Botucatu

Botucatu is a city in the southeastern region of Brazil and is located 224.8 km from São Paulo, the Capital of the State of São Paulo. The city has a population of about 127,370 inhabitants (1909) within a total area of 1,486.4 square kilometers, on top of a plateau (804 meters high). Botucatu became a township in 1876.

The region has humid-subtropical weather, with dry winters and hot summers. During winter the temperature rarely falls below 2 °C. During most of the year, mainly at night, a breeze blowing over São Paulo plateau, from which Botucatu elevates about 200 m, cools the city and surroundings.

Botucatu's biggest employer is UNESP, one of the three São Paulo state universities. In particular, the city has two campuses, one centered on medical sciences, including a school of medicine and veterinarian sciences, and one of agricultural sciences. The leading industrial company is Embraer through a subsidiary Neiva, that has a multipurpose plant there but primarily the manufacture of EMB 201 "Ipanemao" crop spraying aircraft. Along with Rondonópolis and Ribeiro Preto it is one of the centers of the large Brazilian airborne spraying industry. The city has also two bus bodyworks builders, the Brazilian Induscar and the Basque Irizar. Besides UNESP, there are two other colleges, one public and one private, plus a local teaching center of São Paulo's Pontificial university, PUC-SP.

The city boasts a higher than usual elementary and mid-level educational network, including public and private institutions. It is also an important center for "organic" agriculture being the site of a recognized certification body.