São Paulo.html



São Paulo
—  Municipality  —
The Municipality of São Paulo
The Octavio Frias de Oliveira bridge over the Pinheiros River.
Flag Seal
Nickname(s): Terra da Garoa (Land of Drizzle) and Sampa
Motto: "Non ducor, duco"  (Latin) "I am not led, I lead"
Location in the State of São Paulo
Coordinates: 23°33′01″S 46°38′02″W / -23.55028, -46.63389
Country	Brazil
Region	Southeast
State	São Paulo
Founded	January 25, 1554
Government
- Mayor	Gilberto Kassab (Democrats)
Area
- Municipality	1,522.986 km² (588 sq mi)
- Metro	7,943.818 km² (3,067.1 sq mi)
Elevation	760 m (2,493.4 ft)
Population (2008)
- Municipality	11,150,249 (1st)
- Density	7,216/km² (18,689.4/sq mi)
- Metro	22,105,060
- Metro Density	2,469/km² (6,394.7/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-3 (UTC-3)
- Summer (DST)	UTC-2 (UTC-2)
HDI (2000)	0.841 – high
Website: City of São Paulo

São Paulo ([sɐ̃ʊ̯̃ ˈpaʊ̯lʊ] (help·info)) is the largest city in Brazil, with its metropolitan area ranking fourth among the largest urban areas in the world.¹ The city is the capital of the State of São Paulo, the most populous Brazilian state. It is also the richest city of Brazil. The name means Saint Paul in Portuguese. São Paulo exerts global influence in commerce and finance as well as arts and entertainment.

The city has many renowned landmarks. The Immigrant's Hostel greeted millions of immigrants as they came to Brazil in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Paulista Avenue, in Downtown, is the most important financial center of the country and South America. The city is home to the São Paulo Stock Exchange (BOVESPA). São Paulo has been home to several of the tallest buildings in Brazil, including the Mirante do Vale Building.²

With an estimated population of 11,105,249 residents³ within an area of 1,523 square kilometres (588 sq mi),⁴ São Paulo is the most populous in Brazil, in South America and in the Southern hemisphere.⁵

The city also lies at the center of the heavily urbanized São Paulo metropolitan area, which, with an estimated 21,616,060 people in 2008⁶ over 7,944 square kilometres (3,067.2 sq mi),⁷ is the largest metropolitan area in the nation. Depending on which definition is used for New York's metropolitan area, the São Paulo metropolitan area is ranked as either the second or third most populous in the Americas, just behind Mexico City,⁸ and one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world.

People from the city of São Paulo are known as paulistanos, while paulistas designates anyone from the whole of São Paulo state, including the paulistanos. The city's Latin motto is Non ducor, duco, which translates as "I am not led, I lead". A famous nickname for the city is "Sampa". São Paulo is also known for its unreliable weather, the sheer size of its helicopter fleet, architecture and multitude of skyscrapers.⁹ The São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport connects São Paulo with many Brazilian cities and also operates international flights.

Geography

Pico do Jaraguá is the highest mountain in the Brazilian city of São Paulo.

Physical setting

São Paulo is located on a plateau that is part of the Serra do Mar (Portuguese for "Sea Range"), itself a component of the vast region known as the Brazilian Highlands, with an average elevation of around 799 metres (2,625 ft) above sea level - though at a distance of only about 70 kilometers (43 mi) from the Atlantic Ocean. This distance is covered by two highways, the Anchieta and the Imigrantes, (see "Transportation" section below) that roll down the range, leading to the portuary city of Santos and the beach resort of Guarujá. Rolling terrain prevails within the urbanized areas of São Paulo except in the North of the city, where the Serra da Cantareira Range boasts higher elevations and a sizable remnant of the Atlantic Rain Forest. The entire region is very stable tectonically, and no significant seismic activity has ever been recorded.

The Tietê River was once a source of fresh water and leisure for São Paulo. However, in the latter half of the 20th century, it became grossly polluted by raw sewage and industrial effluents, much like its tributary the Pinheiros River. However, a substantial clean-up program for both rivers are in the pipeline, financed by international development banks such as the Japan Bank for International Cooperation.¹⁰ Neither river is navigable in the stretch that flows through the city, however water transport becomes increasingly important on the river Tietê further downstream (towards South, near river Paraná), as the river is part of the River Plate basin.

