Bauru () is a Brazilian municipality located in the interior of São Paulo state, recognized as the most populous city in the Central-West region of São Paulo. It is one of the 19 municipalities comprising the Bauru Immediate Geographic Region, which is one of four immediate regions within the Bauru Intermediate Geographic Region, encompassing a total of 48 municipalities.

Situated northwest of the state capital, Bauru is approximately 326 km away and covers an area of 667.684 km².

History

Early history

thumb|left|Painting depicting the [[Guaraní people, one of the indigenous groups vying for control of the Bauru region in the 18th century.]]

thumb|left|First locomotive to arrive in Bauru, September 24, 1910.

The area now occupied by Bauru was historically contested by two indigenous groups: the Kaingang and the Guarani. In the 18th century, bandeirantes attempted to settle in the region, a key crossing point for the fluvial expeditions heading to Mato Grosso and Goiás, but were repelled by attacks from local indigenous groups. Non-Indians only managed to settle in the region in the 19th century, with settlers arriving from São Paulo’s coast, Minas Gerais, and Rio de Janeiro. After 1850, pioneers from São Paulo and Minas Gerais began exploring the vast region between the Botucatu Ridge, the Tietê River, the Paranapanema River, and the Paraná River, previously inhabited by Kaingang groups.

Bauru was officially established as a municipality in 1896. The exploration of this region of São Paulo state occurred extensively in the last decade of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century.

In the latter half of the 20th century, rail transport was gradually replaced by highway construction.

Geography

According to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, Bauru’s municipal area spans km².

Geomorphology and hydrography

thumb|upright|left|[[Batalha River in Bauru.]]

Bauru’s terrain is predominantly undulating, with 64.71% of the territory characterized by rolling hills, while flat areas account for 23.85%.

The city’s soils are primarily sandy, with low drainage density, a characteristic of the Western São Paulo Plateau, influenced by the region’s warm climate for much of the year. Predominant soil types include red-yellow latosol, found extensively, and red-yellow acrisol, common on steeper slopes, both with medium to sandy textures. Latosol areas are prone to large gullies. These soils are developed, stable, and well-drained but lose micro-aggregates under intense irregular occupation, leading to significant erosion.

The terrain’s density directly affects drainage networks, which, in turn, can alter the surface configuration. Bauru’s main rivers are the Bauru River and the Batalha River. The Bauru River originates near the urban perimeter in the former Fazenda Fortaleza (now a subdivision in the Lagoa Sul neighborhood), flowing 42 km to join the Tietê River between Boraceia, Pederneiras, and Itapuí. The Batalha River, originating in Agudos, is a significant Tietê tributary, stretching 167 km. It supplies Bauru with water.

Climate

thumb|Sky over Bauru on a partly cloudy day.

thumb|Rainbow near Bauru.

According to the Center for Meteorological and Climatic Research Applied to Agriculture (CEPAGRI) at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Bauru’s climate is classified as a tropical highland climate (Aw per the Köppen climate classification), prevalent in central-western São Paulo. It features dry, mild winters and rainy, warm summers, with the warmest month’s average temperature exceeding °C. Autumn and spring serve as transitional seasons. The annual rainfall averages approximately millimeters (mm), concentrated in spring and summer, with a significant decrease in winter.

During the rainy season, precipitation primarily falls as rain, occasionally accompanied by hail. These events are sometimes marked by electrical discharges, such as lightning and thunder. In winter, during the dry season, relative humidity levels often drop below 30%. This period also sees frequent wildfires in brushlands, contributing to deforestation and atmospheric pollution, which degrades air quality. Winter also brings polar air masses, some strong enough to lower temperatures to °C or below, occasionally causing rare frosts.

Bauru hosts the Institute of Meteorological Research (IPMet), a complementary unit of the São Paulo State University (UNESP), established in 1969 to conduct meteorological research for weather forecasting across São Paulo, as well as to quantify and monitor storms and rainfall using a weather radar.

In partnership with IPMet, the National Institute of Meteorology (INMET) installed an automatic weather station at the institute, operational since August 30, 2001. The station recorded a record low of °C on August 4, 2011.

| source 2 = INMET

Parks and environment

The original and predominant vegetation in Bauru is the Atlantic Forest, but due to climatic factors and deforestation, the Cerrado biome is increasingly prevalent.

