Campos do Jordão

Município de Campos do Jordão

View over Campos do Jordão

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Nickname(s): Suíça Brasileira (Brazilian Switzerland)

Location of Campos do Jordão in the state of São Paulo
Coordinates: 22°44′22″S 45°35′29″W / 22.73944°S 45.59139°W / -22.73944; -45.59139Coordinates: 22°44′22″S 45°35′29″W / 22.73944°S 45.59139°W / -22.73944; -45.59139
Country  Brazil
Region Southeast
State  São Paulo
Metropolitan Region Vale do Paraíba e Litoral Norte
Founded April 29, 1874
Government
 • Mayor Frederico Guidoni (PSDB)
Area
 • Total 290.52 km2 (112.17 sq mi)
Elevation[1] 1,628 m (5,341 ft)
Population (2015)
 • Total 50,852
 • Density 180/km2 (450/sq mi)
Time zone BRT (UTC-3)
 • Summer (DST) BRST (UTC-2)
Postal Code 12460-000
Area code(s) +55 12
HDI (2000) 0.820 – high
Website Campos do Jordão, São Paulo

Campos do Jordão (Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈkɐ̃pus du ʒoɾˈdɐ̃w]) is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in southeastern Brazil. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of Vale do Paraíba e Litoral Norte.[2] The population is 50,852 (2015 est.) in an area of 290.52 square kilometres (112.17 sq mi).[3] The city is situated 1,628 metres (5,341 ft) above sea level and is the highest city in Brazil.[4]

Features

The Mantiqueira mountains provide unique panoramic views, and the municipality's region still has undeveloped old growth Atlantic Forest habitat. The endemic Brazilian Paraná pine (Araucaria angustifolia) is found here. There are numerous outdoor activities for tourists and winter residents. These include hiking, mountain climbing, treetop cable swings (arborismo), horseback riding, and ATV and motorbike riding. July, of winter season vacations, sees an enormous influx of visitors (more than quadrupling the city's population), due in part to the winter festival of classical music.

Its attractions throughout the year include German and Swiss cuisine restaurants, bars, and a cable car. There are many pousadas (inns) and chalets. Also, in order to cater to the large number of visitors, several bars, lounges, discos and clubs open during the winter months.

A former state governor had a winter residence here, the Boa Vista Palace, which is now a museum in the city.[5]

Demography

Race Percentage
White 83.9%
Multiracial 12.2%
Black 2.3%
Asian 0.5%

(Source: IPEADATA)

Economy

The city's economy is based mainly on tourism; due to its location at high elevation in the Mantiqueira mountains, and traditional European-style architecture. Buildings are mostly vernacular architecture from German, Swiss, or Italian models. Many of the wealthiest residents in the state of São Paulo have winter country houses here.

Despite the high income of many visitors, the HDI (0.820 in 2004) of Campos do Jordão is not very high because the owners of the houses in the best neighbourhoods are not regular inhabitants; these houses are used only during the holidays. The city can be reached from São Paulo mainly by road through the Rodovia Floriano Rodrigues Pinheiro. There is also a picturesque railroad from Pindamonhangaba, used mostly by tourists. At the end of the main road going through Campos do Jordão, there is a state park called Horto Florestal.

A shopping mall in a Swiss-inspired style, common in Campos do Jordão.
Brazilian Paraná pine (Araucaria angustifolia) and local Atlantic Forest habitat, in Campos do Jordão municipality.

Climate

Campos do Jordão features a subtropical highland climate under the Köppen climate classification abbreviated Cfb/Cwb. Despite its location within the tropics, due to the high elevation, temperatures here are cooler than one might expect. The resort town features “spring-like” temperatures throughout the year, with mild summers and cool winters. However, by Brazilian standards, the town is downright cold. In summer, maximum temperatures average 24°C/75°F and minimum temperatures average 13°C/55°F. In winter, maximum temperatures average 18°C/64°F and minimum temperatures average 4°C/39°F. Temperatures drop below zero sometimes in winter (lowest ever recorded: -7.3°C/19°F), but snow is very rare. Similar to many other places with this climate, Campos do Jordão sees a noticeable drying trend during its “low-sun” season. The city sees on average 1800 mm of precipitation, most of which falls from September through March.

The city, due to its elevation, is relatively cold for Brazilian standards. The winter is normally the dry season and the colder weather allows for warm fireplaces and winter foods such as fondue, soups and hot chocolate. In spring and summer, one can see Hydrangea macrophylla blossoming all over the town.

Climate data for Campos do Jordão, SP (1961–1990)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 29.0
(84.2)		 28.6
(83.5)		 29.0
(84.2)		 27.0
(80.6)		 24.5
(76.1)		 23.4
(74.1)		 24.4
(75.9)		 28.2
(82.8)		 30.5
(86.9)		 30.0
(86)		 28.5
(83.3)		 28.0
(82.4)		 30.5
(86.9)
Average high °C (°F) 22.8
(73)		 23.1
(73.6)		 22.7
(72.9)		 21.1
(70)		 19.0
(66.2)		 18.0
(64.4)		 17.9
(64.2)		 19.8
(67.6)		 21.0
(69.8)		 21.2
(70.2)		 21.7
(71.1)		 21.7
(71.1)		 20.8
(69.4)
Daily mean °C (°F) 17.3
(63.1)		 17.5
(63.5)		 16.7
(62.1)		 14.7
(58.5)		 11.9
(53.4)		 10.1
(50.2)		 9.5
(49.1)		 11.3
(52.3)		 13.4
(56.1)		 14.9
(58.8)		 15.9
(60.6)		 16.6
(61.9)		 14.2
(57.6)
Average low °C (°F) 12.8
(55)		 12.9
(55.2)		 11.7
(53.1)		 9.2
(48.6)		 5.6
(42.1)		 4.0
(39.2)		 3.0
(37.4)		 4.2
(39.6)		 6.9
(44.4)		 9.5
(49.1)		 10.8
(51.4)		 12.3
(54.1)		 8.6
(47.5)
Record low °C (°F) 5.0
(41)		 4.2
(39.6)		 2.6
(36.7)		 −2.6
(27.3)		 −6.2
(20.8)		 −7.2
(19)		 −6.0
(21.2)		 −5.5
(22.1)		 −2.5
(27.5)		 0.7
(33.3)		 1.4
(34.5)		 1.8
(35.2)		 −7.2
(19)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 306.1
(12.051)		 265.6
(10.457)		 193.5
(7.618)		 98.9
(3.894)		 79.3
(3.122)		 51.4
(2.024)		 42.1
(1.657)		 58.5
(2.303)		 91.6
(3.606)		 159.3
(6.272)		 205.9
(8.106)		 300.1
(11.815)		 1,852.5
(72.933)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 19 17 14 9 7 5 4 4 7 12 14 20 132
Average relative humidity (%) 87 84 83 85 88 84 77 76 76 81 86 87 82.8
Mean monthly sunshine hours 135.3 118.2 150.9 167.2 181.8 176.7 203.7 199.2 160.6 147.3 136.4 117.0 1,894.3
Source: INMET[6]

Gallery

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Campos do Jordão.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Campos do Jordão.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, January 09, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.