So Paulo (cidade)

So Paulo (pronuncia-se AFI: [s pawlu] w oua) um municpio brasileiro, capital do estado de So Paulo e principal centro financeiro,corporativo e mercantil da Amrica Latina.[10] a cidade mais populosa do Brasil, do continente americano e de todo o hemisfrio sul do mundo,[6]So Paulo tambm a cidade brasileira mais influente no cenrio global, sendo considerada a 14 cidade mais globalizada do planeta,[10]recebendo a classificao de cidade global alfa, por parte do Globalization and World Cities Study Group & Network (GaWC).[11] O lema da cidade, presente em seu braso oficial, constitudo pela frase em latim "Non ducor, duco", cujo significado em portugus "No sou conduzido, conduzo".[12] Fundada em 1554 por padres jesutas, a cidade mundialmente conhecida e exerce significativa influncia nacional e internacional, seja do ponto de vista cultural, econmico ou poltico. Conta com importantes monumentos, parques e museus, como o Memorial da Amrica Latina, o Museu da Lngua Portuguesa, o MASP, o Parque Ibirapuera, o Jardim Botnico de So Paulo e a avenida Paulista, e eventos de grande repercusso, como aBienal Internacional de Arte, o Grande Prmio do Brasil de Frmula 1, So Paulo Fashion Week e a So Paulo Indy 300. O municpio possui o 10 maior PIB do mundo,[13] representando, isoladamente, 12,26% de todo o PIB brasileiro[14] e 36% de toda a produo de bens e servios do estado de So Paulo, sendo sede de 63% das multinacionais estabelecidas no Brasil,[15] alm de ter sido responsvel por 28% de toda a produo cientfica nacional em 2005.[16] A cidade tambm a sede da Bolsa de Valores, Mercadorias e Futuros de So Paulo, a segunda maior bolsa de valores do mundo em valor de mercado.[17] So Paulo tambm concentra muitos dos edifcios mais altos em Brasil, como os edifcios Mirante do Vale, Itlia, Altino Arantes, a Torre Norte, entre outros. So Paulo a sexta cidade mais populosa do planeta e sua regio metropolitana, com 19 223 897 habitantes,[18] a quarta maior aglomerao urbana do mundo.[19] Regies muito prximas a So Paulo so tambm regies metropolitanas do estado, como Campinas e Baixada Santista; outras cidades prximas compreendem aglomeraes urbanas em processo de conurbao, como So Jos dos Campos, Sorocaba e Jundia. A populao total dessas reas somada da capital o chamado Complexo Metropolitano Expandido ultrapassa 29 milhes de habitantes, aproximadamente 75% da populao do estado inteiro. As regies metropolitanas de Campinas e de So Paulo j formam a primeiramacrometrpole do hemisfrio sul, unindo 65 municpios que juntos abrigam 12% da populao brasileira.[20] Municpio de So Paulo "Terra da garoa" "Sampa" "Pauliceia"

Do alto, da esquerda para a direita: Catedral da S, CENU,MASP, Museu do Ipiranga, Monumento s Bandeiras,Ponte Octvio Frias de Oliveira e panorama do centro da cidade. Bandeira Hino Fundao Gentlico Lema 25 de janeiro de 1554 (458 anos) paulistano Non dvcor dvco "No sou conduzido, conduzo" Braso

Prefeito(a)

Gilberto Kassab (PSD) (20092012) Localizao

Localizao de So Paulo em So Paulo Localizao de So Paulo no Brasil 23 32' 52" S 46 38' 09" O Unidade federativa Mesorregio Metropolitana de So PauloIBGE/2008 [1] So Paulo

Microrregio So Paulo IBGE/2008 [1] Regio metropolitana Municpios limtrofes Oeste: Juquitiba, Embu-Guau,Itapecerica da Serra, Embu, Taboo da Serra, Carapicuba, Cotia,Osasco, Santana de Parnaba eCajamar; Norte: Caieiras, Mairipor eGuarulhos; Leste: Itaquaquecetuba, Po eFerraz de Vasconcelos; Sudeste: Mau, Santo Andr, So Caetano do Sul, So Bernardo do Campo e Diadema; Sul: So Vicente e Itanham. So Paulo

Distncia at 1 015 km[2][3] a capital Caractersticas geogrficas rea Populao Densidade Altitude Clima 1 522,986 km (SP: 9)[4] 11 316 149 hab. (SP: 1) Est. Populacional - IBGE/2011[5][6] 7 430,24 hab./km 760 m [7] Subtropical Cwa

Fuso horrio UTC3 Indicadores IDH PIB 0,841 (SP: 18) elevado PNUD/2000 [8] R$ 357 116 681,300 (BR: 1) IBGE/2008[9]

[9] PIB per capita R$ 32 493,96 IBGE/2008

Histria Ver artigo principal: Histria da cidade de So Paulo Perodo colonial

Fundao de So Paulo, quadro de 1913 de Antnio Parreiras. A povoao de So Paulo de Piratininga surgiu em 25 de janeiro de 1554 com a construo de um colgio jesuta por doze padres, entre eles Manuel da Nbrega e Jos de Anchieta, no alto de uma colina escarpada, entre os rios Anhangaba e Tamanduate.[21] Tal colgio, que funcionava num barraco feito de taipa de pilo, tinha, por finalidade, a catequese dos ndios que viviam na regio do Planalto de Piratininga, separados do litoral pela Serra do Mar, chamada pelos ndios de "Serra de Paranapiacaba". O nome "So Paulo" foi escolhido porque o dia da fundao do colgio foi 25 de janeiro, dia no qual aIgreja Catlica celebra a converso do apstolo Paulo de Tarso, conforme informou o padre Jos de Anchieta em carta aos seus superiores da Companhia de Jesus: A 25 de Janeiro do Ano do Senhor de 1554 celebramos, em pauprrima e estreitssima casinha, a primeira missa, no dia da converso do Apstolo So Paulo e, por isso, a ele dedicamos nossa casa!

O povoamento da regio do Ptio do Colgio teve incio em 1560, quando, na visita de Mem de S, governadorgeral do Brasil, Capitania de So Vicente, este ordenou a transferncia da populao da Vila de Santo Andr da Borda do Campo, que fora criada por Tom de Sousa em 1553, para os arredores do colgio, denominado "Colgio de So Paulo de Piratininga", local alto e mais adequado (uma colina escarpada vizinha a uma grande vrzea, a Vrzea do Carmo, por um lado e, pelo outro lado, por outra baixada, o Vale do Anhangaba), para melhor se proteger dos ataques dos ndios.[21] Desta forma, em 1560, a Vila de Santo Andr da Borda do Campo foi transferida para a regio do Ptio do Colgio de So Paulo e passou a se denominar Vila de So Paulo, pertencente Capitania de So Vicente.