To curb deforestation, several conservation areas have been established. As of 2011, Bauru had nine such areas: the Community Grove ( m²); the Pederneiras State Forest ( hectares, established in 2002); the Bauru Ecological Station (278.7 ha, established in 1983); the Bauru Experimental Station (43.09 ha, established in 1939); the Batalha River Environmental Protection Area (APA) (established in 1998 to protect the riparian forest along the Batalha River); the Bauru Municipal Botanical Garden (established in 1994); the Vargem Alegre Municipal APA (established in 1996); the Água Parada APA (established in 1996); and the Bauru Municipal Zoo (established in 1992, covering 30 ha and housing endangered species). The Bauru Forest Garden spans 50 hectares, hosting an experimental station for research on pine, eucalyptus, and other exotic and native plant species. The Bauru Municipal Zoo, inaugurated on August 24, 1980, houses various animal species and attracts approximately 150,000 visitors annually.

Demographics

According to the 2022 Brazilian Census, conducted by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), the population of Bauru was inhabitants, with a population density of .

The 2010 Brazilian Census reported that inhabitants were male and were female. According to the same census, residents lived in the urban area and in the rural area.

In 2003, the IBGE reported Bauru's Gini coefficient, which measures social inequality, as 0.43, where 1.00 represents the highest inequality and 0.00 the lowest. From 1991 to 2010, the proportion of individuals with a per capita household income of up to half the minimum wage decreased by 16.0%. In 2010, 85.6% of the population lived above the poverty line, 9.6% were at the poverty line, and 4.7% were below it. In 2000, the richest 20% of Bauru's population accounted for 62.8% of the municipality's total income, 23 times higher than the 2.7% share of the poorest 20%. In 1991, the poorest 20% held 3.9% of the income, indicating an increase in social inequality from the early 1990s to 2000.

To address this situation and improve living conditions in the slums, the Bauru Participatory Master Plan was approved in August 2008. It provides for the regularization of slums not located in high-risk areas prone to flooding or erosion, or in environmental preservation zones, with those in such areas to be relocated. Other municipal projects aim to curb the expansion of slums.

Religion

Reflecting Bauru's cultural diversity, the city is home to a wide range of religious manifestations. Although it developed within a predominantly Catholic social framework, influenced by both colonization and immigration—and the majority of Bauru residents still identify as Catholic—the city is now home to numerous Protestant denominations, as well as practices of Buddhism, Islam, Spiritism, and others. In recent decades, Buddhism and Eastern religions have seen significant growth in the city.

Protestant churches

Bauru is home to a variety of Protestant or Reformed denominations, including the Lutheran Church, Presbyterian Church, Methodist Church, Anglican Episcopal Church, and various Evangelical groups such as the Sara Nossa Terra Evangelical Community, Maranata Christian Church, Baptist churches, Assemblies of God, Seventh-day Adventist Church, World Church of God's Power, Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, and Christian Congregation in Brazil, among others. The seat of the Diocese of Bauru is the Divine Holy Spirit Cathedral, the city's main religious monument, inaugurated on 21 July 1897.

The establishment of the Diocese was driven by rapid population growth in the region during the early 20th century, which fostered the development of Catholicism. The "Divine Holy Spirit Chapel" was built in the late 1880s by Faustino Ribeiro da Silva, with financial support from the Municipal Council, but it was demolished in 1913. Prior to this, the first sign of religious expression in Bauru appeared around 1886, with the placement of a cross in front of the current cathedral site, in what was then the Municipal Square, renamed Rui Barbosa Square in 1923. In 2010, there were immigrants from other parts of São Paulo state and Brazil, according to the IBGE. The city received a significant influx of people from other parts of the country during the March to the West, many of whom settled in the region hoping for better living conditions.

Immigration was more common in the early 20th century, contributing significantly to agriculture. Many immigrants sought employment, particularly in coffee plantations, and helped strengthen commerce. Bauru welcomed waves of immigrants from various parts of the world, notably Italians, Spaniards, Portuguese, and Japanese. Its strategic location at a major road and rail junction, connecting the municipality to much of the country and other South American nations, also attracted Syrian, Lebanese, German, French, Chinese, and Jewish immigrants of various nationalities. More recently, the city has received Bolivians, Argentines, Chileans, Palestinians, and North Americans, making it one of the most cosmopolitan municipalities in the Interior of São Paulo.

Politics and administration

thumb|left|upright=1.4|Cherry Blossom Palace, the seat of the Bauru City Hall

Municipal administration in Bauru is carried out through the executive branch and the legislative branch. The first person to govern the municipality was José Alves de Lima, who served as intendant from January to May 1896.

