Ribeirão Preto is a Brazilian city located in the Metropolitan Region of Ribeirão Preto (RMRP), in the southeast region of the state of São Paulo. It is located in the northeast of the state, distant from the state Capital 315 km. With 711,825 inhabitants, it is the ninth most populated city (without considering the Capitals). With 99.7% of its inhabitants living in the urban area, Ribeirão relied on 95 health centers (SUS) in 2009. Its Human Development Index (HDI) in 2010 was 0.800, considered high related to the country, being the twenty-second highest in the state. Several highways connect Ribeirão Preto to several cities in São Paulo, such as the Anhanguera Highway and the Cândido Portinari highway; there are also railways and an airport.
Founded in 1856, the region received many miners who left their already depleted lands and sought pastures for cattle breeding. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the city attracted immigrants to work in agriculture or industries. Coffee, which was one of the main sources of income, devalued from 1929, losing space to other cultures and especially to the industrial sector. In the second half of the twentieth century, investments increased in health, biotechnology, bioenergy, and information technology, and in 2010, the city was nominated as a “technological pole”.
In addition to its economic importance, the city is a relevant center of Health, Education, Research, Business Tourism, and Culture in Brazil. The city has important universities with thousands of students in the areas of Medicine (and Medical Residency), Psychology, Architecture, Law, Dentistry, Nursing, Biochemistry, Library Science, Biological Sciences, Administration, Engineering, among others.
Learn more about the city: Learn more about USP Ribeirão Preto Campus:Atualizado em 16/08/2021