Mauá, Industrial municipality in São Paulo, Brazil
Mauá is an industrial municipality in the São Paulo metropolitan area of Brazil, covering roughly 63 square kilometers (24 square miles) that consists mostly of factories, residential zones, and commercial areas. About one tenth of the city remains rural and forested, mainly found along the edges.
The settlement grew along the Santos-Jundiaí railway line, built in the second half of the 19th century to connect the coast with the interior. The city received its current name in 1934 in honor of the railway entrepreneur and developed into a major industrial center in the following decades.
The city takes its name from Visconde de Mauá, an industrial pioneer who built Brazil's first railway and helped modernize the country. Working-class neighborhoods from the industrial era now sit alongside residential blocks, while small shops and markets shape the daily life of the different communities.
Public transport includes regional trains and rapid buses connecting residential areas with workplaces and neighboring cities. Most streets are paved and easy to navigate, while some outer neighborhoods are reached only by unpaved roads.
The city is considered the national center for china and pottery production, hosting several specialized factories in this industry. A large petrochemical complex also shapes the industrial profile of the region and employs thousands of workers.
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