São Paulo (city) - geography.

São Paulo (city) - geography. I INTRODUCTION São Paulo (city), city in southeastern Brazil, the most populous city in South America, and one of the largest cities in the world. The city is the capital of São Paulo state and the commercial and financial center of Brazil. It is situated among the hills of the Serra do Mar on the Piratininga Plateau at an elevation of about 730 m (about 2,400 ft). It is crossed by the Tietê River. A steep mountain slope, known as the Great Escarpment, extends along much of the coastal region of southeastern Brazil. It separates São Paulo from its port city of Santos, located about 60 km (about 40 mi) to the south on the Atlantic Ocean. São Paulo was founded on January 25, 1554, by Jesuit missionaries who came to the region seeking to convert Native Americans to Christianity. The settlement was named after the 1st-century Christian missionary Saint Paul, who was converted to Christianity on January 25. São Paulo has great significance in Brazil. The population of the urban agglomeration was estimated at about 17.9 million in 2000 and accounts for 10 percent of the nation's total. Industrial production in the state, most of which occurs in the São Paulo metropolitan area or its environs, accounts for about 50 percent of the nation's output. This large population and industrial base have combined to make São Paulo the most important city in Brazil. Industrialists and labor unions are both powerful political forces in São Paulo, and their influence on the nation's economy and politics reaches far beyond the confines of the city and state of São Paulo. Many prominent Brazilian politicians are from São Paulo, including former President Fernando Henrique Cardoso (1995-2003). São Paulo lies almost exactly on the tropic of Capricorn, which marks the southern boundary of the tropics. The city's climate is subtropical, with an average annual temperature of 19° C (66° F), but there are considerable seasonal variations. The summer months, November to March, when most of the rainfall occurs, can be humid and hot. Temperature highs and lows in the summer average from 27° C to 19° C (from 81° F to 66° F) respectively, although daily highs sometimes reach into the mid-30°s C (mid-90°s F). The city's elevation on the plateau moderates summer temperatures. In the winter months, mean high and low temperatures drop to about 20° C and 10° C (68° F and 50° F) respectively. During the winter the city is sometimes influenced by cold low-pressure systems from the South Atlantic. These can cause temperatures to drop below freezing and cause significant damage to the coffee crops in the surrounding agricultural areas. II SÃO PAULO AND ITS METROPOLITAN AREA Originally founded as São Paulo de Piratininga, the city is known simply as São Paulo today. Its residents are referred to as Paulistanos, while those who reside outside the city, but in the surrounding state of São Paulo, are called Paulistas. São Paulo is an immense city. The city proper covers an area of about 1,500 sq km (about 580 sq mi) and the metropolitan region spreads out over about 7,900 sq km (about 3,100 sq mi). The commercial core of the city is found in an area known locally as the Triângulo (Triangle). The large Praça da República (Plaza of the Republic) forms one of the center's key geographical anchors, and many hotels and restaurants are located on adjacent streets. In addition, there is a wide range of commercial, retail, and office establishments located in the area, as well as a number of the city's principal landmarks. These include the 42-story Edifício Itália (Italian Building); the nearby modernistic S-shaped skyscraper, the Copan Building; and the Municipal Theater, which blends art nouveau and Italian Renaissance architectural styles. The imposing and architecturally significant German Gothic Municipal Market is on the northeast margin of the city center, near Dom Pedro II Park. The historic core of the city is located just southeast of the commercial core and is focused on the Páteo do Colégio, the site of the city's original founding. During the 1970s two of the city's first structures, a chapel and mission house known as the Anchieta House, were reconstructed (the originals had been constructed in 1554). Several other churches of historical significance are located nearby--the Church of Carmo, the San Francisco Church, and the Church of San Antonio. The neo-Gothic cathedral, Our Lady of the Assumption, is located nearby on Cathedral Plaza. The influential and historically significant Law Faculty of the University of São Paulo is located several blocks to the east. A second, more modern business center for the city is being created along Avenida Paulista, just southwest of the Triangle business district. A number of business functions, especially banking and finance, are