Ptio do Colgio, no Centro Histrico de So Paulo. Neste local, foi fundada a cidade, em 1554. O prdio atual uma reconstruo feita na segunda metade do sculo XX, tendo, como modelos, o colgio e igreja jesutas que foram erigidos no local em 1653.[22] So Paulo permaneceu, durante os dois sculos seguintes, como uma vila pobre e isolada do centro de gravidade da colnia, o litoral e se mantinha por meio de lavouras de subsistncia. So Paulo foi, por muito tempo, a nica vila no interior do Brasil. Esse isolamento de So Paulo se dava principalmente porque era dificlimo subir a Serra do Mar a p da Vila de Santos ou da Vila de So Vicente para o Planalto de Piratininga. Subida esta que era feita pelo Caminho do Padre Jos de Anchieta.[23] Mem de S, quando de sua visita Capitania de So Vicente, proibira o uso do "Caminho do Piraiqu" (hojePiaaguera), por serem, nele, frequentes os ataques dos ndios.[21]

Em 22 de maro de 1681, o Marqus de Cascais, donatrio da Capitania de So Vicente, transferiu a capital da Capitania de So Vicente para a Vila de So Paulo, que passou a ser a "Cabea da Capitania". A nova capital foi instalada, em 23 de abril de 1683, com grandes festejos pblicos. Por ser a regio mais pobre da colnia portuguesa na Amrica, em So Paulo teve incio a atividade dosbandeirantes, que se dispersaram pelo interior do pas caa de ndios porque, sendo extremamente pobres, os paulistas no podiam comprar escravos africanos. Saam, tambm, em busca de ouro e de diamantes. A descoberta do ouro na regio de Minas Gerais, na dcada de 1690, fez com que as atenes do reino se voltassem para So Paulo. Foi criada, ento, em 3 de novembro de 1709, a nova Capitania Real de So Paulo e Minas do Ouro, quando foram compradas, pela coroa portuguesa, aCapitania de So Paulo e a Capitania de Santo Amaro de seus antigos donatrios. Em 11 de julho de 1711, a Vila de So Paulo foi elevada categoria de cidade. Logo em seguida, por volta de 1720, foi encontrado ouro, pelos bandeirantes, nas regies onde se encontram hoje a cidade deCuiab e a Cidade de Gois, fato que levou expanso do territrio brasileiro para alm da Linha de Tordesilhas.[24] Quando o ouro esgotou, no final do sculo XVIII, teve incio o ciclo econmico paulista da cana-de-acar, que se espalhou pelo interior da Capitania de So Paulo. Pela cidade de So Paulo, era escoada a produo aucareira para o Porto de Santos. Nessa poca, foi construda a primeira estrada moderna entre So Paulo e o litoral: a Calada do Lorena.[carece de fontes]

Perodo imperial

Ver tambm: Histria do Imprio do Brasil

Monumento independncia no Parque da Independncia, situado no local onde foi proclamada a independncia do Brasil. Aps a Independncia do Brasil, ocorrida onde hoje fica o Monumento do Ipiranga, So Paulo recebeu o ttulo de Imperial Cidade, conferido por Dom Pedro I do Brasil em 1823. Em 1827, houve a criao de cursos jurdicos no Convento de So Francisco (que daria origem futura Faculdade de Direito do Largo de So Francisco), e isso deu um novo impulso de crescimento cidade, com o fluxo de estudantes e professores, graas ao qual, a cidade passa a ser denominada Imperial Cidade e Burgo dos Estudantes de So Paulo de Piratininga. Outro fator do crescimento de So Paulo foi a expanso da produo do caf, inicialmente na regio do Vale do Paraba paulista, e depois nas regies deCampinas, Rio Claro, So Carlos e Ribeiro Preto. De 1869 em diante, So Paulo passa a beneficiar-se de uma ferrovia que liga o interior da provncia de So Paulo ao porto de Santos, a Estrada de Ferro Santos-Jundia, chamada de A Inglesa. Surgem, no final do sculo XIX, vrias outras ferrovias que ligam o interior do estado capital, So Paulo. So Paulo tornou-se, ento, o ponto de convergncia de todas as ferrovias vindas do interior do estado. A produo e exportao de caf permite cidade e provncia de So Paulo, depois chamada de Estado de So Paulo, um grande crescimento econmico e populacional. De meados desse sculo at o seu final, foi o perodo que a provncia comeou a receber uma grande quantidade de imigrantes, em boa parte italianos, dos quais muitos se fixaram na capital, e as primeiras indstrias comearam a se instalar. Repblica Velha Ver artigo principal: Poltica do caf com leite

Carto-postal da avenida Paulista em1902.

Guilherme Gaensly. Rua Libero Badar, sentido Praa do Patriarca, c. 1920. Instituto Moreira Salles, So Paulo. Com o fim do Segundo Reinado e incio da Repblica a cidade de So Paulo, assim como o estado de So Paulo, tem grande crescimento econmico e populacional, tambm auxiliado pela poltica do caf com leite e pela grande imigrao europeia e asitica para So Paulo. Sobre o grande nmero de imigrantes na capital paulista, Cornlio Pires recolheu, em seu livro "Sambas e Caterets", uma modinha, de 1911, de Dino Cipriano, que descreve a impresso que o homem do interior tinha da capital paulista:

!S a coisa aqu in S. Plo que eu j ponhei in reparo: que s se v estrangero! Brasilro muito raro! Dino Cipriano[25] Durante a Repblica Velha (1889-1930), So Paulo passou de centro regional a metrpole nacional, se industrializando e chegando a seu primeiro milho de habitantes em 1928. Seu maior crescimento, neste perodo, relativo se deu, na dcada de 1890, quando dobrou sua populao. O auge do perodo do caf representado pela construo da segunda Estao da Luz (o atual edifcio) no fim do sculo XIX e pela avenida Paulista em 1900, onde se construram muitas manses. O vale do rio Anhangaba ajardinado e a regio situada sua margem esquerda passa a ser conhecida como Centro Novo. A sede do governo paulista transferida, no incio do sculo XX, do Ptio do Colgio para os Campos Elsios. So Paulo abrigou, em 1922, a Semana de arte moderna que foi um marco na histria da arte no Brasil. Em 1929, So Paulo ganha seu primeiro arranha-cu, o edifcio Martinelli. As modificaes realizadas na cidade por Antnio da Silva Prado, o Baro de Duprat e Washington Lus, que governaram de 1899 a 1919, contriburam para o clima de desenvolvimento da cidade; alguns estudiosos consideram que a cidade inteira foi demolida e reconstruda naquele perodo.[26] Com o crescimento industrial da cidade, no sculo XX, para a qual contribuiu tambm as dificuldades de acesso s importaes durante a Primeira Guerra Mundial, a rea urbanizada da cidade passou a aumentar, sendo que alguns bairros residenciais foram construdos em lugares de chcaras. A partir dadcada de 1920 com a retificao do curso de rio Pinheiros e reverso de suas guas para alimentar a Usina Hidreltrica Henry Borden, terminaram os alagamentos nas proximidades daquele rio, permitindo que surgisse na zona oeste de So Paulo, loteamentos de alto padro conhecidos hoje como a "Regio dos Jardins". Revoluo de 1932 contemporaneidade Ver artigos principais: Revoluo Constitucionalista de 1932 e Industrializao da Cidade de So Paulo

Multido reunida em protesto ao assassinato dos estudantes MMDC durante a Revoluo Constitucionalista de 1932.

