São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, and along with Tokyo, Seoul and Mexico City is among the four largest metropolitan regions of 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 strong regional 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.
With an estimated population of 11,105,249 residents[3] within an area of 1,523 square kilometres (588 sq mi),[4] São Paulo is the most populous city 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 2008[6] 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, the São Paulo metropolitan area is ranked as either the first or second most populous in the Americas, only comparable to Mexico City.