There are no large natural lakes in the region, but the Guarapiranga and Billings reservoirs in the outskirts of São Paulo are used for power generation, water storage, and leisure activities such as sailing. The original flora consisted mainly of a great variety of broadleaf evergreens. Today, non-native species are common, as the mild climate and abundant rainfall permit a multitude of tropical, subtropical and temperate plants to be cultivated, with eucalyptus being especially ubiquitous.

Climate

According the Köppen climate classification São Paulo has a humid subtropical climate. Temperatures seldom reach 30°C (86°F) during summer, while frost is rare during winter due to urban heat island. All-time record temperatures are 35.3°C (96.6°F) on November 15, 1985 and -2.1°C (28°F) on August 2, 1955 (both at the Mirante de Santana National Weather Station, in the north region). In the mountains around the city (Horto Florestal), -3.9°C (25°F) was recorded also in August 2, 1955 (unofficially).

Snow flurries were reported officially just on one occasion on June 25, 1918. Rainfall is abundant, especially in the warmer months, but rare between June and August. Neither São Paulo nor the nearby coast has ever been hit by a tropical cyclone, and tornadic activity is uncommon. August is a month which, in the last years, despite of belonging to the winter, is mostly dry and hot, sometimes reaching temperatures of 28°C (82.4°F). This is a phenomenon called "veranico" (in Portuguese, "little summer"). On the other hand, January may have some relatively low temperatures in some years.

Because of the proximity of the ocean, the wind is constant at the local climate, being responsible in cooling the air down during high temperature summers or intense winters. They also make the city more humid, although acceptable during the whole year. The annual precipitation is about 1,317 millimetres (51.9 in),¹¹ mostly during summer time.

Cityscape

Panoramic picture of the lake of the Ibirapuera Park.

History

Paulista Avenue in 1902.

Jesuit missionaries Manuel da Nóbrega and José de Anchieta founded the village of São Paulo dos Campos de Piratininga on January 25, 1554. Along with their entourage, they established a mission named Colégio de São Paulo de Piratininga aimed at converting the Tupi-Guarani indigenous Brazilians to the Catholic religion. Located just beyond the Serra do Mar cliffs, overlooking the port city of Santos, and close to the Tietê River, the new settlement became the natural entrance from the South East coast to the vast and fertile plateau to the West that would eventually become the State of São Paulo.

Correios Palace in 1922.

São Paulo officially became a city in 1711. In the 19th century, it experienced a flourishing economic prosperity, brought about chiefly through coffee exports, which were shipped abroad from the port of the neighbouring city of Santos. After the abolition of slavery in 1888, and in an effort to "bleach the race," as the Brazilian authorities worried Brazil would turn into a "black country," waves of immigrants from Italy, Portugal, Spain, Germany and many other European countries emigrated to São Paulo in order to, among other reasons, work at the enormous coffee plantations established in the State. At the beginning of the 20th century, the coffee cycle had already plummeted due to, among other factors, a sharp decline in international coffee prices.

The local entrepreneurs then started investing in the industrial development of São Paulo, attracting new contingents of overseas immigrants to the city, mainly Italians. In addition to Europeans, Japanese and Syrian and Lebanese immigrants arrived in large numbers in the first half of the 20th century. Along the 20th century, the booming economy of the city also attracted huge waves of migrants from the poorest regions in Brazil, such as the Northeast.

However, due to competition with many other Brazilian cities, which sometimes offer tax advantages for companies to build manufacturing plants in situ, São Paulo's main economic activities have gradually left its industrial profile in favour of the services industry in the late 20th century. The city is home to a large number of local and international banking offices, law firms, multinational companies and consumer services.

Anhangabaú Valley in 1920.

