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São Paulo (meaning St. Paul in Portuguese) is the capital of São Paulo state in southeastern Brazil. It is located 250 miles (400 km) from Rio de Janeiro, and 640 miles (1030 km) from Brasília.
The city proper has 575 sq mi of area and had a population of 10.9 million in 2003 (according to CityMayors), making it the largest city in Brazil by far and the world’s second largest city in terms of population.
About 20 million people live in the Greater São Paulo metropolitan area, which is currently ranked as the fifth-largest in the world and the largest in the Southern Hemisphere.
São Paulo is the most important business center of Brazil. As the default location for music concerts, plays, film festivals, fashion shows, and international sports events, São Paulo disputes with Rio de Janeiro the title of Brazil's capital of culture and sports. However, unlike the well-known Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo is not a popular destination for tourists, since its attractions are mostly hidden under a dense, chaotic urban scenery.
The city has a multicultural metropolitan area, which some have compared to New York, with heavy PortugueseRepublica Portuguesa ( In Detail) National motto: None Official language Portuguese 3 Capital Lisbon President Jorge Sampaio Prime Minister Pedro Santana Lopes Area Total % water World ranking: 109th 92,391 km²0. 5 % Population Total ( 2004) Density World, ItalianThe Italian Republic or Italy ( Italian: Italia is a country in the south of Europe, consisting mainly of a boot-shaped peninsula together with two large islands in the Mediterranean Sea: Sicily and Sardinia. To the north, where it borders France, Switzer, ArabThere are three factors which may assist to varying degrees in determining whether someone is considered Arab or not: Political: whether they live in a country which is a member of the Arab League (or, more vaguely, the Arab World); this definition coversian and JapanJapan (, Nippon/Nihon literally "the origin of the sun") is a country in East Asia situated on a chain of islands east of the Asian continent on the western edge of the Pacific Ocean. The largest of these islands are, from north to south, Hokkaido , Honshese influences. It is the city with the largest number of Japanese people outside Japan. São Paulo is known for its varied and sophisticated gastronomy, ranging from Chinese to FrenchFrench cuisine is characterized by its extreme diversity. Despite France's history of centralization ( Paris), each region has its own distinctive specialities: cuisine from North-West France uses butter and cream; Provencal cuisine (from the southeast) f, from fast foodFast food is food prepared and served quickly at a fast-food restaurant or shop at low cost. Fast food is a multi-billion dollar industry which is continuing to grow at a rapid pace in the early 21st century in many countries as fewer people cook at home. 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.
São Paulo is home to the largest university in Brazil ( University of São 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 São Paulo soccer team).
There are two major airports in the São Paulo metropolitan area, Guarulhos ( GRU, for domestic and international flights) and Congonhas ( CGH, for domestic flights only).