concentrated in this area. The striking, triangular high-rise building housing the Industrial Federation of the state of São Paulo towers over Avenida Paulista. There are a number of residential districts in the city. Historically, the city's most successful and elite merchants and coffee growers built their mansions along Avenida Paulista. The area to the south of the avenue, including Jardim Paulista and Jardim America, is an upper-middle class neighborhood. Other residential districts in the central portion of the city include Jardim Europa, Cantareira, and Brooklyn. Many Paulistanos live in desperate conditions; it is estimated that 3 million live in slum tenements, known as corticos, and 1 million in shantytowns, known as favelas. Many of the people who have migrated from the impoverished states of northeastern Brazil to São Paulo are concentrated in the vast slum neighborhood of Brás. The city's population is decidedly multiethnic, and several residential districts close to the central city core are strongly identified with various immigrant groups. Liberdade is the center of the Japanese population and has a sprinkling of Chinese and Koreans. Just to its east, Bela Vista, or Bixiga, is the Italian area. The neighborhood north of the city center, Bom Retiro, is the traditional home to Lebanese and Arab immigrants and still retains a Middle Eastern flavor. The São Paulo metropolitan region includes a multitude of independent municipalities or towns. Many of the region's key manufacturing activities are located in the outlying municipalities. Significant among these are Santo Andre, São Bernardo do Campo, and São Caetano do Sul--sometimes known as the ABC suburbs where automobile, steel, and other manufacturers have concentrated. Other important municipalities include Guarulhos, Diadema, Mogi das Cruzes, and Osasco. III POPULATION São Paulo's population has grown rapidly. By 1960 it had surpassed that of Rio de Janeiro, making it Brazil's most populous city. By this time, the urbanized area of São Paulo had extended beyond the boundaries of the municipality proper into neighboring municipalities, making it a metropolitan area with a population of 4.6 million. Population growth has continued since 1960, although the rate of growth has slowed. In 2007 the city's population stood at 10,886,518and it was estimated that 17.9 million people lived in the urban agglomeration. The population of São Paulo is a diverse mix of ethnic groups. Significant numbers of its people are of southern European origin. During the coffee boom in southern Brazil in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Italians and Spaniards immigrated in large numbers. The city's mix also includes the descendants of other immigrants, including Germans, Russians, Armenians, Lebanese, Arab, Japanese, Chinese, and Koreans. São Paulo also has a Jewish community, one of the largest in South America. Only about 10 percent of the city's population is of African or mixed-African descent, unlike the situation in many Brazilian cities where percentages are much higher. IV EDUCATION AND CULTURE São Paulo vies with Rio de Janeiro as the nation's principal center of education and culture. The city has major public and private institutions of higher education. Public universities include the State University Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho (1976), and the even larger University of São Paulo (1934), which incorporates the city's famous and influential Faculty of Law. Important private universities are Mackenzie University, originally founded by Presbyterian missionaries from the United States (1870); the Paulista University (1972); the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (1946); and the University São Judas Tadeu (1971). The city is home to the São Paulo Museum of Art, which houses the best collection of Western art in Latin America, including originals of Rembrandt, Claude Monet, Vincent Van Gogh, and Pablo Picasso. The São Paulo State Museum specializes in Brazilian art, while the Sacred Art Museum focuses on religious art and artifacts. Other important museums include the Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Aeronautics Museum, the Folklore Museum, and the House of the Bandeirante. The São Paulo International Bienal, an international contemporary art show, held from October through December in odd-numbered years is one of the city's premier cultural events. Two symphony orchestras make their home in the city, the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra and the Municipal Symphony Orchestra. V RECREATION Diverse recreational activities characterize São Paulo. The Botanical Gardens and the São Paulo Zoo are located about 14 km (about 9 mi) south of the city center. Nearby visitors can drive through the Simba Safari on a 4-km (3-mi) route observing