Itu, São Paulo


Itu is a historic city and municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of Sorocaba. The population was 175,568 as of 2020, in an area of 640.72 km2. The elevation is 583 m. This place name comes from the Tupi language, meaning big waterfall. Two rivers flow through Itu: Tietê and Jundiaí. Itu has five hospitals, eleven bank agencies and one shopping center, the Plaza Shopping Itu.
Itu was founded in 1610 by bandeirante Domingos Fernandes. It became a parish in 1653. In 1657, it was elevated to a town and municipality. It became a part of Brazil in 1822. It became a city in 1843.
It is the 46th most populous municipality in the state of São Paulo and the 174th in Brazil, in addition to being the second largest city in the Sorocaba Metropolitan Region, behind only Sorocaba.
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Geography

Its climate is predominantly subtropical, influenced by both its inland elevation and its proximity to seasonal monsoon patterns.
Summers are warm and rainy, with dense afternoon clouds that often gather over the nearby ridges before breaking into short, heavy downpours. Winters, by contrast, are cold and dry, and occasional frost settles in the sheltered valleys, lingering until the late morning sun reaches them.
The region occupies a transitional zone between the ancient crystalline plateau and the younger sedimentary basins. This mix gives rise to a patchwork of soils—thin, mineral-rich stretches alternating with softer alluvial layers—which in turn supports a varied landscape of scrub woodland, terraced fields, and scattered hamlets built along the natural contours of the terrain.

Demographics

Population history

YearPopulation
2001135,366
2004149,758
2009157,384
2015167,095

According to the 2000 IBGE Census, the population was 136,366, of which 123,942 are urban and 11,424 are rural. The average life expectancy was 71.53 years. The literacy rate was at 92.53%.

Transportation

The main roads passing through the municipality are:

Tourism

Itu was the birthplace of nationally-known comedian Simplicio, whose catchphrase was "back home in Itu everything is bigger". This led to the city becoming known as the "capital of large things", with a number of oversized objects being constructed there. The town's "exaggerations" include a 4m tall yellow pay phone called "orelhão", an oversized street light, a giant car tire and a mast decorated with a star, claimed to be the world's tallest artificial Christmas tree.
With the increase in domestic tourism the infrastructure soon developed to attract foreign visitors as well as international meetings, seminars and congress events. In 1999 and 2003 the Seventh Day Adventist Reform Movement held their international delegation session in Itu bringing people from over 80 countries to the city at each event.

Media

In telecommunications, the city was served by Companhia Telefônica Brasileira until 1973, when it began to be 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.

Notable people

Sister cities - twin towns

Itu is twinned with:
Salto, Brazil