São Paulo
The biggest city in South America is a city of immigrants and ethnic neighborhoods. São Paulo was founded by the Jesuits in 1554, on a plateau 2,493 feet (760 meters) above sea level, but only 45 miles (72 km.) from the coast.
An estimated 20 million people live in this plateau megalopolis, many of them descendants of Italian and Japanese migrants. Strong industrial development and cultural diversity have provided São Paulo with the largest, most cultured and educated middle class in Brazil.
For a long time it remained a small town, a mission center for the early settlers and the Indians who inhabited the area. Around 1850, as coffee exports within the state grew, so did the population base and concentration of capital in São Paulo. These factors contributed to the emergence of São Paulo as a major industrial center. Today there are over 20,000 industrial plants of all types and sizes concentrated in the city and surrounding municipalities. São Paulo is also the major financial center in Brazil, with nearly 2,000 banking agencies.
These
Paulistanos are lively, well-informed and, though they complain about
the traffic, street violence and pollution, wouldn't dream of living
anywhere else. São Paulo can be an intimidating place, but if
you like big cities, it offers the excitement and nightlife of one of
the world's most dynamic. Attractions include the baroque Teatro Municipal,
Niemeyer's Edifício Copan, the Museu de Arte de São Paulo
(MASP) and the 16th-century Patío do Colégio.