Despite its many woes, São Paulo remains the business hub of Latin America. Having prospered first with the coffee industry, and later with industrialisation, in the early 21st century it expanded into the tertiary, or services sector. Its huge market (nearly 20 million people in greater São Paulo) is a magnet for multinationals. Thanks to events such as the Feira Bienal Internacional de Arte, and its reputation for hosting cutting-edge music concerts, it has become something of a cultural centre as well. Economic growth and exportation of goods has lifted employment and wages. The murder rate has dropped by almost a quarter since its peak.

The historic centre profited with the return of the city's government and the arrival of private universities, although businesses continue to move out to new boom neighbourhoods such as Itaim and Berrini. São Paulo also claims to attract more visitors (mostly, but no longer exclusively, on business) than Rio de Janeiro, testimony of the intense rivalry between the two Brazilian metropolises.

Law and government

See also: List of Mayors of São Paulo

Conde Matarazzo Building, São Paulo City Hall.

Palacio dos Bandeirantes, Government Palace.

São Paulo's most recent mayors were:

Metropolitan region

Main article: Greater São Paulo

Greater São Paulo at night.

The nonspecific term "Grande São Paulo" ("Greater São Paulo") denotes any of São Paulo's metropolitan area definitions. The legally defined Região Metropolitana São Paulo consists of 39 municipalities in total, and a population of more than 19 million inhabitants (as of 2005, according to IBGE).

Because São Paulo is sprawling like Los Angeles, it has another definition for its metropolitan area. Analogous to the US's CSA (Combined Statistical Area) type definition of metropolitan area, it is the second largest city in the world with 27 million inhabitants (Complexo Metropolitano Expandido),¹² which includes 2 contiguous legally defined metropolitan regions, and 3 microregions.

Boroughs

Aerial view of Itaim Bibi and Morumbi, two important financial districts in São Paulo.

The city of São Paulo is divided into 31 boroughs, called subprefectures (subprefeituras in Portuguese). Each subprefecture is divided into several districts (in most cases, two or three). The subprefectures with the largest number of districts are the boroughs of Sé, in the historical downtown, Butantã, the location of the University of São Paulo, Lapa, Penha and Mooca, all having eleven districts.Together with the administrative division, there is also a geographic radial division established in 2007 by the mayor Gilberto Kassab. The city is divided in ten regions (historical downtown, extended downtown, north, south, east, west, northeast, northwest, southeast and southwest), each one identified with a distinct color in the buses and in the street plaques. These divisions have no relationship with the subprefectures and districts, and, in some cases, the same district may be in two or more geographic regions. The district where the headquarters of the subprefecture is located receives the same name of the subprefecture, with exception of M'Boi Mirim.

Demographics

Italian immigrants in a factory of São Paulo.

São Paulo is the most ethnically diverse city in Brazil. After the end of the African slave traffic in the country (1850), São Paulo started to replace the African manpower with immigrants in the coffee plantations. The pioneer in this new project was the senator Nicolau Vergueiro, who brought German, Swiss and Portuguese people to work in his own properties.¹³

After the abolition of slavery (1888), São Paulo received large numbers of immigrants, most of them coming from Italy. In 1897, Italians were over half of the city's population. Portuguese, Spaniards, Germans, Japanese, Jews and Christian Lebanese and Syrians also came in significant numbers. From 1908 to 1950, many Japanese immigrants arrived.¹⁴ In the 1960s, Chinese and Koreans started arriving. In the mid-20th century, many people from the poor Northeastern Brazil started to migrate to São Paulo. Nowadays, there is a growing Bolivian community in the city.

As in all of Brazil, people of different ethnicities mix with each other, producing a multi-ethnic society. Today, people of 100 different ethnicities make São Paulo their home.¹⁵ The main communities are:

• 6 million Italians (including descendants).¹⁶
• 3 million Portuguese (including descendants).¹⁷
• 3 million Africans (including descendants).
• 1 million Arabs (including descendants).¹⁸
• 400,000 Germans (including descendants).¹⁸
• 326,000 Japanese (including descendants).¹⁹
• 120,000 Chinese (including descendants).¹⁸
• 70,000 Jews (including descendants).²⁰
• 60,000 Bolivians (only the immigrants).²¹
• 50,000 Greeks (including descendants).¹⁸
• 50,000 Koreans (including descendants).²²

Ethnically, São Paulo is made up of:

Japanese immigrants in the immigrants's hostel of São Paulo (c.1930).

