SAO
PAULO CITY - BRAZIL |
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Sao Paulo (meaning St. Paul in Portuguese) is
the capital of Sao Paulo state in southeastern Brazil. It is located 250
miles (400 km) from Rio de Janeiro, and 640 miles (1030 km) from
Brasília. About 20 million people live in the Greater Sao Paulo
metropolitan region, which is currently ranked as the fifth-largest in
the world and the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. |
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Highlights
Sao Paulo is the most important business centre of Brazil. As the
default location for music concerts, plays, film festivals, fashion
shows, and international sports events, Sao Paulo disputes with Rio de
Janeiro the title of Brazil's capital of culture and sports. However,
unlike the well-known Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo is not a popular
destination for tourists, since its attractions are mostly hidden under
a chaotic urban scenery.
The city has a multicultural metropolitan area, which some have compared
to New York, with heavy Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Arabian and
Portuguese influences. It is the city with the largest number of
Japanese people outside Japan. Sao Paulo is known for its varied and
sophisticated gastronomy, ranging from Chinese to French, from fast food
chains to five star restaurants. Its night life is animated by thousands
of bars, pubs, lounges, and discos, that cater for a variety of music
tastes and are often open all night.
Sao Paulo is home to the largest university in Brazil (University of Sao
Paulo), to a major art museum (MASP), a major symphonic orchestra (OSESP),
a Formula One Grand Prix race track (Interlagos), and the world's
largest private-owned sports stadium (Morumbi, site of the Sao Paulo
soccer team).
There are two major airports in the Sao Paulo area, Guarulhos (GRU,
international) and Congonhas (CGH, domestic).
Politics
Because of its economic and demographic weight, Sao Paulo has always
played a pivotal role in Brazilian politics. With a constituency larger
than that of many Brazilian states, the Mayor's office is viewed by
politicians as a springboard for state- and national-level offices. |
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