African animals in the open air. The world-renowned Butanta Institute, a research center specializing in the study of snakes and snake venom, is also a popular tourist attraction. Ibirapuera Park, about 6 km (about 4 mi) south of the downtown, is the city's largest park and a major recreational focus for its residents. One of the city's most famous landmarks, the obelisk and mausoleum honoring those who fought in a 1932 revolt against the federal government, is adjacent to the park. VI ECONOMY São Paulo's economy is very diverse. The metropolitan region forms the largest industrial and commercial center in Brazil and in Latin America. While precise statistical estimates vary, it is likely that about one-half of the nation's industrial output comes directly from the São Paulo metropolitan area. In some sectors this concentration is even greater: The state accounts for over three-quarters of the country's output of machinery, electrical goods, and rubber. Well over half of the nation's 50 largest industrial firms are located in São Paulo state, and most of these are located in the city itself. Its manufactures include a diverse range of products and goods. Heavy industry includes motor vehicles, machinery, electrical equipment, computers, and chemicals, while consumer goods include textiles, processed food, pottery and china, furniture, and household utensils. This industrial concentration was even more intense in past decades, but the decentralization of industrial activities to other urban centers in São Paulo state, like Campinas, Sorocaba, Jundiaí, Cubatão, and Ribeirão Prêto, has reduced the metropolitan region's dominance. Commercial activities, including banking, finance, and corporate headquarters functions, are clustered in the São Paulo urban area. The city is often the site of major commercial and industrial trade shows. These draw national and international participants and are held in the massive Anhembi Park Exposition Center. The city also serves a rich agricultural hinterland, one of the most productive agricultural areas in the nation. Soybeans and especially coffee are of great commercial significance. The city's economic importance has also made it a national transportation hub. The port of Santos, about 60 km (about 40 mi) to the south on the Atlantic Ocean, is the nation's largest port. Most of São Paulo's international commerce, as well as an important segment of internal commerce, moves through it. The port is linked to the city by two highways and a railroad line. São Paulo has a total of four railroad stations that provide service to both regional and national destinations. The city also has three airports: Congonhas, which is located 9 km (6 mi) south of the city center and provides commuter flights to Rio; the Guarulhos International Airport, which is 19 km (12 mi) northeast of the downtown area; and the Viracopos Airport, located about 100 km (about 60 mi) northwest of the city. The city has an extensive subway, with three lines providing service to most of the core area of the metropolis. VII GOVERNMENT São Paulo, like all municipalities in Brazil, is governed by an elected mayor and a municipal council, which are responsible for primary education, basic health services, solid-waste collection and disposal, and municipal upkeep, including streets and parks. Municipal funding comes from taxes on property and services, as well as revenue sharing from state and federal sources. The São Paulo metropolitan area does not have a coordinated regional government. Rather, governance is fragmented among the municipalities that comprise the metropolitan area, but the São Paulo state government provides strong leadership and coordination for regional planning and development. VIII CONTEMPORARY ISSUES Despite its wealth and power, the São Paulo metropolitan area suffers from a range of problems. The city is congested, traffic often moves at a snail's pace, and the air is frequently smoggy and polluted. Vast slum areas are home to at least 4 million of the metropolitan area's residents. Incomes are very low for many families. Street crime is common in poorer residential areas and in the downtown core. IX HISTORY 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 notoriety as the home of the bandeirantes--adventurous explorers and frontiersmen who mounted large-scale and extensive expeditions into the interior of the continent. Over the next 150 years, from about 1600 to 1750, the bandeirantes roamed what are the now the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Mato Grosso in search of Native American slaves, gold, diamonds, and other riches. These expeditions had an enormous impact on São Paulo and the future nation of Brazil. They extended the geographical limits of Brazil deep into the interior of the continent, far beyond those originally envisioned by