Ibitinga


Ibitinga is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The population is 57,649 in an area of 689 km². The elevation is 491 m. The name comes from the Tupi language, meaning "White Lands". The main rivers near Ibitinga are the Tietê River and its tributaries Jacaré-Pepira River and Jacaré-Guaçu River.
The town is commonly referred to as the "Embroidery National Capital", for its large embroidery industry, which started in the 1960s with immigrants from Madeira Island, and really developed after 1974, when the City Hall promoted the first "Embroidery Fair", at the City Stadium. Year after year, the town has passed from being dependent on agriculture and cattle to its current situation, where the economy mostly depends on embroidery and tourism.
At the Tietê river in Ibitinga, it is also located a dam and one lock. This lock, together with many others at other Tietê dams, allows the navigation of Tietê river along most of its length.