The legislative branch is represented by the Municipal Chamber, which consists of 17 councilors elected to four-year terms, in accordance with Article 29 of the Constitution. The chamber’s composition is as follows: two seats for the Social Liberal Party (PSL); two seats for Democrats (DEM); two seats for the Progressive Party (PP); two seats for the Brazilian Democratic Movement (PMDB); one seat for Republicans (REP); one seat for the Brazilian Labour Party (PTB); one seat for the Democratic Labour Party (PDT); one seat for Citizenship; one seat for the Workers' Party (PT); one seat for the Social Democratic Party (PSD); one seat for the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB); one seat for Patriota (PATRI); and one seat for Podemos (PODE). The chamber is responsible for drafting and voting on fundamental laws for the administration and the executive, particularly the participatory budget (Budget Guidelines Law). Bauru is also the seat of the Comarca of Bauru, established on 22 December 1910 by Law No. 1232. Bauru has a sister city relationship with Tenri, Japan. The city is divided into approximately 350 neighborhoods and ten regional administrations. It comprises two districts: the Seat District and Tibiriçá, which had a population of 1,492 in 2000, according to the IBGE.

Due to its central geographic location within the state of São Paulo, there have been proposals to permanently relocate the state government’s seat to Bauru. This move would aim to alleviate infrastructure pressures on the city of São Paulo and its metropolitan region while centralizing regional governance, similar to the transfer of the federal capital from Rio de Janeiro to Brasília.

Economy

right|thumb|Sidewalk on Batista de Carvalho Street in the commercial center.

Bauru’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the largest in the Bauru Microregion, the 18th largest in the state of São Paulo, and the 68th largest in Brazil. According to 2009 IBGE data, the municipality’s GDP was R$6,795,517,000. The per capita GDP was R$18,906.42.

Until the 1940s, Bauru’s economy was heavily dependent on agriculture. However, its strategic location at a major road, air, water, and rail junction in São Paulo, combined with access to electricity and telephone networks, enabled the growth of industry and commerce throughout the 20th century, particularly in the second half. In temporary crops, the main products are sugarcane (430 hectares cultivated and 37,883 tons harvested in 2010), pineapple (220 hectares cultivated and 3,520,000 fruits harvested), and sweet potato (75 hectares and 1,200 tons harvested).

Agriculture was a dominant economic activity in Bauru at the beginning of the 20th century, with significant contributions from immigrants. At that time, coffee cultivation was the primary economic driver, largely due to the labor of European immigrants. However, following the 1929 economic crisis, coffee production declined and was replaced by cotton cultivation. Over time, agriculture’s importance in Bauru and western São Paulo diminished, exacerbated by rural exodus as people sought better living conditions in urban areas. In rural areas, cotton was gradually replaced by sugarcane.

Infrastructure

Health

thumb|left|Hospital for Rehabilitation of Craniofacial Anomalies at the University of São Paulo in Bauru, known as "Centrinho"

In 2009, Bauru had 149 healthcare facilities, including hospitals, emergency rooms, health posts, and dental services, with 49 public and 100 private establishments. These facilities provided 1,046 hospitalization beds, with 465 in public facilities and 581 in private ones. In 2011, 98.5% of children under one year old were up to date with their vaccinations. For emergencies, the city has four Urgent Care Units (in the Bela Vista, Mary Dota, Ipiranga, and Geisel/Redentor neighborhoods), the Mobile Emergency Care Service (SAMU), the Central Emergency Department, and the Pediatric Emergency Service. Support services include the Municipal Mental Health Outpatient Clinic, the Human Milk Bank, Psychosocial Care Centers, the Zoonosis Control Center, and the Municipal Elderly Care Program (PROMAI). Primary care services include the Family Health Program (PSF) with six care units and 17 Basic Health Units (UBS).

Dental clinics are also set up in municipal and state schools, conducting hygiene campaigns and consultations for children. The Lauro de Souza Lima Institute (ILSL), established in 1933, is located in Bauru and is a national and international reference center for general dermatology and, in particular, leprosy. In addition to dermatology services, the institute conducts research, teaching, physical rehabilitation, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, and corrective plastic surgeries.

Education

In 2009, the average Basic Education Development Index (IDEB) for Bauru’s public schools was 5.1 (on a scale from 1 to 10). Fifth-year students (formerly 4th grade) scored 5.5, while ninth-year students (formerly 8th grade) scored 4.7. The national average for municipal and state schools was 4.0. For private institutions, the municipal index rose to 6.1 (6.4 for fifth-year students and 5.9 for ninth-year students).

