Cotia

Cotia is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo. The population is 253,608 (2020 est.) in an area of 323.99 km2. The city is at an elevation of 853 m. Cotia is linked with the Rodovia Raposo Tavares highway.

History
Cotia was founded in 1580, and was an active village during the "bandeiras" expeditions. In 1626, Raposo Tavares and his companions arrived in the city. The "Sítio do Mandú" and "Sítio do Padre Inácio" (Mandu's Ranch and Priest Inácio's Ranch) were some of the first rural houses to be built there. Nowadays, they are preserved by the "Instituto Brasileiro de Patrimônio Cultural. Cotia was declared an independent municipality on April 2, 1856. According to the 1980 demographic census, the city had a population of over 62 thousand people.

Geography
The city is located west of São Paulo, and has a terrain made of valleys and mountains, reaching a maximum elevation of 1,074 meters above sea level

The city has the Cotia River as its main river.

The city has a densely populated urban area, but the less developed areas to the west attract people interested in ecotourism. The only naturally occurring case of Brazilian hemorrhagic fever took place here.

Media
In telecommunications, the city was served by Telecomunicações de São Paulo. In July 1998, this company was acquired by Telefónica, which adopted the Vivo brand in 2012. The company is currently an operator of cell phones, fixed lines, internet (fiber optics/4G) and television (satellite and cable).