Vila Olmpia, na regio da avenida Faria Lima, um dos smbolos da mudana do perfil econmico da cidade. Em 1932, So Paulo se mobiliza no seu maior movimento cvico: a revoluo constitucionalista, quando toda a populao se engaja na guerra contra o "Governo Provisrio" de Getlio Vargas. Em 1934, com a reunio de algumas faculdades criadas no sculo XIX e a criao de outras, fundada aUniversidade de So Paulo, hoje a maior do Brasil.[27][28] Outro grande surto industrial deu-se, durante a Segunda Guerra Mundial, devido crise nacafeicultura na dcada de 1930 e s restries ao comrcio internacional durante a guerra, o que fez a cidade ter uma taxa de crescimento econmico muito elevada que se manteve elevada no ps-guerra. Em 1947, So Paulo ganha sua primeira rodovia asfaltada: a Via Anchieta, (construda sobre o antigo traado do Caminho do Padre Jos de Anchieta), liga a capital ao litoral paulista. Na dcada de 1950, So Paulo era conhecida como A cidade que no pode parar e como A cidade que mais cresce no mundo. So Paulo realizou uma grande comemorao, em 1954, do "Quarto Centenrio" de fundao da cidade. inaugurado o Parque do Ibirapuera, lanados muitos livros histricos e descoberta a nascente do rio Tiet em Salespolis. Com a transferncia, a partir da dcada de 1950, de parte do centro financeiroda cidade que fica localizado no centro histrico (na regio chamada de "Tringulo Histrico"), para a Avenida Paulista, as suas manses foram, na sua maioria, substitudas por grandes edifcios. Em um livro sobre turismo na cidade de So Paulo, editado pela prefeitura de So Paulo em 1959, intitulado "Notcia de Turismo", que tem a sua apresentao feita pelo prefeito Ademar de Barros, So Paulo apresentada como: "A cidade que mais cresce no mundo", "A Cidade da moderna arquitetura", "A cidade das pontes e dos viadutos" e "A Cidade do Progresso". No perodo da dcada de 1930 at a dcada de 1960, os grandes empreendedores do desenvolvimento de So Paulo foram o prefeito Francisco Prestes Maiae o governador do Estado de So Paulo Ademar de Barros, o qual tambm foi prefeito de So Paulo entre 1957 e 1961. Prestes Maia projetou e implantou, na dcada de 1930, o "Plano de Avenidas de So Paulo", que revolucionou o trnsito de So Paulo.[29] Estes dois governantes so os responsveis, tambm, pelas duas maiores intervenes urbanas, depois do Plano de Avenidas, e que mudaram So Paulo: a retificao do rio Tiet com a construo de suas marginais e o Metr de So Paulo: em 13 de fevereiro de 1963, o governador Ademar de Barros e o prefeito Prestes Maia criaram as comisses (estadual e municipal) de estudos para a elaborao do projeto bsico do Metr de So Paulo, e destinaram ao Metr suas primeiras verbas.[30] Naquele ano, So Paulo somava quatro milhes de habitantes. Iniciado a sua construo em 1968, na gesto do prefeitoJos Vicente de Faria Lima, o metr paulistano comeou a operar comercialmente em 14 de setembro de 1974. Atualmente, o crescimento tem-se desacelerado, devido ao crescimento industrial de outras regies do Brasil. As ltimas dcadas atestaram uma ntida transformao em seu perfil econmico, que vem adquirindo, cada vez mais, matizes de um grande polo nacional de servios e negcios, sendo considerada, hoje, um dos mais importantes centros de comrcio global da Amrica Latina.[31] Geografia

Pico do Jaragu, o ponto mais alto da capital paulista.[32] So Paulo a capital do estado mais populoso do Brasil, So Paulo, situando-se prximo ao paralelo 2332'52'' sul e do meridiano 4638'09'' oeste. A rea total do municpio de 1 522,986 km, de acordo com o Instituto Brasileiro de

Geografia e Estatstica (IBGE), sendo o nono maior em extenso territorial.[4]De toda a rea do municpio, 968,3248 km so de reas urbanas, sendo a maior rea urbana do pas.[7] So Paulo est localizada junto bacia do rio Tiet, tendo as sub-bacias do rio Pinheiros e do rio Tamanduate papis importantes em sua configurao. So Paulo tem a altitude mdia de 760 metros.[7] O ponto culminante do municpio o Pico do Jaragu, com 1 135 metros,[32] localizado Parque Estadual do Jaragu, na serra da Cantareira, onde se encontra tambm a segunda maior floresta urbana do mundo, no Parque da Cantareira.[33][34] Clima O clima de So Paulo considerado subtropical (tipo Cfa segundo Kppen), com diminuio de chuvas no inverno e temperatura mdia anual de 19,25 C, tendo invernos brandos e veres com temperaturas moderadamente altas, aumentadas pelo efeito da poluio e da altssima concentrao de edifcios. O ms mais quente, fevereiro, tem temperatura mdia de 22,5C e o ms mais frio, julho, de 16 C,[35] por causa do efeito das ilhas de calor, causado por excessos de prdio, asfalto, concreto e poucas reas verdes, a cidade de So Paulo tem sofrido com os dias quentes e secos durante o inverno, no raro ultrapassando a marca dos 28 C nos meses de julho e agosto, um estudo realizado pela Secretaria Municipal do Meio Ambiente, com o apoio do Instituto Oceanogrfico da Universidade de So Paulo (USP), indica que a diferena de temperatura, entre o centro e as reas mais afastadas do centro, pode chegar a at 10 C.[36] Em julho de 2008, a precipitao de chuva no passou de 0 mm(a mdia para o ms de julho de 44 mm), contudo o governo do estado e a prefeitura iniciaram um projeto, com o intuito de plantar rvores na cidade, a fim de aumentar suas reas verdes e diminuir os efeitos das ilhas de calor.[37][38] Devido proximidade do mar, a maritimidade uma constante do clima local, sendo responsvel por evitar dias de calor intenso no vero ou de frio intenso no inverno e tornar a cidade mida. Aumidade tem ndices considerados aceitveis durante todo o ano, embora a poluio atinja nveis crticos no inverno, devido ao fenmeno de inverso trmica e pela menor ocorrncia de chuvas de maio a setembro.

Raios durante uma tempestade na Lapa. A precipitao anual mdia de 1 376,2 mm, concentrados principalmente no vero. As estaes do ano so relativamente bem definidas: o inverno ameno e subseco, e o vero, moderadamente quente e chuvoso. Outono e primavera so estaes de transio. Geadas ocorrem esporadicamente em regies mais afastadas do centro, e em invernos rigorosos, em boa parte do municpio. Tambm ocorrem frequentemente nos municpios vizinhos.[39] A menor temperatura j registrada oficialmente em So Paulo foi de -2,1 C, em 2 de agosto de 1955 no Mirante de Santana.[40] J houve ocorrncias pontuais de neve na cidade, a nica oficialmente registrada foi em 25 de junho de 1918, quando a temperatura atingiu -2 C. H registros espordicos no oficiais que indicam precipitao de neve (na verdade aguaneve) em anos anteriores[carece de fontes]. Quanto ao granizo, comum, mesmo durante o vero, quando ocorrem grandes quedas de 9C a 14C na temperatura em uma hora ou menos. Grandes quantidades de granizo costumam atingir zonas um pouco afastadas do centro, e em municpios vizinhos. [41] A mxima registrada foi de 37,0 C, no centro da cidade, dia 20 de janeiro de 1999 e tambm no Mirante de Santana.[42][43] Existem registros no oficiais de mnima de -3,9 C, tambm em 2 de agosto de 1955 no Horto Florestal.[carece de fontes] O maior acumulado de chuva registrado pelo INMET em menos de 24 horas na capital paulista foi de 151,8 mm, no Mirante de Santana no dia 21 de dezembro de 1988,[44][45] porm o Instituto Florestal indica a ocorrncia de 185,0 mm em 26 de janeiro de 1987 e de 156,0 mm em 18 de fevereiro de 1988.[46] Apesar da maritimidade que evita maiores variaes de temperatura, a altitude de So Paulo faz com que nos meses mais quentes sejam poucas as noites e madrugadas quentes na cidade, sendo que as temperaturas mnimas raramente so superiores a 23 C num perodo de 24 horas. No inverno, porm, o ingresso de fortes massas de ar polar

acompanhadas de excessiva nebulosidade s vezes fazem com que as temperaturas permaneam muito baixas, mesmo durante a tarde. Tardes com temperaturas mximas que variam entre 14 C e 16 C so comuns at mesmo durante o outono e o incio da primavera. Durante o inverno, j houve vrios registros de tardes em que a temperatura sequer ultrapassou a marca dos 10 C, como em 15 de agosto de 1999.[47] O dia 8 de agosto de 2004 apresentou temperaturas em torno dos 9 C durante o perodo considerado mais quente do dia, entre s 15h e s 17h.[48] Em 4 de julho de 2011 a cidade de So Paulo bateu at ento o recorde de frio dos ltimos 18 anos, quando a temperatura mxima mateve-se em 15,6C.[49] Em 23 de setembro de 2011, porm, as temperaturas mantiveram-se baixas no perodo considerado mais quente da cidade, quando a mxima foi de 13,4 C, e s 15h50, a temperatura nem mesmo ultrapassou os 6,5C.[50]

