Ibitinga

Ibitinga is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The population in 2004 is 50,918 and the area is 690.52 km². The elevation is 491 m. This place name comes from the Tupi language, and it means "Terra Branca" ("White Lands").

This town is commonly referred at the "Embroidery National Capital", for its large embroidery industry, which started in the 1960's with descendants from Madeira Island, and really developed after 1974, when City Hall promoted the first "Embroidery Fair", at the City Stadium. Year after year, the town passed from being dependent on agriculture and cattle to its current situation, where the economy mostly depends on embroidery and tourism.

Tietê river flows through Ibitinga lands. Jacaré-Pepira, the cleanest river at São Paulo state, is a tributary of Tietê river, and the intersection of the two rivers in Ibitinga is one of the most beautiful postcards of the town. At the Tietê river in Ibitinga, it is also located a dam (at the Ibitinga Hydroelectric Power Station) and one lock. This lock, together with many others at other Tietê dams, allows the navigation of Tietê river along most of its length.