 2024, slightly above that of the nearby city of Campinas, with an area of 318.68 km2.
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Overview

As of 2021, It ranked 10th by GDP among Brazilian cities and second in São Paulo state. It is the tenth largest suburb in the world. The GDP per capita for the municipality was R$55.084,22 as of 2021. The São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport, the primary airport serving São Paulo and the largest one in Brazil and South America is located there. The city is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Guarulhos.
The municipality contains part of the Cantareira State Park, created in 1962, which protects a large part of the metropolitan São Paulo water supply. It also contains part of the Mananciais do Rio Paraíba do Sul Environmental Protection Area, created in 1982 to protect the sources of the Paraíba do Sul river.

Etymology

According to, the name of the city derives from the name of the indigenous people who inhabited the region, the Guaramomis or Maramomis, which means "Eaters" or "big-bellied people" in the Tupi Language. The name of the indigenous settlement founded in 1595 that gave rise to the city was 'Conceição dos Guarulhos', in reference to Our Lady of the Conception.

History

Guarulhos was founded on December 8, 1560, by Jesuit priest Manuel de Paiva and named Nossa Senhora da Conceição. Its origin is linked to five other small villages that were in charge of defending the boundaries of São Paulo de Piratininga Village against the Tamoios, a tribe of Indigenous people that lived in that region.
In the sixteenth century, Guarulhos was a strategic location: it bordered the future São Paulo's Capital and was surrounded by the Tietê, and Cabuçu de Cima rivers. For similar reasons, São Miguel Village was established during the same period.
In 1880, Guarulhos separated from São Paulo and was named Nossa Senhora da Conceição dos Guarulhos. Its current name, Guarulhos, was adopted later, after the enactment of the law #1.021, on November 6, 1906.
The early 20th century was marked by the arrival of the railway and electricity, requests for the installation of the telephone network, licences for the establishment of industries and commercial activities, and passenger transport services.
During the 1930s, the city witnessed the actions of the Federal Intervention and the Constitutional Movement.
In 1940 the Monteiro Lobato Municipal Library was founded, in 1941, the first Health Center of the city, and ten years after that, the Holy House of Mercy of Guarulhos was established. On that decade arrive in the municipality industries from different sectors: electricity; metallurgy; plastics; food; rubber; footwear; vehicles; clocks, and leather.
In 1945 the São Paulo's Air Force Base was transferred from Campo de Marte, a small airport in São Paulo, to the Cumbica neighborhood in Guarulhos.
In 1958 the Rotary Club established a branch in the city.
The Municipal Conservatory of Guarulhos was founded in 1961.
In 1963 the Commercial & Industrial Association of Guarulhos was founded, nowadays called the Commerce & Business Association of Guarulhos, Associação Comercial e Empresarial de Guarulhos – ACE.
With the big boom of the Industrial sector, a large number of manpower was drawn into the city. This new population settled in an urban area on a continuous process of land occupation. At this rate the population grew from 35,000 in 1950 to 101,000 in 1960, from 237,000 in 1970 to 532,726 in 1980. Most of these citizens devoted themselves to Industrial activities in Guarulhos, and São Paulo.
In 1985 the Cumbica Airport was opened. Today it is called "International Airport of São Paulo–Guarulhos Governor André Franco Montoro", the second-biggest airport in Latin America.
Between 2000 and 2006, its population grew three times as much as São Paulo State. According to IBGE, Guarulhos is the second most populous city in the State after São Paulo's capital. Most of its population is economically active and evenly distributed in terms of gender.

Notable people

Climate

Climate is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "Cfa".

Transportation

The main highway to serve Guarulhos is the Rodovia Presidente Dutra, from São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro.
In 2018, the Companhia Paulista de Trens Metropolitanos commuter rail system's Line 13–Jade was opened, connecting São Paulo–Guarulhos International Airport with Engenheiro Goulart. In 2021, construction will begin on the first line of the São Paulo Metro to serve Guarulhos, Line 19–Sky Blue.
São Paulo Air Force Base - BASP, a base of the Brazilian Air Force, is located in Guarulhos.

Media

In telecommunications, the city was served by Telecomunicações de São Paulo. In July 1998, this company was acquired by Telefónica, which adopted the Vivo brand in 2012. The company is currently an operator of cell phones, fixed lines, internet and television.