Bauru also has technical and vocational schools, such as the National Industrial Apprenticeship Service (SENAI), Industrial Social Services (SESI), Bauru Industrial Technical College (CTi), and Rodrigues de Abreu State Technical School (ETEC). The city is home to three public universities: the University of São Paulo (USP), the São Paulo State University (UNESP), which has its largest campus in Bauru, and the Bauru Faculty of Technology (FATEC). Private universities include the Sacred Heart University (USC), Bauru Integrated Faculties (FIB), Paulista University (UNIP), Toledo Educational Institution (ITE), and the medicine course at UNINOVE. Additionally, Bauru hosts a unit of the São Paulo Agribusiness Technology Agency for agricultural research.

{| class="wikitable" style="float:center; margin:1em; border-collapse:collapse; text-align:center;"

|+ Education in Bauru by numbers

|-

! Level

! Enrollments

! Teachers

! Schools (total)

|-

! Early childhood education

| style="text-align:right;"| 8,786

| 449

| 122

|-

! Primary education

| style="text-align:right;"| 44,181

| 1,985

| 97

|-

! Secondary education

| style="text-align:right;"| 13,270

| 921

| 51

|}

Housing, services, and communication

Bauru’s first water supply system was installed in 1912 by then-intendant José Carlos de Freire Figueiredo, operated by the Bauru Water and Sewage Company. The system was reinaugurated on 19 April 1942, drawing water from the Batalha River. By Law No. 1,006 of 24 December 1962, the Bauru Water and Sewage Department (DAE) was established, which has since managed public water and sewage services. In early 2012, there were 29 deep wells (underground springs) and a Batalha River intake station, which supplies 40% of the population. The city has two sewage treatment plants (ETEs), Tibiriçá and Candeia, with plans for a third, Vargem Limpa, expected to begin operations in 2020.

thumb|left|City panorama with numerous residential buildings. Bauru has over 13,000 apartments.

thumb|left|Partial nighttime view of Bauru. According to the [[CPFL Energia|CPFL, the city has 39,218 public streetlights installed (March 2011).]]

In 2010, according to the IBGE, Bauru had 109,875 permanent private households, including 94,653 houses, 13,363 apartments, 1,549 village houses or condominiums, and 310 rooms or shanties. Of these, 78,830 were owned properties (63,365 fully paid, 15,465 under acquisition), 24,841 were rented, 5,780 were provided (1,040 by employers, 4,740 otherwise), and 424 were occupied in other ways. Most of the municipality has access to treated water, electricity, sewage, urban cleaning, fixed-line telephone, and mobile phone services. In 2010, 98.42% of households were served by the general water supply network, 99.4% had garbage collection, and 97.03% had sewage systems.

On 16 March 1911, the city hall inaugurated the first electricity supply service. In 1927, the São Paulo Power and Light Company (CPFL Paulista) took over, currently serving 234 other municipalities in the São Paulo interior. In 2010, 99.85% of the municipality’s households had electricity. which built the city’s first telephone exchange, still in use today. In 1973, São Paulo Telecommunications (TELESP) took over, implementing the direct distance dialing (DDD) system and building additional exchanges. In 1998, TELESP was privatized and sold to Telefônica, which adopted the Vivo brand in 2012. Mobile phone services are offered by various operators, with some areas featuring wireless networks. Bauru’s area code (DDD) is 014, and its postal code ranges from 17000-001 to 17109-999.

Several Ultra High Frequency (UHF) channels are available in digital technology, with major broadcasters having affiliates in Bauru or nearby cities, including RecordTV Paulista (owned by RecordTV), TV TEM Bauru (Rede Globo), and SBT Central (owned by SBT). On 28 March 2018, analog television signals were discontinued in Bauru. The city also has several circulating newspapers. The first, O Bauru, was established in 1906. The first radio station, Bauru Rádio Clube, began broadcasting on 8 March 1934. The suicide rate in 2008 was 7.0 per 100,000 inhabitants, ranking 66th in the state and 735th nationally.

In the 2018 Violence Atlas, produced by the Institute for Applied Economic Research (IPEA) in partnership with the Brazilian Public Safety Forum, Bauru was identified as having the lowest homicide and violent crime rates among Brazilian cities with over 300,000 inhabitants. Among the 309 Brazilian municipalities with over 100,000 inhabitants, Bauru ranked 16th.

