Franca
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| Franca | |||
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| Nickname: Capital do calçado, Cidade das três colinas (Footwear capital, Three hills city) |
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| Motto: "Gentile Meae Paulistae Fidelis" (Latin) "Faithful to my herd of São Paulo" |
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| Coordinates: | |||
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| Country |  Brazil |
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| Region | Northeast | ||
| State | São Paulo | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | Sidnei Franco da Rocha (PSDB) | ||
| Area | |||
| - City | 607.333 km² (234.5 sq mi) | ||
| - Metro | 8,051 km² (3,108.5 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 1,040 m (3,412 ft) | ||
| Population (2006) | |||
| - City | 334.221 | ||
| - Density | 7,233/km² (18,733.4/sq mi) | ||
| - Metro | 22,677,506 | ||
| - Metro Density | 540.3/km² (1,399.4/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | UTC-3 (UTC-3) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | UTC-2 (UTC-2) | ||
| HDI (2006) | 0.820 – high | ||
| Website: [1] | |||
Franca is a Brazilian city in São Paulo state, located at 20º32'19"S; 47º24'03'W at 1040 m altitude. Estimated population in 2007 was 334,221 inhabitants. Franca is the municipal seat of Franca municipality.
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[edit] History
The history of the Franca region begins at the time of the Bandeirantes explorers. The bandeira or entrada of Anhangüera (the son) in 1722 established the “way of Goiás,” a trail from São Paulo to the gold mines in Goiás. Along this and other trails settlements were made, the so-called "landings" or way-stations for the gold seekers. Franca was known in the times of the Bandeirantes as the “catfish landing.”
At the end of the 18th century, settlers had dispersed in the region from several of these landings. In 1779, around 1000 people lived in the Franca area. To better organize the settlement, a Decree Company was created and the Portuguese captain Manoel de Almeida was put in charge. At the beginning of the 19th century, the sons of Manoel de Almeida (Antonio Antunes de Almeida and Vicente Ferreira de Almeida) donated lands for the construction of a chapel, blessed by the priest Joaquin Martins Rodrigues. With the declime of mining activity in Minas Gerais and Goiás, more settlers gravitated to the "Belo Sertão do Rio Pardo" (beautiful vally of the Pardo River), under the sponsorship of the governador of São Paulo, Antônio José de Franca e Horta, after whom the city and municipality are named.
In 1816 the "village of Franca" was officially created by King João VI. In 1821, Minas Gerais attempted to annex the region, but due to local resistance, the attempt failed. The city motto stems from this time. The city's name was changed to "Vila Franca do Imperador", but it was shortened afterwards to Franca.
With the expansion of coffee platations throughout northeastern São Paulo state, many immigrants, mainly Italian, arrived in Franca. From these immigrants, the city's first industry, shoe manufacturing, was developed in the 1920s.
Franca took part in the Constitutional Revolution of 1932, in which six of her citizens died for São Paulo.
The city is now distinguished as an important center for the Brazilian footwear industry, although coffee continues today as one of the main sources of the city's revenues.
[edit] Geography
Franca is located in the northeastern region of the state of São Paulo. It is the center of the state's 14th administrative region. Franca municipality borders Batatais, Cristais Paulista, and Patrocínio Paulista in São Paulo state, and Ibiraci and Claraval in Minas Gerais. The climate of the city is subtropical, with a dry winter and rainy summer, with rains from October to March. In hydrography, Franca is in the Canoas River basin, and this river provides the water supply of the city.
Franca has a considerable high terrain, with an altitude of about 1,040 m above sea level. Local soils are sandy, and the vegetation is dominated by grasslands. Forests are restricted to hilly slopes.
[edit] Demography
- Total: 328.473 inhabitants in July 1st, 2006.
- Urban: 324.138
- Rural: 6.999
- Demographical Density (hab./km²): 473,80
- Child Mortality until 1 year (in 1000): 12,66
- Life Expectation (years): 73,03
- Fertility (children per women): 2,26
- Literacy: 96,37%
- [[HDI : 0,820
- HDI-M Income: 0,755
- HDI-M Longevity: 0,800
- HDI-M Education: 0,906
(Source: IPEA DATA)
[edit] Hidrography
- Rio das Canoas
- Rio Pouso Alegre
- Rio São João
- Ribeirão Salgado
[edit] Roads
- SP-334 - Candido Portinari, (Franca to Ribeirão Preto)
- SP-345 - Engenheiro Ronan Rocha, (Franca to Minas Gerais)
- SP-345 - Prefeito Fábio Talarico, (Franca to Barretos)
[edit] Minor highways
- - Felipe Calixto (north quarter to Ribeirão Corrente)
- - João Traficante (east quarter to Ibiraci/MG)
- - Engenho Queimado (west quarter to Ribeirão Corrente)
- - Nestor Ferreira (west quarter to Restinga)
- - Rio Negro e Solimões (south quarter to Batatais)
- - Tancredo Neves (east quarter to Claraval/MG)
[edit] Government
Mayor Sidnei Rocha (of the PSDB party) was elected in October 2004 and took office on January 1, 2005. His term is four years, and he is in office for the second time. The City Council is composed of 15 aldermen.
[edit] Notable Francano
One of most notable Francanos is Brazilian television actress Regina Duarte, who was born on February 4, 1947.
