Guarujá

About Guarujá

Guarujá is a municipality in the São Paulo state of Brazil. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of the Baixada Santista. The population is 311,116 (2022 preliminary census count) in an area of 143.58 km2 (55.44 sq mi). This place name comes from the Tupi language, and means "narrow path". The population is highly urbanized, forms a 2nd urban core and beachfront island across the river from São Vicente Island, the island (Ilha de Santo Amaro) is coterminous with the municipality, with exception of small offshore isles like Ilha dos Arvoredos.

See also: Tupi-Guarani place names in Brazil

As Eduardo Navarro explains in his Dicionário de Tupi Antigo (2013), "Guarujá" is derived from the Tupi term agûarausá, which designates a type of crab, the guaruçá.

Although it is common to use the definite article before the name of the city, this usage is not correct. Therefore, one should say "Tenho casa em Guarujá" and not "Tenho casa no Guarujá".

Guarujá is located on the Santo Amaro Island, situated on the shore of São Paulo. Its main economic sources are seasonal tourism and port related activities.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA. Photography via Wikimedia Commons.