Ribeirão Prêto [key], city (1996 pop. 452,804), São Paulo state, SE Brazil. The former “coffee capital” of Brazil, the city grew during the late 19th cent., with railroad construction and a large influx of Italian immigrants. During the 1930s coffee cultivation declined greatly, and the city became a processing center for a rich agricultural region producing chiefly sugarcane. Cotton and cereals are also grown, and cloth, cottonseed oil, food products, and alcoholic beverages are produced. Cattle breeding is also important. In recent years the coffee industry has been reviving.
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