Mauá () is a municipality in the state of São Paulo, in Brazil. Is part of the metropolitan region of São Paulo. The population as of 2020 is 477,552 inhabitants (11th largest city in population number of the state), the density is and the area is . The density is in fact bigger, since one third of the city is occupied by industries and 10% is countryside or forest. Its name comes from the Tupi language and means the one that is high. As it's a municipality, it can also be translated as high city. However, back when the city was a small village, its name was Pilar, then the name was changed in 1934 into Mauá as a homage to Visconde de Mauá, entrepreneur which built the Santos–Jundiaí railway that passes through the city.
Mauá has the 23rd largest GDP of São Paulo state.
Is the birthplace of Brazilian tableware industry.
Economy
Although there are various types of economic activity in the city (logistics, metallurgy, chemical and electrical materials, and petrochemical), Mauá is still known as the "capital of china and pottery", because this activity was very important for the development of the municipality. There are two industrial centers (Capuava and Sertãozinho) and a large petrochemical complex plant where the refinery of Petrobras is located, the RECAP. These poles transformed Mauá into one of the largest industrial parks in the country. Major road interventions are being implemented (the Mário Covas Beltway and the prolongation of the Avenue Jacu-Pêssego/Nova Trabalhadores), which, due to the improved access to the city should influence the growth of industrial activity, who nowadays suffers with the bottleneck of the road network and its chronic lack of maintenance.
Some companies with headquarters or branches in the municipality of Mauá: ALCAN (Aluminum), CGE (metallurgical), Petrobras (petroleum refining, cooking gas and nitrogen), LED, Liquigas (cooking gas), Chevron-Oronite (petroleum products), Oxiteno-Ultrapar (gas oil products, except CNG), Firestone (tires), Saint-Gobain (automotive glass), Magneti Marelli-Cofap (metallurgy and automotive parts).
Transport
The city is served by CPTM Line 10, passing through the Capuava, Mauá and Guapituba stations. It's also served by the METRA bus rapid transit system, having one stop and a trolleybus line which goes to the Sônia Maria terminal.
Currently, the city bus system is operated by the company Suzantur.
Geography
Climate
The city is located above sea level, at the boundary between the Serra do Mar and the plateau. As a result, the city's climate is considered subtropical, with average temperature during the year at around , rarely exceeding in summer. In winter the average is .
Topography
The landscape of Mauá is dominated by the formation of steep hills and peaks, as it is the usual Serra do Mar landscape, and by deep valleys and wetlands, today mostly grounded and occupied in a disordered way, which explains the high incidence of flooding there. Only the valley of Tamanduateí River on Capuava district is typically flat. Historical account describe the place as where the first bandeirantes, coming from São Vicente, saw the Planalto Paulista (São Paulo plateau) region and gave the name of Borda do Campo (that means Boundary of the Countryside) to the region, for making the transition between the Serra do Mar and the Planalto Paulista. The highest point in town is the Morro Pelado (Naked Hill), with 867 meters (the third highest of the Greater São Paulo), but the city is, on average, the highest of metropolitan region, due to the lack of flat areas.
Hydrography
The city has a special characteristic hydrographic: not be crossed by any water course from another city, since, due to the high altitude, all streams that cross the territory of Mauá has their sources inside the city limits.