Campos do Jordão, São Paulo, Southeast Region, Brazil

🇧🇷 Campos do Jordão is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in south-eastern Brazil. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of Vale do Paraíba e Litoral Norte. The city is situated 1,628 metres above sea level and is the highest city in Brazil.

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, Swiss and Italian 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.

Demography • Total Population: 51,454 • Population Density (inhabitants/km²): 152.86 • Infant Mortality (0 to one year old) (per one thousand): 8.52 • Life Expectancy (years): 75.73 • Total Fertility Rate (Children per Woman): 2.18 • Literacy Rate: 92.28% • Human Development Index (IHDI): 0.820 ◦ IHDI-M Income: 0.763 ◦ IHDI-M Life Expectancy: 0.846 ◦ IHDI-M Education: 0.851.

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.

Geography The municipality contains the 8,341 hectares (20,610 acres) Campos do Jordão State Park, created in 1941.

It contains the 503 hectares (1,240 acres) Mananciais de Campos do Jordão State Park, created in 1993 to protect the water supply of the municipal seat. It also contains the 28,800 hectares (71,000 acres) Campos do Jordão Environmental Protection Area, created in 1984.

The Mantiqueira Mountains provide unique panoramic views, and the municipality's region still has undeveloped old growth Atlantic Forest habitat. The native Brazilian Paraná pine (Araucaria angustifolia) is found here.

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

The city is located in the north-eastern side of the State of São Paulo, bordering Minas Gerais in the north. Campos do Jordão is at a distance of 180 km (112 miles) from the City of São Paulo, 334 km (208 miles) from the City of Rio de Janeiro, and 486 km (302 miles) from Belo Horizonte.

Campos do Jordão is located on a crystalline plateau where the High Felds are located (in Portuguese: Altos Campos) formed from the quaternary, increasing the geomorphological risks with the increase of urbanization and seen inadequate occupations as in straight slopes. These areas may be at risk of landslide. The municipality has rounded topos and amphitheaters where organic clay is found due to erosive processes and due to this constitution its characteristic is the concentration of water.