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| The biggest city in South America
and Brazil's 'Big Apple', with a population that has grown to over 18 million
(in the metropolitan area; an area three times the size of Paris). Sao Paulo
is a city of immigrants: millions of Italians arrived here in the 19th century,
followed by a massive Japanese immigration wave. Smaller groups from other
countries, including from Lebanon and Germany, followed. In the second half
of the 20th century, immigrants from Brazil's North East, escaping the drought
and poverty of the sertao, joined the cultural melting pot. These days,
for example, the city is home to the largest Lebanese community in the world
(exceeding event the population of Lebanon itself) and the biggest Japanese
colony outside Japan. This diversity and industrial development has produced
Brazil's largest metropolis and the economical center of the country, being
responsible for more than 50 percent of Brazil's total economic output.
In 1554 two Jesuit priests founded a small mission on the site that became São Paulo. During its first several hundred years of existence, the city grew only modestly. It achieved some notoriety as the home of the bandeirantes - adventurous explorers and frontiersmen who mounted large-scale and extensive expeditions into the interior of the continent. At the beginning of the 20th century the city became the center of Brazil's coffee production, attracting many new immigrants to work the fields. Since that period the city has grown at an astronomical pace. São Paulo is a dynamic city, with
skyscrapers throughout the enormous metropolitan area, never-ending nightlife
and restaurants for all tastes. It can be an intimidating place at a first
sight, passengers arriving by air will see the city stretching from horizon
to horizon, traversed by boulevards and expressways. It is however a very
fascinating place to visit. Moreover, with São Paulo being the
spider in Brazil's transport network, many travelers going from one side
of the country to another will pass through São Paulo. We invite
you to come enjoy the sights and sounds of South America's largest city! |
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