Parelheiros (district of São Paulo)

{{short description|District of São Paulo, Brazil}}

{{about|the district of the city of São Paulo|the subprefecture with the same name|Subprefecture of Parelheiros}}

{{Infobox settlement

|official_name = Parelheiros

|image_map = Parelheiros.png

|mapsize = 250px

|map_caption = Location of Parelheiros in São Paulo

|image_map1 =

|mapsize1 =

|map_caption1 =

|subdivision_type = Country

|subdivision_name = Brazil

|subdivision_type1 = State

|subdivision_name1 = São Paulo

|subdivision_type2 = City

|subdivision_name2 = São Paulo

|government_footnotes =

|government_type = Subprefecture

|leader_title = Subprefect

|leader_name = Abílio José Mendes Gomes

|leader_title1 =

|leader_name1 =

|established_title =

|established_date =

|area_total_km2 = 153

|population_as_of = 2007

|population_total = 146,212

|population_density_km2 =

|blank_name = HDI

|blank_info = 0.747 – medium

|footnotes =

|website = [http://parelheiros.prefeitura.sp.gov.br Subprefecture of Parelheiros]

}}

Parelheiros is one of 96 districts of the city of São Paulo. Located in the subprefecture of Parelheiros in the extreme south of the city, it is one of the largest and most rural districts. Very little of this area is inhabited, and is covered with reserves of the Atlantic Forest. In Parelheiros there are also two indigenous villages of a Guaraní subgroup with about one thousand residents. The region also received many German immigrants in the beginning of 1800. The inhabitants of the place have the lowest purchasing power of the city. The district is poorly served by public transport and roads; there is little connection to the central districts of the city.

The Parelheiros district covers 153 km², the second largest in the city after neighboring Marsilac.{{cite web|title=População Recenseada, Projetada, Taxas de Crescimento Populacional e Densidade Demográfica Município de São Paulo, Subprefeituras e Distritos Municipais: 1980, 1991, 2000 e 2010|url=http://infocidade.prefeitura.sp.gov.br/htmls/7_populacao_recenseada_projetadataxas_de_c_1950_638.html|publisher=Prefeitura de São Paulo|access-date=28 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160814043132/http://infocidade.prefeitura.sp.gov.br/htmls/7_populacao_recenseada_projetadataxas_de_c_1950_638.html|archive-date=2016-08-14|url-status=dead}} The area consists largely of protected springs, wetlands, and Atlantic Forest. It includes parts of the drainage basins of the Guarapiranga and Billings Reservoirs, which supply approximately 30% of the population of Greater São Paulo with electricity.

The 4.4 km diameter Colônia crater is a geologic feature in the area, believed to have been created by a meteorite many millions of years ago. The area of the crater has been protected by the State Secretary of Culture since 2003.{{cite web|title=Resolução SC 60/03|url=http://www.prefeitura.sp.gov.br/cidade/upload/d4105_RES.%20SC%20N%2060%20-%20Cratera%20de%20Colonia.pdf|publisher=CONDEPHAAT – Conselho de Defesa do Patrimônio Histórico, Arqueológico, Artístico e Turístico do Estado de São Paulo|access-date=28 December 2014}}

Originally inhabited by Tupi Indians, in the 20th century a Guaraní subgroup established itself there and today there are two villages of the Guaranís—Aldeia Krukutu and Morro da Saudade. In January 2015, the city of São Paulo estimated that more than 40,000 people live in the Vargem Grande neighborhood, located inside the Colônia crater. Vargem Grande began with a land purchase in 1986 by a group representing 3000 people who lived in favelas in nearby neighborhood of Grajaú.{{cite web|last1=Bittencourt|first1=Bia|title=Bairro em SP cresce dentro de cratera de milhões de anos|url=http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/saopaulo/2015/01/1570933-bairro-em-sp-cresce-dentro-de-cratera-de-milhoes-de-anos.shtml|website=folha.uol.com.br|publisher=Folha de S.Paulo|access-date=17 January 2015|language=pt|date=11 January 2015}}

In spite of the restrictions imposed by the environmental legislation, the area faces problems associated with urbanization, including irregular housing, deforestation, real estate development, and water pollution.