the Treaty of Tordesillas (1494). The treaty was an agreement between Portugal and Spain, sanctioned by Pope Julius II in 1506, that established boundaries defining the overseas territories of the two countries (see Line of Demarcation). The bandeirantes opened up new transportation and communication routes between the coast and the continent's interior, helping to establish new settlements and build greater unity among Brazil's far-flung peoples and communities. Despite the considerable wealth brought to São Paulo by the bandeirante expeditions, the city grew slowly. It was officially recognized as a city in 1711, but for much of the 18th century São Paulo's economy revolved around subsistence agriculture, local crafts production, and limited government functions. The city began a process of dramatic change after Brazilian independence in 1822. The establishment of the Law Academy in São Paulo in 1828 initiated a process that changed the city from a provincial backwater into a major urban center. The Law Academy attracted professors and students from all over the nation, bringing many new people and ideas to the city. It also fueled the growth of a wide range of cultural activities, such as theater, arts, and literature. The city's fortunes blossomed with the introduction of coffee cultivation into the cool, fertile uplands of São Paulo state in the 1850s. A steady demand for coffee on the world market soon led to an economic boom in São Paulo and a dramatic expansion of the areas under cultivation. A railroad link to the Atlantic port of Santos was completed in 1867 and five years later another railroad line linked São Paulo with new coffee-growing regions in the interior. The wealth generated on the coffee plantations fueled urban growth, industrialization, and banking and financial services in São Paulo. The labor intensive nature of coffee cultivation, especially harvesting, led the state government to encourage the immigration of foreign laborers in 1832. By the mid-1930s, some 1.5 million European immigrants--including Germans, Italians, Portuguese, Slavs, and Spaniards--and over 200,0000 Japanese had settled in the state. After initially living in rural areas, many of the immigrants moved to the city of São Paulo. São Paulo's population grew from just 32,000 in 1872 to about 600,000 in 1920. Far-sighted businessmen and political leaders capitalized on the coffee boom to diversify the city's economic base. They invested heavily in hydroelectric power plants and in manufacturing facilities--first for consumer goods and later for heavy manufacturing. During World War I (1914-1918), São Paulo was frequently cut off from traditional sources of manufactured goods in Europe and North America, which allowed local industries to meet the demand for these products and provided a boost for the city's manufacturing economy. Against a backdrop of widespread political unrest throughout Brazil in the 1920s and 1930s, São Paulo underwent a major political revolt in 1932. After Brazilian President Getulio Vargas appointed an outsider as governor of the state of São Paulo, ensuing protests and political maneuvering led to an armed uprising among the state's residents. The state declared its independence in May 1932 and the state government quickly fielded an army of nearly 40,000. After clashes with federal forces numbering almost 75,000, the uprising was put down by the Brazilian government in October 1932. By 1940 São Paulo's population stood at more than 1.3 million. Strong population growth continued into the next decades; in 1950 and 1960 the city's population was 2.2 and 3.8 million respectively. The city's excellent transportation links, a ready supply of inexpensive hydroelectric power, a solid financial and banking infrastructure, and a skilled and hardworking labor force all contributed to the city's dramatic growth after World War II. By 1960 São Paulo had surpassed Rio de Janeiro in population and industrial production. By the late 20th century, São Paulo was the largest city in South America and had the biggest industrial concentration in Latin America. The city's growth slowed in the 1970s and 1980s as many Brazilians fled the increasingly crowded and pollution-plagued state capital for booming interior cities such as Bauru, Campinas, and Ribeirão Prêto. During the 1980s the population of the city of São Paulo grew by 13 percent, while the population of the state's interior grew by 33 percent. São Paulo's relative economic importance lessened as thousands of people migrated to the state's interior. In 1970 the city of São Paulo was generating two-thirds of the economic production of the state of São Paulo; by 1995 the city was producing less than half of the state's economic output. [update end] Contributed By: Robert B. Kent Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.