Transportation

Air

link=https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficheiro:Aeroporto_de_Bauru-Arealva.jpg|thumb|[[Bauru-Arealva Airport]]

Bauru has two medium-sized airports, both managed by the São Paulo State Aviation Department (DAESP). The Bauru Airport, inaugurated on 8 April 1939, features a 1,500-meter asphalt runway and a passenger terminal. It hosts an aeroclub and an aircraft and glider workshop and is located less than 3 km from the city center.

The Bauru-Arealva Airport, opened in 2006, has a 2,500 m² passenger terminal, a 2,100-meter runway, and an aircraft maintenance yard. It offers flights to São Paulo and Campinas.

Rail

The first railway to reach Bauru was the Sorocabana Railway, with the first railway station inaugurated on 22 April 1905. This small station operated until the late 1990s, when the railway, then managed by Ferrovia Paulista S/A (FEPASA), closed.

thumb|left|Interior of the former railway station.

The main station, established on 27 September 1906, was one of Brazil’s largest railway junctions between the 1940s and 1950s. It served as a busy passenger terminal and a key hub for cargo loading and unloading. However, in 1997, the railway was sold to Novoeste Railway S.A., and the last passenger train ran on 15 March 2001, leaving the station unused since then. Another medium-sized station, Bauru Paulista, opened on 8 September 1910 and was abandoned by FEPASA in 1997.

Rail transport in Bauru, as in much of São Paulo, declined significantly due to the rise of road and air transport, particularly in the early 1990s.

The Bauru Bus Terminal is one of the main terminals in its region, handling an average of 25,000 passengers weekly. The most popular destinations from the terminal are São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Curitiba, Campo Grande, Londrina, and Maringá.

Urban

The Bauru Municipal Urban and Rural Development Company (EMDURB), established by Municipal Law No. 2166 of 25 September 1979, oversees and maintains the city’s traffic, including monitoring public roads, driver and pedestrian behavior, developing traffic engineering projects, paving, building road infrastructure, and managing services such as taxis, alternative transport, chartered and school buses.

In 2010, the municipal vehicle fleet totaled 203,651 vehicles, including 129,388 cars, 4,863 trucks, 608 tractor-trucks, 12,430 pickups, 5,650 vans, 426 minibuses, 37,689 motorcycles, 6,555 scooters, 1,045 buses, 14 wheeled tractors, 549 utility vehicles, and 4,434 other vehicle types.

Dual-lane, paved avenues and numerous traffic lights facilitate city traffic. However, the rapid increase in vehicle numbers over the past decade has led to slower traffic, particularly in the Seat District. Finding parking spaces in the commercial center has also become challenging, impacting local commerce.

Public transportation in Bauru is provided through urban and interurban buses and taxis, considered essential services. Urban bus transport is managed by the Bauru Urban Public Transport Companies Association (Transurb), established in 2002, which in 2010 operated 70 lines covering nearly the entire city. Transurb represents three public transport concessionaires: Grande Bauru Public Transport, Baurutrans CN General Transport, and Cidade Sem Limites.

Culture

thumb|Bauru Municipal Historical Museum.

thumb|right|Automobile Club of Bauru, the headquarters of the city's Symphony Orchestra.

The cultural sector in Bauru is managed by the Municipal Secretariat of Culture, which is tasked with planning and implementing the municipality's cultural policies through the development of programs, projects, and activities aimed at fostering cultural growth. Established in 1993, the Secretariat is divided into two departments: the Department of Cultural Action and the Department of Historical Heritage. The latter assesses the needs of cultural spaces and the Secretariat itself, while the former promotes the municipal policy for the protection of cultural heritage.

Bauru is also the birthplace of numerous singers, composers, and artists who have achieved national or international recognition, including José Marciano, Luiz de Carvalho, Chico Dehira, Edson Celulari, Tina Kara, Paulo Villaça, Gustavo Haddad, as well as the astronaut Marcos Pontes and the journalist Amauri Soares, among others.

Within the urban area, key attractions include a variety of hotels, restaurants, museums, bars, fast-food chains, cinemas, and shopping centers, as well as a pedestrian walkway in the city center and a concentration of shops extending from the central area to the southern region. The Automobile Club of Bauru, for instance, inaugurated on 8 April 1939, frequently hosts events and features a spacious venue with distinctive architectural elements. Another notable venue is the Bauru Cultural Center, which was inaugurated on 15 March 1942.

thumb|left|Celina Lourdes Alves Neves Theater.

