The powerful engine that leads the nation. The megalopole.
Sophisticated, cosmopolitan and diverse, São Paulo is the New York of Brazilian cities. With a greater metropolitan population of over 17 million, São Paulo is the third largest city in the world.
To the first-time visitor, São Paulo is overwhelming: huge, densely populated, with few natural or artificial landmarks by which to orient oneself. But the pride paulistas take in their city, few would live anywhere else, soon becomes contagious, as one begins to take in the immense cultural and financial wealth of the city.
Built on coffee money by wealthy industrialists in the nineteenth century, São Paulo continues, culturally and financially, to function as Brazil’s pulse point. Business, publishing, finance, and the arts all have their centre here: there are 3,000 banks, 26 museums, 500 movie houses, and innumerable restaurants including the world’s largest McDonald’s!
São Paulo nightlife is intense, diverse and non-stop - there are clubs that don’t get going until 3 AM. Symphony, opera, and ballet are also excellent, and many important international art exhibits pass through São Paulo.
For more details: www.prefeitura.sp.gov.br