Municpios limtrofes e regio metropolitana Ver artigo principal: Regio Metropolitana de So Paulo

Imagem de satlite focalizando a Regio Metropolitana de So Paulo. O intenso processo de conurbao atualmente em curso na Grande So Paulo tem tornado inefetivas as fronteiras polticas entre os municpios da regio, criando uma metrpole cujo centro est em So Paulo e atinge municpios, como por exemplo, Santo Andr, So Bernardo do Campo, So Caetano do Sul,Diadema (a chamada Regio do Grande ABC), Osasco e Guarulhos, entre vrias outros. A Regio Metropolitana de So Paulo (RMSP) foi criada no ano de1973 e atualmente constituda por 39 municpios, sendo a maior aglomerao urbana do Brasil e a terceira maior das Amricas,[19] com 19 672 582 habitantes.[6] Seu Produto Interno Bruto (PIB) somava em 2008 cerca de 572 bilhes de reais.[9] Suas cidades limtrofes so Caieiras e Mairipor a norte, Guarulhos a nordeste, Itaquaquecetuba, Po e Ferraz de Vasconcelos a leste, Mau, Santo Andr, So Caetano do Sul, So Bernardo do Campo, Diadema e novamente So Bernardo a sudeste, So Vicente, Mongagu e Itanham a sul, Juquitiba, Embu-Guau, Itapecerica da Serra, Embu, Taboo da Serra, Cotia e Osasco a oeste e Santana de Parnaba e Cajamar a noroeste.

Parques e espaos pblicos Ver artigo principal: Parques da cidade de So Paulo Com 21% da rea do municpio coberta por rea verde[53] (incluindo reservas ecolgicas), So Paulo possui 40 parques municipais e estaduais,[54], como oParque Estadual Turstico da Cantareira, que abriga uma das maiores florestas urbanas do planeta com 7 900 hectares,[55] o Parque Estadual das Fontes do Ipiranga, o Parque Ibirapuera, o Parque Ecolgico do Tiet, o Parque Estadual do Jaragu, tombado como Patrimnio da Humanidade pela Unesco em 1994, a rea de Proteo Ambiental Capivari-Monos, o Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar, o Parque Anhanguera, o Parque Villa-Lobos, o Parque do Povo, entre outros. Apesar disso, a cidade de So Paulo possui apenas entre 5 e 6 m de rea verde por habitante, abaixo dos 12 m por habitante recomendado pela Organizao Mundial da Sade.[56]

Fotografia panormica de um dos lagos do Parque Ibirapuera.

Poluio ambiental

Poluio visvel no horizonte da cidade. Em destaque, os edifcios Altino Arantes eBanco do Brasil. A poluio do ar na cidade intensa,[57] devido principalmente enorme quantidade de automveis que circulam diariamente na cidade. Alm da poluio atmosfrica a cidade sofre tambm com a poluio hdrica, concentrada em seus dois principais rios, o rio Tiet e o rio Pinheiros, que esto altamente poludos. Atualmente o rio Tiet passa por um programa de despoluio que dura alguns anos. Como j ressaltado nos itens anteriores, o processo de expanso urbana nas ltimas dcadas aliou especulao imobiliria, esvaziamento das reas centrais e precariedade nos novos loteamentos; desta forma, devido dificuldade de aceder terra urbana qualificada em reas centrais, milhares de famlias viram-se obrigadas a ocuparem regies ambientalmente frgeis - como as de mananciais. Com isto, tambm ocorre uma sobrevalorizao do transporte individual sobre o transporte coletivo - levando atual taxa de mais de um veculo para cada dois habitantes e agravando o problema da poluio ambiental.[58] O problema do abastecimento equilibrado de gua para a cidade - e para a metrpole, de uma forma geral - tambm se configura como questo preocupante: So Paulo possui poucas fontes de gua em seu prprio permetro, tendo de busc-la em bacias hidrogrficas distantes. O problema da poluio da gua tambm agravado pela ocupao irregular das reas de mananciais, ocasionada pela supracitada expanso urbana impulsionada pela dificuldade de acesso terra e moradia em reas centrais por parte da populao de baixa renda.[59]

Demografia Ver pgina anexa: Lista dos distritos por populao A populao de So Paulo estimada pelo IBGE em 2011 foi de 11 316 149 habitantes, sendo o mais populoso do Brasil e com uma densidade demogrfica de7 430,24 habitantes por quilmetro quadrado.[6] Em 2010, a populao do municpio foi contada pelo Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatstica (IBGE) em 11 244 369 habitantes, sendo o municpio mais populoso do estado e do Brasil e apresentando uma densidade populacional de 7 383,11 habitantes por km.[61] Segundo o censo de 2010, 5 323 385 habitantes eram homens e 5 920 984 habitantes eram mulheres. Ainda segundo o mesmo censo, 99,1% da populao era urbana (11 125 243 habitantes viviam na zona urbana e 119 126 na zona rural).[62]
[61]

Segundo o censo de 2000 do IBGE, a populao de So Paulo est composta

por: brancos(68,0%), pardos (25,0%), negros (5,1%), amarelos (2,0%) e indgenas (0,2%). O ndice de Desenvolvimento Humano Municipal (IDH-M) de So Paulo (ano 2000), considerado elevado pelo Programa das Naes Unidas para o Desenvolvimento(PNUD), de 0,841, sendo o 18 maior de todo estado de So Paulo. Considerando apenas a educao o ndice de 0,919 (muito elevado), enquanto o do Brasil 0,849; o ndice da longevidade de 0,761 (o brasileiro 0,638); e o de renda de 0,843 (o do pas 0,723).[8] A renda per capita de 32 493,96 reais.[9] O coeficiente de Gini do municpio, que mede a desigualdade social, de 0,45 (2003), sendo que 1,00 o pior nmero e 0,00 o melhor.[63] A incidncia da pobreza, medida pelo IBGE, de 28,09%, o limite inferior da incidncia de pobreza de 26,16%, o superior de 30,02% e a incidncia da pobreza subjetiva de 10,60%.[63]

Imigrantes e migrantes Ver pgina anexa: Bairros imigrantes Ver tambm: Imigrao rabe no Brasil, Imigrao japonesa no Brasil, Imigrao italiana no Brasil, Imigrao portuguesa no Brasil e Migrao nordestina