The Municipal Library System comprises the Rodrigues de Abreu Municipal Library, the Ivan Engler de Almeida Children's Library, the Aucione Torres Agostinho Comic Library, eight smaller libraries, and mobile "Bibliobus" units that serve events and schools by appointment. The Bauru Central Library has been computerized since August 2002, offering over 44,000 works, as well as periodicals, videos, and a newspaper archive. The eight smaller libraries collectively hold a collection of 16,000 items. The city is also home to three museums: the Image and Sound Museum, the Bauru Regional Railway Museum, and the Bauru Municipal Historical Museum.

Bauru has 15 movie theaters, considered among the most modern in the region, attracting audiences from neighboring cities. These theaters are located at Bauru Shopping-Multiplex Cinema (five screens, including one with THX sound and one 3D screen), Boulevard Shopping Bauru-Cinépolis (six screens, including one Macro XE), and Alameda Quality Center-Cine ‘n Fun (four screens, all with THX sound). The cineclub movement, which was highly active in Bauru during the 1960s and 1970s (with the city hosting up to four cineclubs simultaneously, one dedicated to screening full operas), no longer has a permanent cineclub.

Events

thumb|Rock concert at the 2010 Virada Cultural in Bauru.

Bauru is one of the host municipalities of the Virada Cultural Paulista, an annual event held in various cities across São Paulo state, modeled after the Virada Cultural in the state capital. Organized in Bauru since 2007, the event aims to provide 24 hours of continuous cultural activities, including musical performances across various genres, theater productions, and art and history exhibitions.

The Bauru Carnival was regarded in the 1980s as the most famous in the interior of São Paulo. The Bauru Municipal Sambadrome was the second to be inaugurated in Brazil, surpassed only by the Marquês de Sapucaí Sambadrome. In the early 2000s, the samba school parades were broadcast live online, a novelty at the time, having previously been transmitted via radio and, less frequently, local television channels. However, official parades were suspended starting in 2002, with no formal competition. The parades resumed in 2010, and organizers are gradually working to restore the event’s prominence from past decades.

Sports

thumb|left|Glider at the [[Bauru Airport.]]

Bauru is home to several sports clubs, including Esporte Clube Noroeste, the city’s largest and one of the most traditional football teams in São Paulo, founded on 1 September 1910. Its stadium, Estádio Alfredo de Castilho, is the largest in Bauru, with a capacity of over 17,000 spectators. The city also hosts an amateur football championship with two divisions and numerous clubs, with Parquinho Futebol Clube standing out as the most successful in the amateur scene. Additionally, Bauru is notable for being the city where Pelé began his career, playing in the youth categories of Bauru Atlético Clube before transferring to Santos FC.

Beyond football, Bauru offers facilities for various sports. American football is represented by the Bauru Hunters, active since 2009. The Bauru Aeroclub, located at the Bauru Airport, is the largest gliding center in Brazil, boasting the country’s largest and most diverse fleet of gliders and currently leading the national gliding rankings. In motorsports, the “Toca da Coruja” kart track hosts regional, state, and national karting and motorcycle competitions. In basketball, the Bauru Basket has won the São Paulo State Basketball Championship in 1999, 2013, and 2014; the Brazilian Basketball Championship in 2002 and 2016-17; the South American Basketball League in 2014; the FIBA Americas League in 2015; and was runner-up in the FIBA Intercontinental Cup in 2015. In volleyball, the city is represented by SESI Vôlei Bauru, which won the São Paulo State Championship in 2018 and competes in the Women’s Superliga.

Holidays

Bauru observes two municipal holidays, eight national holidays, and six optional holidays. The municipal holidays are the city’s anniversary, celebrated on 1 August, and All Souls’ Day, observed on 2 November. According to federal law No. 9,093, enacted on 12 September 1995, municipalities may designate up to four religious municipal holidays, including Good Friday.

Sister cities

  • Tenri, Japan, since 1970.
  • 20px Sibiu, Romania, since 1995.

Notable people

  • Alecsandro, football player
  • Airton Daré, racing driver
  • Kerolin, football player
  • Diltor Opromolla, leprosy researcher
  • Pelé, football player
  • Marcos Pontes, Aeronautical engineer, Astronaut, Fighter pilot, Recipient of National Order of Merit
  • Mário Sabino, judoka
  • Ozires Silva, Aeronautical engineer, founder of Embraer

See also

  • List of municipalities in São Paulo

References

  • UOL.com.br, History of Bauru - Origin of Bauru.
  • SP.gov.br, Official Website - Prefeitura Municipal de Bauru
  • Embrapa.br, Aerial view of the city