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Sorocaba is a city in southeastern Brazil, in the southwestern portion of São Paulo State (96 km west of Sao Paulo City). As of 2007, its population was approximately 590,846. The title of Manchester Paulista was given to the city in the end of 19th century, due to the rapid increase of English textile industries in the city, along with the opening of one of the most important railways of São Paulo, the Estrada de Ferro Sorocabana. later named FEPASA, when the state took control of it. The metallurgy and steelmaking technologies inherited from the city's earlier days give Sorocaba a leading role in mechanical engineering. Sorocaba's Industrial park is one of the most important centers of engineering, manufacturing and assembling in South America. |