Religion

Source: IBGE 2000.²⁴

Population growth

The Japanese-speaking community of São Paulo lived mostly in Liberdade neighbourhood.

Languages

As in all Brazil, the language spoken by the vast majority of the population is Portuguese. Due to the large influx of Italian immigrants, the Portuguese spoken in the city reflects a significant influence from the languages of the Italian peninsula, particularly from Neapolitan and Venetian.²⁶

The Italian dialects mixed with the countryside Caipira accent of São Paulo; some linguists maintain that the São Paulo dialect of Portuguese was born in Mooca, a neighborhood settled in the early 20th century mainly by people from Naples, Southern Italy.²⁷²⁸

Other languages spoken in the city are mainly among the Asian community: Liberdade neighborhood is home to the largest Japanese population outside of Japan. Although today most Japanese Brazilians can speak only Portuguese, some of them are still fluent in Japanese. Some people of Chinese and Korean descent are still able to speak their ancestral languages. However, most of the Brazilian-born generations only speak Portuguese.²⁹

English and Spanish are taught as foreign language in most schools, although only a small percentage of residents exhibit a high degree of fluency in either language.

Statistics

• Vehicles: 7,856,000 (March 2008)³⁰
• Daily newspapers: 34 (September 2008)³¹
• Foundation date: 01/25/1554³²

Economy

Trade panel of BM&F Bovespa, the São Paulo Stock Exchange.

São Paulo is the 19th richest city in the world and is expected to be the 13th richest in 2020.³³ According to data of IBGE, its Gross domestic product (GDP) in 2005 was R$ 263,177,148,000.00 (US$ 156,280,780,941.00), equivalent to approximately 12.26% of the Brazilian GDP and 36% of all production of goods and services of the State of São Paulo.³⁴ One of the biggest financial centres in Brazil and in the world, São Paulo's economy is going through a deep transformation. Once a city with a strong industrial character, São Paulo's economy has become increasingly based on the tertiary sector, focusing on services and businesses for the country. Many analysts point to São Paulo as an important global city, even though this assignment can be criticized considering its serious problems of social exclusion and spacial segregation.³⁵ Although being the most important financial centre of the country, São Paulo's economy also presents a high degree of informality.³⁶

Itaim Bibi Financial District.

São Paulo is the business center of the Mercosur economy. Consecrated Acclaimed as a city of business tourism, attracting today's biggest and most important international events, be they in the economic, cultural, scientific or sporting area, it is a metropolis that offers a service infrastructure of the highest efficiency and quality. The city hosts from small meetings to large exhibitions. It holds more than 200 events per day, offering more than 250 thousand square meters of space in pavilions and areas for congresses and fairs. This is without taking into account the supply of spaces within hotels, which adds another 70 thousand square meters, suitable for holding events. Adding space in nightclubs, cultural and business areas, clubs and other alternatives to these numbers, São Paulo boasts approximately 430,000 square meters for the holding of any type of event. There is still the supply of approximately 30,000 apartments of various categories, a number which is to grow significantly in the next two years, predicted to reach 50,000 apartments in 2003, catering for those seeking the more luxurious options of the large chains, to simpler and more economical options. It is worth pointing out that from the tourist attractions the following stand out: gastronomy and culture. With more than 12,000 restaurants of more than 40 different world cuisines, besides the 70 museums, more than 200 cinemas, around 50 theaters, art galleries and cultural centers, São Paulo has one of the liveliest night-lives in the world.³⁷

Office buildings alongside the Pinheiros River.

