São Bernardo do Campo

Sister cities

• Marostica
• Vittorio Veneto
• Linköping
• Managua
• Havana
• Várzea Alegre
• Açucena
• Monte Azul
• General San Martín Department
• Xapuri
• Diadema
• Shūnan-shi

History

The city was founded by João Ramalho in 1553 and was known as Vila de Santo André da Borda do Campo de Piratininga, soon transferred to another nearby place, safer from hostile tribes. It is, however, historically perceived as the first Brazilian settlement built away from the sea. The original settlement was then resettled as São Bernardo, became a parish in 1812 and a municipality in 1890. In 1938, it became a part of the Santo André district only to be separated again in 1945, as the aftermath of an action from a group of entrepreneurs led by Wallace Cochrane Simonsen, who was eventually appointed as the first mayor of the newborn municipality. The area where São Bernardo do Campo, Santo André, São Caetano do Sul, and Diadema are located was once a farm owned by Benedictine monks, who owned enslaved Africans. By the second half of the 19th century, European immigrants started to come to the area, mainly from Italy. Italians settled in cottages in the rural area of São Bernardo do Campo that were called colônias. By the beginning of the 20th century, Japanese immigrants arrived, most of them going to the neighborhood called Cooperativa. Industry, particularly metal works, thrived in the city during the 1960s, when São Bernardo do Campo became known as Brazil's Automobile Capital (Portuguese: a Capital do Automóvel). Many of these plants have since relocated to other regions but the automobile industry remains a vital part of the history of São Bernardo do Campo. The city is also known for its furniture industry developed by Italian immigrants, who helped São Bernardo do Campo become a high-tech industrial hub. Industrialization also attracted migrants from the Brazilian Northeastern region in the 1960s. Among them was the family of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who…

Geography

São Bernardo do Campo is located in the top of the Serra do Mar, on the Atlantic plateau. It occupies an area of 407.1 square kilometre. The altitude varies from a low of 60 meters above sea level at the foot of the mountain range where Rio Passareúva with the Rio Pilões rivers meet, to 986.5 meters at the peak of the Bonilha, in the Montanhão neighborhood. According to the Köppen climate classification São Bernardo do Campo has a humid subtropical climate. On average the maximum temperature is , with an average low of , an average of . In 2010 the summer temperatures reached in January–February. In summer, normally only for a few days, heavy storms occur, reaching of precipitation. Winter is the coldest of the ABC region. In July and August the temperature can reach or less, but towards the end of winter the heat returns with temperatures reaching . The summer of 2012 was not as hot as the previous 5 years. Also the average temperature has decreased over the years to in 2011 and in 2012.

Most-observed species

• Great Kiskadee

  Pitangus sulphuratus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  25,975
• Rufous-bellied Thrush

  Turdus rufiventris Vieillot, 1818 · Aves
  23,727
• Sayaca Tanager

  Thraupis sayaca (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  23,435
• Plain Parakeet

  Brotogeris tirica (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  23,126
• Bananaquit

  Coereba flaveola (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  19,556
• Rock Pigeon

  Columba livia J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  17,482
• Black Vulture

  Coragyps atratus (Bechstein, 1793) · Aves
  14,512
• Ruddy Ground-Dove

  Columbina talpacoti (Temminck, 1810) · Aves
  13,351