Guaratinguetá

Guaratinguetá

Guaratinguetá, city, eastern São Paulo estado (state), Brazil. It lies in the Mantiqueira Mountains at 1,785 feet (544 metres) above sea level at the confluence of the Guaratinguetá Stream and the Paraíba do Sul River, about 40 miles (65 km) from the Atlantic coast. Formerly called Freguesia de Santo Antônio de Guaratinguetá, the settlement was given town status in 1651 and was made the seat of a municipality in 1844. Guaratinguetá’s industries process the crops (principally sugarcane, rice, corn [maize], feijão [beans], coffee, and fruits [mangoes, papayas, passion fruit, oranges]) grown in the region and also manufacture textiles, explosives, soft drinks, and soaps. Situated midway between the cities of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, and only 53 miles (85 km) northeast of São José dos Campos, Guaratinguetá is easily accessible by railroad and highway. It also has an airfield. Pop. (2010) 112,072.