Itaquaquecetuba

23°29′11″S 46°20′55″W / 23.48639°S 46.34861°W / -23.48639; -46.34861

Itaquaquecetuba
Municipality
Municipality of Itaquaquecetuba
The square Padre João Álvares, in the center of the municipality. In the background, the first church of Itaquaquecetuba can be seen.
Flag Coat of arms
Nickname:  Itaquá
Location of Itaquaquecetuba
Itaquaquecetuba
Coordinates: 23°29′11″S 46°20′55″W / 23.48639°S 46.34861°W / -23.48639; -46.34861
Country	Brazil
Region	Southeast
State	São Paulo
Government
• Mayor	Eduardo Boigues Queroz (PP)
Area
• Total	82.62 km2 (31.90 sq mi)
Elevation	790 m (2,590 ft)
Population  (2020 [1])
• Total	375,011
• Density	4,500/km2 (12,000/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-3 (UTC-3)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-2 (UTC-2)
HDI (2010)	0.714 – high[2]
Website	www.itaquaquecetuba.sp.gov.br

Itaquaquecetuba, also simply called Itaquá,^[3] is a municipality in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo.^[4] The population is 375,011 (2020 est.) in an area of 82.62 square kilometres (31.90 sq mi).^[5] It sits at an elevation of 790 metres (2,592 ft).

The municipality was founded between 1560 and 1563 by Jesuits led by Father Joseph of Anchieta, among native villages near the Tietê River, beginning with the Catholic chapel of Our Lady of Acute, which was established by Father Joseph.^[6] The settlement saw little development, and was almost deserted by the early twentieth century. Until 1958 the city was a district of Mogi das Cruzes. Following the emancipation of the municipality that year, the first Mayor, Victorio Eugenio Deliberato, began a campaign of industrial development that had great geographic and economic impact on Itaquaquecetuba in the decades to come.^[6][7]

Today, Itaquaquecetuba is one of the 10 best Brazilian cities who had significant advances in challenges against inequality in the last 20 years, and has the second-best GDP in the region.^[8]