BOTUCATU

city, central So Paulo estado (state), Brazil. It lies near the Pardo River in the Serra de Botucatu at 2,549 feet (777 m) above sea level. It was given town status in 1855 and was made the seat of a municipality in 1876. Crops (including coffee, cotton, rice, sugarcane, feijo , and potatoes) grown in the region are processed in the city, which also has foundries, textile mills, bakeries, and factories producing agricultural and industrial machinery. Goods are shipped by railroad and highway to So Paulo, the state capital, 184 miles (296 km) southeast, and to nearby communities in the state. Botucatu also has an airfield. Pop. (1991 prelim.) 81,252.