Bairro da Liberdade, reduto dacomunidade japonesa da cidade. So Paulo a cidade mais multicultural do Brasil e uma das mais diversas do mundo. Desde 1870, aproximadamente 2,3 milhes de imigrantes chegaram ao estado, vindos de todas as partes do mundo. Atualmente, a cidade com as maiores populaes de origens tnicas italiana, portuguesa, japonesa, espanhola e libanesa fora de seus pases respectivos,[64] e com o maior contigente de nordestinos fora do Nordeste.[65] A cidade j contava com populao afrodescendente no sculo XIX, mas foi a partir da segunda metade do sculo XX que a populao de origem africana cresceu rapidamente, atravs da chegada de pessoas de outros estados brasileiros, principalmente da zona litornea da Bahia.[66] De acordo com o IBGE, em 2005, pelo menos cerca de 30% da populao paulistana tinha alguma ascendncia africana; isto , declaravam-se como "pretos" e "pardos". Uma das colnias mais marcantes da cidade a de origem rabe. Os libaneses e srios chegaram em grande nmero entre os anos de 1900 a 1930. Hoje seus descendentes esto totalmente integrados populao brasileira, embora aspectos culturais de origem rabe marcam at hoje a cultura da capital paulista. Restaurantes de comida rabe abundam por toda a cidade, vendendo pratos que j entraram definitivamente na culinria brasileira: quibe, esfiha, charutinho de repolho etc.[67] A rua 25 de Maro foi criada pelos rabes, que eram em sua maioria comerciantes.[68] A cidade de So Paulo possui o maior nmero de pessoas que se declaram de origem asitica (amarelos) do Brasil. Cerca de 456 mil pessoas so de origem oriental,[69] dos quais 326 mil so japoneses. A comunidade japonesa da cidade a maior fora do Japo. Imigrantes vindos do Japo comearam a chegar em 1908, e imigraram em grande nmero at a dcada de 1950. A maior concentrao de orientais da cidade est no distrito da Liberdade. Este distrito de So Paulo possui inmeros restaurantes japoneses, lojas com peas tpicas do Japo, e nele veem-se letreiros escritos em japons e ouve-se muito o idioma. A colnia coreana da cidade tambm notvel. So mais de 60 mil pessoas de origem sul-coreana, particulamente concentrados no Bom Retiro, Aclimao e Liberdade. No bairro da Aclimao possvel encontrar diversos restaurantes coreanos, alm de locadoras de vdeo e mercearias coreanas. Os chineses so bastante numerosos nos distritos da zona central da cidade, como o Brs e a Liberdade.

Imigrantes italianos posando parafotografia no ptio central da Hospedaria dos Imigrantes (atual Memorial do Imigrante), ca. 1890. A comunidade italiana uma das mais fortes, marcando presena em toda a cidade. Dos dez milhes de habitantes de So Paulo, 60% (seis milhes de pessoas) possuem alguma ascendncia italiana. So Paulo tem mais descendentes de italianos que qualquer outra cidade italiana (a maior cidade da Itlia Roma, com 2,5 milhes de habitantes). Ainda hoje, os italianos agrupam-se em bairros como o Bixiga, Brs e Mooca para promover comemoraes e festas.[70] No incio do sculo XX, o italiano e seus dialetos eram to falados quanto o portugus na cidade, o que influenciou na formao do dialeto paulistano da atualidade.[71] So Paulo a segunda maior cidade consumidora de pizza do mundo. So seis mil pizzarias produzindo cerca de um milho de pizzas por dia.[72][73] A comunidade portuguesa tambm bastante numerosa, e estima-se que trs milhes de paulistanos possuem alguma origem em Portugal.[74] A colniajudaica representa mais de 60 mil pessoas em So Paulo e concentra-se principalmente em Higienpolis (presena maior) e no Bom Retiro (presena menor, atualmente). A partir do sculo XIX, e especialmente durante a primeira metade do sculo XX, So Paulo recebeu tambm imigrantes alemes (no atual bairro de Santo Amaro), espanhis e lituanos (no bairro Vila Zelina). Podemos destacar tambm a importante comunidade armnia, com suas diversas instituies instaladas nas proximidades dos bairros Bom Retiro, prximo a Estao Armnia do Metr, Imirim e Brs. Os armnios fizeram do comrcio e da fabricao de calados, suas principais atividades.

Com a decadncia da imigrao europeia e asitica aps a dcada de 1930, passou a predominar a vinda de migrantes, em sua maioria oriundos da regio Nordeste do Brasil. A maior parte desse enorme fluxo migratrio veio de Pernambuco, Paraba, Alagoas e Bahia.

Religio

A Praa da S e a Catedral Metropolitana de So Paulo. Tal qual a variedade cultural verificvel em So Paulo, so diversas as manifestaes religiosas presentes na cidade. Embora tenha se desenvolvido sobre uma matriz social eminentemente catlica, tanto devido colonizao quanto imigrao e ainda hoje a maioria dos paulistanos declara-se catlica , possvel encontrar atualmente na cidade dezenas de denominaes protestantes diferentes, assim como a prtica do budismo, do islamismo, espiritismo, entre outras. Nas ltimas dcadas, o budismo e as religies orientais tm crescido bastante na cidade. Estima-se que existem mais de cem mil seguidores budistas, seichonoitas e hindustas. Tambm so considerveis as comunidades judaica, mrmon, e das religies afro-brasileiras. De acordo com dados do censo de 2000 realizado pelo Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatstica (IBGE), a populao de So Paulo est composta por:catlicos (68,11%), protestantes (15,94%), pessoas sem religio (8,97%), espritas (2,75%), budistas (0,65%), judeus (0,36%) e outros (3,22%)[75] Cristianismo A Igreja Catlica divide o territrio do municpio de So Paulo em quatro circunscries eclesisticas: a Arquidiocese de So Paulo, a Diocese de Santo Amaro, a Diocese de So Miguel Paulista e a Diocese de Campo Limpo, sendo estas trs ltimas sufragneas da primeira. O arquivo da arquidiocese, denominado Arquivo Metropolitano Dom Duarte Leopoldo e Silva, localizado no bairro do Ipiranga, guarda uma dos mais importantes patrimnios documentais do Brasil. A Catedral Metropolitana de So Paulo (conhecida como Catedral da S), localizada na Praa da S, considerada um dos cinco maiores templos gticos do mundo.[76] A Igreja Catlica reconhece como padroeiros da cidade: So Paulo de Tarso e Nossa Senhora da Penha de Frana. A cidade possui os mais diversos credos protestantes ou reformados, como a Comunidade Evanglica Sara Nossa Terra, a Igreja Crist Maranata, Igreja Luterana, a Igreja Presbiteriana, a Igreja Metodista, a Igreja Episcopal Anglicana, as igrejas batistas, a Igreja Assembleia de Deus, a Igreja Adventista do Stimo Dia, a Igreja Mundial do Poder de Deus, a Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus, a Congregao Crist no Brasil, entre outras. H um considervel avano dessas Igrejas, principalmente na periferia da cidade. Na cidade existem tambm cristos de vrias outras denominaes, tais como as Testemunhas de Jeov e os membros de A Igreja de Jesus Cristo dos Santos dos ltimos Dias (tambm conhecida como Igreja Mrmon). Habitao e uso do espao urbano Ver tambm: Favelas na cidade de So Paulo Segundo dados do Censo de 2000 do IBGE, da fundao SEADE e de pesquisas feitas pela prefeitura de So Paulo no perodo 2000-2004,[77] o municpio apresentava at aquele momento um dficitde aproximadamente 800 mil unidades habitacionais. Isto equivaleria, segundo tais pesquisas, a aproximadamente trs milhes de cidados sem acesso habitao formal ou em habitaes precrias: nestes nmeros constam a populao de loteamentos clandestinos e irregulares, a populao moradora de favelas e a populao moradora de cortios.[78] Tal dficit equivaleria, segundo alguns autores, a aproximadamente um dcimo de todo o dficit habitacional nacional (estimado em aproximadamente

oito milhes de unidades[79]). Em 2006, dos 1 522,986 km do municpio de So Paulo, 31 km eram ocupados por mais de duas mil favelas.[80] Aliado ao problema do dficit habitacional est o fato de que, ainda segundo dados das pesquisas em distritos censitrios do IBGE e da fundao SEADE, a cada ano as reas centrais da cidade - correspondentes s regies centrais tradicionais e quelas ligadas ao j citado vetor sudoeste - apresentam uma taxa negativa de crescimento demogrfico (de -5% entre 2000 e 2008).[81]

Diferentes padres residenciais na cidade de So Paulo, de acordo com a renda. esquerda, condomnios de luxo na regio nobre do Tatuap. Ao centro, casario de classe mdia na Mooca. direita, a favela Nova Tiet.