If the city of São Paulo were a country, its economy would be the 47th in the world, bigger than Egypt and Kuwait, about the same size as Hungary or New Zealand, about 85% of Israel. The economy of the city of São Paulo would also be bigger than 22 of the U.S. States. There are about 30,000 millionaires living in São Paulo, 60% of all millionaires in Brazil. In 2005, the city of São Paulo collected R$ 90 billion in taxes, and the budget of the city spent R$ 15 billion; these figures show that São Paulo contributes to wealthiness distribution. The city has 1,500 bank branches. There are 70 shopping malls. Of all the international companies with business in Brazil, 63% have their head offices in São Paulo. According to Mystery Shopping International, the Oscar Freire Street is one of the eight most luxurious in the world.³⁸ The São Paulo Stock Exchange (BM&F Bovespa) is Brazil's official stock and bonds exchange. The BM&F Bovespa is the largest stock exchange in Latin America and third largest in the world. In the Stocks Exchange, R$ 6 billion (US$ 3.5 billion) change hands every day.³⁹

The per capita income for the city was R$ 24,083 (2005).⁴⁰

Education

University of São Paulo.

Campus university of USP.

Portuguese language is the official national language, and thus the primary language taught in schools. English and Spanish are part of the official high school curriculum.

Educational institutions

The city has several universities:

• Universidade de São Paulo (USP) (University of São Paulo);
• Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo (PUC-SP) (Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo);
• Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV-SP) (Getúlio Vargas Foundation);
• Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie (Mackenzie) (Mackenzie Presbyterian University);
• Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) (Federal University of São Paulo);
• Universidade Metodista de São Paulo (UMESP) (Methodist University of São Paulo);
• Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing (ESPM-SP) (Superior School of Advertising and Marketing);
• Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho (Unesp) (São Paulo State University Júlio de Mesquita Filho);
• Universidade Anhembi Morumbi (Anhembi Morumbi University);
• Instituto Brasileiro de Mercado de Capitais (Ibmec-SP) (Brazilian Capital Market Institute);
• and many others.

Primary and secondary schools

The São Paulo high schools that obtained the best results on the 2007 Exame Nacional do Ensino Médio (National High School Exam) are Colégio Vértice, Colégio Bandeirantes, Colégio Móbile, Colégio Santa Cruz, Colégio Agostiniano Mendel, Etapa, Colégio Palmares, Cefet, Colégio Albert Sabin, ETE São Paulo, Colégio Poliedro, Colégio Miguel de Cervantes, Colégio Santa Clara, Colégio Nossa Senhora das Graças, Colégio Ítaca, Colégio Arquidiocesano Marista, Colégio Porto Seguro, Escola da Vila (Morumbi neighborhood), Colégio Espírito Santo and Centro Educacional Pioneiro.⁴¹

Culture

Music

The Municipal theater.

Adoniran Barbosa was a famous samba singer and composer who became successful during São Paulo's radio era. Born in 1912 in the town of Valinhos, Barbosa was known as the composer to the lower classes of São Paulo, particularly the poor Italian immigrants living in the quarters of Bexiga (Bela Vista) and Brás, as well as the poor who lived in the city's many shanties and cortiços (degraded multifamily row houses). The topics of his songs are drawn from the life of low-wage urban workers, the unemployed and the vagabonds. His first big hit was Saudosa Maloca ("Shanty of Fond Memories", 1951), wherein three homeless friends recall with nostalgia their improvised shanty, which was torn down by the landowner to make room for a building. In his Trem das Onze ("The 11 PM Train", 1964) record, which has been ranked one of the five best samba songs ever, the protagonist explains to his lover that he cannot stay any longer because he has to catch the last train to the Jaçanã suburb, for his mother will not sleep before he arrives. An old-school samba band called Demônios da Garoa still plays his songs in the traditional Bar Brahma venue in the Centro.

Sala São Paulo.

In the late 1960s, a psychedelic rock band called Os Mutantes led the way in the national avant garde music scene. Their success is sometimes related to that of other tropicalia musicians, but they also had a musical style and ideas of their own. They were regarded as very paulistanos in their behaviour and clothing. Os Mutantes released five albums together before lead singer Rita Lee departed in 1972 to start a solo career. Although almost exclusively known in Brazil at that time, Os Mutantes became quite successful abroad after the 1990s (a well-spread legend has it that one Brazilian girl in an exchange programme in California, U.S., forgot one Mutantes' vinyl record in her American host family, leading the way to the popularisation of the band in that U.S. state). In 2000, a record sung in English, Tecnicolor, was released with artwork designed by Sean Lennon.

Ibirapuera Auditorium.

