Rodovia Raposo Tavares (official designation SP-270) is the longest

highway A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It is used for major roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks. In some areas of the United States, it is used as an equivalent term to controlled-access ...

in the state of

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, with 654 km. The highway starts in the city of

and continues westward, serving the main cities of

Cotia Cotia is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo. The population is 253,608 (2020 est.) in an area of 323.99 km². The city is at an elevation of 853 m. Cotia is linked with t ...

, Vargem Grande Paulista, São Roque,

Sorocaba Sorocaba () is a municipality in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Sorocaba is the eighth-largest city in the state of São Paulo. Outside the Greater São Paulo region, it ranks behind only Campinas, São José dos Campos and Ribeirão Preto. I ...

Itapetininga Itapetininga is a municipality in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The population is 165,526 (2020 est.) in an area of 1790 km2. The name comes from a Tupi-Guarani language, meaning "dry stone".Angatuba Angatuba is a Brazilian municipality in the state of São Paulo. The population is 25,479 (2020 est.) in an area of 1028 km². The highway Rodovia Raposo Tavares passes south of the city. There is controversy about the meaning of the name ...

Ourinhos Ourinhos is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 mil ...

Assis Assis is a city and a municipality in the southwestern part of the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The population is 105,087 (2020 est.) in an area of 460.61 km. The town was founded on July 5, 1905, and became a municipality in 1917, when it ...

, Presidente Prudente, Presidente Bernardes,

Presidente Venceslau Presidente Venceslau is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The population is 39,583 (2020 est.) in an area of 755 km². The elevation is 422 m. The municipality was named after Venceslau Brás Venceslau Brás Pereira Gomes ...

and Presidente Epitácio, at the shores of the

Paraná River The Paraná River ( es, Río Paraná, links=no , pt, Rio Paraná, gn, Ysyry Parana) is a river in south-central South America, running through Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina for some ."Parana River". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Br ...

, by the border with

Mato Grosso do Sul Mato Grosso do Sul () is one of the Midwestern states of Brazil. Neighboring Brazilian states are (from north clockwise) Mato Grosso, Goiás, Minas Gerais, São Paulo and Paraná. It also borders the countries of Paraguay, to the southwest, a ...

. It receives the Castelo Branco Highway at Ourinhos. The highway was named in honour of

António Raposo Tavares António Raposo Tavares ''o Velho'' ( Portuguese: ''the old one'') (1598–1658) was a Portuguese colonial bandeirante who explored mainland eastern South America and claimed it for Portugal, extending the territory of the colony beyond the lim ...

, one of the leading

bandeirantes The ''Bandeirantes'' (), literally "flag-carriers", were slavers, explorers, adventurers, and fortune hunters in early Colonial Brazil. They are largely responsible for Brazil's great expansion westward, far beyond the Tordesillas Line of 1494 ...

(explorers of the backlands in the 16th and 17th centuries). It is managed and maintained in its first 120 km by a state concession to private company ViaOeste, and this section requires a toll. The remainder of the highway is maintained by the State of São Paulo's Department of Roads (DER).

See also