Indicadores socioeconmicos Ver pginas anexas: Lista de distritos por ndice de Desenvolvimento Humano e Lista de subprefeituras por ndice de Desenvolvimento Humano

Mapa dos distritos de So Paulo porndice de desenvolvimento humano, de acordo com o Atlas de Trabalho e Desenvolvimento da Cidade de So Paulo - Atlas Municipal, em 2007. So Paulo possui um IDH elevado (0,841), o dcimo oitavo maior do estado e o 68 do Brasil. Porm a distribuio do desenvolvimento humano na cidade no homognea. Os distritos mais centrais em geral apresentam IDH superior a 0,900, gradualmente diminuindo medida que se afasta do centro, at chegar a valores inferiores a 0,800 nos limites do municpio. Isto se deve a questes histricas, uma vez que a rea central, sobretudo a localizada entre os rios Pinheiros, Tiet e Tamanduate, foi o local onde mais se concentraram os investimentos e o planejamento urbano por parte do poder pblico.[82] As populaes de mais baixa renda, por no terem como arcar com o custo de vida dessas reas, acabam assim ocupando as reas nas bordas do municpio, mais desprovidas de infraestrutura. O IDH estabelece trs critrios para avaliao: o ndice de educao, longevidade e renda. O fator "educao" do IDH no municpio atingiu em 2000 a marca de 0,919 patamar consideravelmente elevado, em conformidade aos padres do Programa das Naes Unidas para o Desenvolvimento (PNUD)[8] ao passo que a taxa de analfabetismo indicada pelo ltimo censo demogrfico do IBGE foi de 4,9%, superior apenas porcentagem verificada nas cidades deCuritiba, Porto Alegre, Florianpolis, Rio de Janeiro, Vitria e Belo Horizonte.[83][84] Os melhores distritos classificados pelo IDH em educao so Moema,Jardim Paulista e Pinheiros, os piores so Marsilac, Jardim ngela e Graja. Tomando-se por base o relatrio do ndice de Desenvolvimento da Educao Bsica (IDEB) de 2007, So Paulo obteve a nona colocao entre as capitais brasileiras.[85] Na classificao geral do Exame Nacional do Ensino Mdio (ENEM) de 2007, trs escolas da cidade figuraram entre as 20 melhores doranking, sendo os colgios Vrtice, Bandeirantes e Mbile os respectivos terceiro, dcimo quarto e vigsimo colocados.[86] Contudo e em consonncia aos grandes contrastes verificados na metrpole , em algumas regies perifricas e empobrecidas, o aparato educacional pblico de nvel mdio e fundamental ainda deficitrio, dada a escassez relativa de escolas ou recursos. Nesses locais, a violncia costuma impor certas barreiras ao aproveitamento escolar, constituindo-se em uma das causas preponderantes evaso ou ao aprendizado carencial.[87]

No fator renda estabelecido pelo IDH, 11 dos 96 distritos apresentam a maior classificao (1,000), enquanto 14 esto no grupo dos nveis mdios, abaixo de 0,700. Em longevidade os distritos de Pinheiros, Moema e Perdizes lideram a lista e os piores colocados foram Marsilac, Parelheiros e Lajeado.[88][89] Pelo ndice de Gini, que mede a desigualdade social, os distritos de Vila Andrade, Vila Snia e Trememb possuem a maior disparidade econmica. Todos os ndices so publicados no Atlas do Trabalho e Desenvolvimento de So Paulo, uma ferramenta eletrnica que abriga mais de 200 indicadores socioeconmicos da capital. Um ranking mundial de qualidade de vida, elaborado pela consultoria internacional em recursos humanos Mercer, aponta a capital paulista na 117 posio entre 221 cidades e na terceira posio entre as trs cidades brasileiras do ranking. O status ecolgico em um ranking paralelo aponta a cidade na 148 posio.[90][91]

9 DP do Carandiru, uma das cinco melhores delegacias do mundo e a melhor da Amrica Latina.[92] Criminalidade De acordo com o Estudo Global de Homicdios 2011, divulgado pela Organizao das Naes Unidas (ONU), no perodo entre 2004 e 2009 a taxa de homicdios caiu de 20,8 para 10,8 assassinatos por 100 mil habitantes. A ONU apontou So Paulo como exemplo de como grandes cidades podem diminuir a criminalidade.[93] ndices de criminalidade, como o homicdio, tm diminudo continuamente por 8 anos.[94] O nmero de assassinatos em 2007 foi 63% mais baixo do que em 1999.[95] Em 2008, a cidade de So Paulo ocupava a 493 posio na lista das cidades mais violentas do Brasil. Entre as capitais, era a quarta menos violenta, registrando, em 2006, ndices de homicdios superiores apenas aos de Boa Vista, Palmas e Natal.[96][97] Em uma pesquisa sobre o ndice de Homicdios na Adolescncia (IHA), divulgada em 2009, So Paulo ficou no 151 lugar entre 267 cidades com mais de cem mil habitantes.[98] Em novembro de 2009, o Ministrio da Justia e o Frum Brasileiro de Segurana Pblica divulgaram uma pesquisa que apontou a So Paulo como a capital brasileira mais segura para jovens.[99] Entre os anos de 2000 e 2010, a cidade de So Paulo reduziu em 78% a sua taxa de homicdios.[100] De acordo com dados do "Mapa da Violncia 2011", publicado pelo Instituto Sangari e pelo Ministrio da Justia, a cidade de So Paulo tem a menor taxa de homicdios por 100 mil habitantes entre todas as capitais do Brasil.[101] Ocorrncias de homicdios dolosos por ano.[94]

Poltica municipal Ver artigo principal: Poltica e administrao pblica do municpio de So Paulo Ver pgina anexa: Lista de prefeitos de So Paulo

O Edifcio Matarazzo, sede da Prefeitura de So Paulo, no centro da cidade. O Poder Executivo da cidade de So Paulo representado pelo prefeito e seu gabinete de secretrios, seguindo o modelo proposto pela Constituio Federal. A lei orgnica do municpio e o atual Plano Diretor da cidade, porm, determinam que a administrao pblica deva garantir populao ferramentas efetivas de manifestao da democracia participativa, o que faz com que a cidade seja dividida em subprefeituras, cada uma delas liderada por umsubprefeito nomeado pelo prefeito.[102] O Poder Legislativo representado pela cmara municipal, composta por 55 vereadores eleitos para cargos de quatro anos (em observncia ao disposto no artigo 29 da Constituio, que disciplina um nmero mnimo de 42 e mximo de 55 para municpios com mais de cinco milhes de habitantes).[103] Cabe casa elaborar e votar leis fundamentais administrao e ao Executivo, especialmente o oramento municipal (conhecido como Lei de Diretrizes Oramentrias). Devido ao poder de veto do prefeito, em perodos de conflito entre o Executivo e o Legislativo, o processo de votao deste tipo de lei costuma gerar bastante polmica. Em complementao ao processo legislativo e ao trabalho das secretarias, existem tambm uma srie de conselhos municipais, cada um deles versando sobre temas diferentes, compostos obrigatoriamente por representantes dos vrios setores da sociedade civil organizada. A atuao e representatividade efetivas de tais conselhos, porm, so por vezes questionadas. Os seguintes conselhos municipais esto atualmente em atividade: Conselho Municipal da Criana e do Adolescente (CMDCA); da Informtica (CMI); dos Deficientes Fsicos (CMDP); da Educao (CME); da Habitao (CMH); do Meio Ambiente (CADES); da Sade (CMS); do Turismo (COMTUR); dos Direitos Humanos (CMDH); da Cultura (CMC); da Assistncia Social (COMAS) e das Drogas e lcool (COMUDA). Pertence tambm prefeitura (ou esta scia majoritria em seus capitais sociais) uma srie de empresas responsveis por aspectos diversos dos servios pblicos e da economia de So Paulo:

So Paulo Turismo S/A (SPTuris): empresa responsvel pela organizao de grandes eventos e pela

promoo turstica da cidade.[104] Companhia de Engenharia de Trfego (CET): subordinada Secretaria Municipal de Transportes,

responsvel pela fiscalizao do trnsito, aplicao de multas (em cooperao com o DETRAN) e manuteno do sistema virio da cidade.[105]

Companhia Metropolitana de Habitao de So Paulo (COHAB): subordinada Secretaria de Habitao,

responsvel pela implementao de polticas pblicas de habitao, especialmente a construo de conjuntos habitacionais.[106]

Empresa Municipal de Urbanizao de So Paulo (EMURB): subordinada Secretaria de Planejamento,

responsvel por obras urbansticas e pela manuteno dos espaos pblicos e mobilirio urbanos.[107] Companhia de Processamento de Dados de So Paulo (PRODAM): responsvel pela infraestrutura eletrnica e

informtica da prefeitura.[108] So Paulo Transportes Sociedade Annima (SPTrans): responsvel pelo funcionamento dos sistemas de

transposte pblico geridos pela prefeitura, como as linhas de nibus municipais.[109] Por ser a capital do estado de So Paulo, a cidade tambm sede do Palcio dos Bandeirantes (Governo Estadual) e da Assembleia Legislativa.

Subdivises Ver artigo principal: Diviso territorial e administrativa da cidade de So Paulo O municpio de So Paulo est, administrativamente, dividido em trinta e uma subprefeituras, cada uma delas, por sua vez, divididas em distritos, sendo estes ltimos, eventualmente, subdivididos em subdistritos (a designao "bairro", porm, no existe oficialmente, embora seja usualmente aplicada pela populao). As subprefeituras esto oficialmente agrupadas em nove regies (ou "zonas"), levando em conta a posio geogrfica e histria de ocupao. Entretanto, h certos rgos e instituies (companhias telefnicas, zonas eleitorais, etc.) que adotam uma diviso diferente da oficial.
[102]

Cabem s subprefeituras os servios ordinrios populao, dessa forma, descentralizando alguns servios rotineiros.[102] A diviso poltica oficial da cidade leva em conta tanto caractersticas histrico-culturais dos diferentes bairros de So Paulo como fatores de ordem prtica (como a diviso de duas subprefeituras em uma avenida importante). Porm, muitas vezes tal diviso no reflete a percepo socioespacial que a populao local tem dos lugares: h regies da cidade que no so oficialmente reconhecidas pela prefeitura, de forma que sua delimitao seja informal e abranja diferentes distritos e subprefeituras, mantendo o nome por tradio, contiguidade fsica ou facilidade de localizao. O fenmeno tende a se repetir na cidade inteira e considerado de forma ampla, pode levar a uma no identificao dos moradores com as instncias polticas locais. Alm da diviso poltica, h tambm uma diviso em nove zonas geogrficas, cada uma delas representada por cores diferentes nas placas de ruas e na cor dos nibus que circulam na regio. Essas regies so estabelecidas radialmente, usando apenas critrios topogrficos, e, salvo algumas excees, no tm uma homogeneidade urbana, nem qualquer distino administrativa, com exceo do centro histrico e do centro expandido, onde vigora o rodzio municipal.[112]

Economia Ver artigo principal: Economia da cidade de So Paulo

Edifcios comerciais no Brooklin Novo. Em destaque, o Centro Empresarial Naes Unidas e aPonte Estaiada. So Paulo possui o maior PIB dentre as cidades brasileiras, o 10 maior do mundo e, segundo projeo da PricewaterhouseCoopers, ser o 6 maior em 2025.[13] Segundo dados do IBGE, em 2005 seu Produto Interno Bruto (PIB) foi de R$ 263 177 148 000,00, o que equivale a aproximadamente 12,26% do PIB brasileiro[114] e 36% de toda produo de bens e servios do estado de So Paulo. Sua regio metropolitana possui um PIB de aproximadamente R$ 416,5 bilhes, o que corresponde a 57,3% de todo o PIB paulista.[115] Segundo dados do IBGE, a rede urbana de influncia exercida pela cidade no resto do pas abrange 28% da populao e 40,5% do PIB brasileiro.[116] A capital paulista a sexta cidade do mundo em nmero de bilionrios, segundo a listagem da revista Forbes considera como referncia o endereo principal dos 1 210 bilionrios da lista de 2011 feita pela revista, com base em valores convertidos para o dlar norte-americano[117] Entretanto, a crise financeira de 2008-2009 afetou a renda mdia domiciliar per capita dos moradores de So Paulo, que, em 2008, era de R$ 816,40, o que posiciona a cidade na oitava colocao no ranking das capitais brasileiras, atrs de Florianpolis, Porto Alegre, Vitria, Braslia, Curitiba, Rio de Janeiro e Belo Horizonte.[118] Segundo pesquisa da consultoria Mercer sobre o custo de vida para funcionrios estrangeiros, So Paulo est entre as dez cidades mais caras do mundo, classificada na dcima posio en 2011, 11 postos acima de sua clasificao de 2010, e na frente de cidades como Londres,Paris, Milo e Nova Iorque.[119][120] Um dos maiores centros financeiros do Brasil e do mundo, So Paulo passa hoje por uma transformao em sua economia. Durante muito tempo a indstria constituiu uma atividade econmica bastante presente na cidade, porm So Paulo tem atravessado nas ltimas trs dcadas uma clara mudana em seu perfil econmico: de uma cidade com forte carter industrial, o municpio tem cada vez mais assumido um papel de cidade terciria, plo de servios e negcios para o pas. Em So Paulo, por exemplo, est sediada a BM&FBovespa (Bolsa de Valores, Mercadorias e Futuros de So Paulo), a bolsa oficial do Brasil. A BMF&Bovespa a maior bolsa de valores do continente americano e a segunda maior do mundo, ambos em valor de mercado.[17][121]

Sede do Ita Unibanco no Bairro doJabaquara, o maior banco da Amrica Latina e um dos maiores do mundo O municpio tem alguns centros financeiros espalhados por seu territrio, sendo o principal e mais famoso deles a avenida Paulista, que abriga sedes de bancos, multinacionais, hotis, consulados e se impe como um dos principais pontos tursticos e culturais da cidade. O centro da cidade, que apesar de ter sido ofuscado pelas centralidades econmicas mais recentes, abriga a Bolsa de Valores, Mercadorias e Futuros de So Paulo (BM&FBOVESPA), diversas empresas e hotis. Contudo, existem outras centralidades no chamado vetor sudoeste, como a avenida Brigadeiro Faria Lima e os bairros doBrooklin e Vila Olmpia, na regio oeste da cidade, que se destacam por sua intensa e moderna verticalizao, pela presena de hotis de luxo e empresas multinacionais.[122]

Rua Oscar Freire na regio dos Jardins, eleita a oitava rua mais luxuosa do planeta.[123] Muitos analistas tambm tm apontado So Paulo como uma importante "cidade global" (ou "metrpole global", classificao dividida apenas com o Rio de Janeiro entre as cidades brasileiras[124]). Como cidade global, So Paulo tem acesso s principais rotas aerovirias mundiais, s principais redes deinformao, assim como sedia filiais

de empresas transnacionais de importncia global, alm de importantes instituies financeiras, mesmo estando conectada marginalmente aos fluxos transnacionais de pessoas, investimentos e empregos.[125] O urbanista Joo Sette Whitaker Ferreira, entretanto, considera que a desigualdade social e a segregao espacial descaracterizam So Paulo como uma cidade global.[126] Apesar de ser o centro financeiro do pas, So Paulo apresenta tambm alto ndice de negcios ligados economia informal.[127] Neste mesmo cenrio, segundo dados de 2001 da prefeitura do municpio,[128] cerca de 10% dos paulistanos vivia abaixo da linha de pobreza. A cidade de So Paulo tambm tem se consolidado em um polo de comrcio de produtos contrabandeados, pirateados e falsificados,[129] em geral localizados em alguns pontos do centro da cidade como a Rua 25 de Maro, a rua Santa Ifignia e reas prximas a estaes de metr. Os artigos em geral so CDs com verses piratas de softwares, filmes ou lbuns em CD e DVD,[130] ou ento acessrios e itens de vesturio, principalmente mochilas e tnis de marcas internacionais, entre outros artigos. Nos ltimos anos, porm, tem crescido a apreenso desses artigos pirateados.[131]

Turismo Ver artigo principal: Turismo na cidade de So Paulo

Edifcio da Bienal de Artes de So Paulo.