After the two oil price shocks in the 1970s, the country suffered from an economic recession during the 1980s, a phenomenon that was named the lost decade. The very repressive military government of the day did not help in any way the social situation. A late punk and garage scene became strong in the 1980s, perhaps associated with the gloomy scenario of unemployment and few actual prospectives from the viewpoint of the youth. Underground rock bars and clubs in town were full of thriving musicians and artists waiting for their moment to come. Examples of bands originating from this movement include Ira! and Titãs. In the 1990s, drum & bass became another musical movement in São Paulo, with artists such as DJ Marky, DJ Patife, XRS, Drumagick, and Fernanda Porto.⁴² Many heavy metal bands also originated in São Paulo, such as Angra, Torture Squad, Korzus and Dr. Sin. Many "alternative" cultures of São Paulo mingle at a small shopping mall dubbed Galeria do Rock (English: "Rock Gallery"), which includes shops which cater to a broad range of alternative niches. Famous alternative band Cansei de Ser Sexy, or CSS (Portuguese for "tired of being sexy") also came from São Paulo.

The classical music in São Paulo is also very prevalent. Many of the most important classical Brazilian composers who are still alive, like Amaral Vieira, Osvaldo Lacerda and Edson Zampronha, were born in and live in São Paulo. São Paulo has two important opera houses: Teatro Municipal de São Paulo and Theatro São Pedro, and some opera performances are sometimes hosted in other theaters like Credicard Hall. Local baritone Paulo Szot has won international acclaim and a Tony Award nomination for his performance in a 2008 revival of South Pacific. The São Paulo State Symphony is one of the outstanding orchestras in Latin America and in the world.

Literature

Pátio do Colégio, is the name given to the historical Jesuit church and school.

São Paulo was home to the first jesuit missionaries in Brazil, in the early 16th century. They wrote reports to the Portuguese crown about the newly found land, the native peoples and composed pieces of poetry and music for the catechism. Among them were priests such as Manuel da Nóbrega and José de Anchieta, living in or near the colony then called Piratininga. They also helped to register the Old Tupi language, lexicon and its grammar.

São Paulo at night.

In 1922, the Brazilian Modernist Movement, centered on São Paulo, also began to achieve a similar cultural independence through different means. Brazil had gone through the same stages of development as the rest of Latin America, but its political and cultural independence came more gradually. The first emperor of Brazil, Pedro I, was a legitimate member of the royal Portuguese dynasty. Although he declared Brazil's independence from Portugal in 1822, the country remained under imperial rule and the dominance of the court in Rio de Janeiro until 1889.

With Brazil thus tied to Portuguese culture, Brazilian writers only little by little assumed responsibility for giving expression to their own landscape and ethnic mix of peoples. The presence of large numbers of former slaves added a distinctive African character to the culture; and subsequent infusions of immigrants of non-Portuguese origin, from different parts of Europe, helped the new nation to find its own voice and to use it. Mário de Andrade and Oswald de Andrade are the prototypical modernists. With the urban poems of Paulicéia desvairada (1922), Mário de Andrade established the movement in Brazil. His rhapsodic novel Macunaíma (1928), with its abundance of Brazilian folklore, represents the apex of modernism's nationalist prose through its creation of an offbeat national hero. Oswald de Andrade's experimental poetry, avant-garde prose—particularly the novel Serafim Ponte Grande (1933), and provocative manifestos exemplify the movement's break with tradition.

Both these authors were influential writers form the Modernism in Brazil:

• Mário de Andrade
• Oswald de Andrade

Science and Technology

Pasteur Institute.

The city of São Paulo has one of the best Research and Development structures in Latin America, and has been attracting a growing number of companies due to the increasing importance of innovation as a decisive differential in the global market. Among the several factors that justify such an attraction, it's worth to highlight the presence of several renowned universities that links higher education and internationally renowned laboratories and research centers that acts in several areas of knowledge. With an ample technical training educational system and several internationally renowned institutions of higher education, the city presents excellent infrastructure aimed at qualifying its workforce. The institutions of higher education in the city of São Paulo are the best of the country and many are internationally renowned.

The system of science,