Parque Ibirapuera decorado para o Natal. So Paulo destaca-se mais como uma cidade marcada pelo turismo de negcios que pelo turismo recreativo. Grandes redes de hotis cujo pblico-alvo o corporativo esto instaladas na cidade e possuem filiais espalhadas em vrias das suas centralidades. Toda a infraestrutura para eventos da cidade faz com que ela seja sede de 120 das 160 principais feiras do pas (SP Turis). Dentre as principais, esto o Salo do Automvel de So Paulo, aCouromoda e a Francal, entre outras. A cidade ainda promove uma das mais importantes semanas de moda do mundo, a So Paulo Fashion Week, sendo um dos principais centros geradores de tendncias em moda.[132] O turismo cultural tambm possui relevncia para a cidade, especialmente quando se tm em vista os vrios eventos internacionais que ocorrem na metrpole, como a Bienal de Artes de So Paulo e os vrios shows de celebridades estrangeiras que, quando se apresentam no Brasil, escolhem poucas metrpoles. A cidade possui inmeras atividades culturais e uma vida noturna que considerada umas das melhores do pas. H diversos cinemas, teatros, museus ecentros culturais, alguns atendendo a parcela de maior poder aquisitivo, outros contemplando mais o pblico popular, o que leva muitos a dizerem que "sempre h um programa para se fazer em So Paulo". A rua Oscar Freire, de acordo com a Mystery Shopping International, foi eleita uma das oito ruas mais luxuosas do mundo,[123] e So Paulo, a 25 "cidade mais cara" do planeta.[133] De acordo com a International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA), So Paulo ocupa o primeiro lugar entre as cidades que mais recebem eventos internacionais no Continente Americano e a 12 posio no mundo, depois de Viena, Paris, Barcelona, Singapura, Berlim, Budapeste, Amsterd, Estocolmo,Seul, Lisboa e Copenhague.[134] A diversidade de povos e culturas que construiram a cidade faz tambm com que a rica gastronomia da regio seja por si s um grande atrativo turstico. Essa afirmao pode ser comprovada atravs da ampla variedade gastronmica da

cidade, que abrange mais de 50 tipos de culinria. Durante o 10 Congresso Internacional de Gastronomia, Hospitalidade e Turismo (CIHAT) realizado em 1997, a cidade recebeu o ttulo de "Capital Mundial da Gastronomia" de uma comisso formada por representantes de 43 naes.[135] Estrutura urbana Ver artigo principal: Zoneamento da cidade de So Paulo Tecidos urbanos

Variao de tecidos urbanos na regio dos Jardins, distrito de Pinheiros: lado a lado, reas verticalizadas e de casario baixo. So Paulo possui uma mirade de tecidos urbanos. Os ncleos originais da cidade apresentam-se verticalizados, caracterizados pela presena de edifcioscomerciais e de servios; e as periferias desenvolvem-se, de forma geral, com edificaes de dois a quatro andares - embora tal generalizao certamente encontre excees no tecido da metrpole. Comparada a outras cidades globais (como as cidades-ilha de Nova Iorque e Hong Kong), porm, So Paulo considerada uma cidade de "edifcios baixos". Seus maiores edifcios raramente atingem quarenta andares, e a mdia entre os edifcios residenciais de vinte. Todavia, a terceira cidade no mundo em quantidade de prdios, de acordo com a pgina especializada em pesquisa de dados sobre edificaesEmporis Buildings,[136] alm de possuir o maior arranha-cu do pas, o Mirante do Vale, tambm conhecido como Palcio Zarzur Kogan, com 170 metros de altura.
[137]

So comuns as seguintes regies, caracterizadas de acordo com seu tecido urbano:

Casario composto por sobrados de classe mdia, recuados em relao ao lote, em bairros predominantemente

residenciais ou comerciais. Periferias nas quais a legislao de ocupao do solo menos respeitada, composta por sobrados ou

residncias trreas mas com densidade maior que o casario supracitado Bairros de classe mdia, normalmente localizados em um anel perifrico imediatamente seguinte ao Centro da

cidade, mas no to distantes quanto as periferias extremas, ocupados por condomnios verticais (edifcios de apartamentos isolados em meio ao lote, contendo quase 50% de espao livre e normalmente de acesso privativo).

Regies verticalizadas do Centro da cidade, variando bastante a relao entre a largura da rua e a altura dos

edifcios. Novas regies verticalizadas e com edifcios mais recuados e com maior presena do automvel (como a Nova

Faria Lima e a regio da avenida Lus Carlos Berrini). Regies de condomnios fechados horizontais, de acesso restrito. Regies tradicionalmente caracterizadas como favelas.

Regio verticalizada do Centro da cidade. Na fotografia, em destaque os edifcios do Banco do Brasil (esquerda),Altino Arantes (centro) e Martinelli(direita), o primeiro arranha-cu daAmrica Latina.[138] Tal heterogeneidade de tecidos, porm, no to previsvel quanto o modelo genrico pode fazer imaginar. Algumas regies centrais da cidade passaram a concentrar indigentes, trfico de drogas, comrcio ambulante e prostituio, o que incentivou a criao de novas centralidades do ponto de vista socioeconmico. A caracterizao de cada regio da cidade tambm passou por vrias mudanas ao longo do sculo XX. Com o deslocamento de indstriaspara

outras cidades ou estados, vrias reas que antes abrigavam galpes de fbricas transformaram-se em reas comerciais ou mesmo residenciais. A mais caracterizada mudana no perfil econmico da cidade, porm, o chamado vetor sudoeste, rea da cidade que engloba as regies oeste e centro-sul. A expresso refere-se tendncia do mercado imobilirio (e das empresas em geral) em "levar" o centro da cidade para regies antes consideradas perifricas, seguindo em geral a direo nordestesudoeste, com algumas poucas excees. Esta tendncia pode ser acompanhada desde as primeiras dcadas do sculo XX: partindo da regio do Tringulo histrico (ncleo original da cidade), a centralidade socioeconmica da cidade (que difere da centralidade geogrfica) passou para a regio do Centro Novo (do outro lado do Vale do Anhangaba), e mais tarde para a regio da avenida Paulista. Nas ltimas duas dcadas, este processo tem levado tal centralidade principalmente para a regio das avenidas Faria Lima e Berrini. Fora dessa regio, existem tambm outras reas como os distritos de Tatuap e Santana, que tambm se desenvolveram e tornaram-se centralidades socioeconmicas regionais, funcionando ainda como plo de comrcio, servios e lazer para outras localidades fora do eixo de desenvolvimento principal do municpio. As regies que permanecem afastadas destas centralidades acabam, na maioria dos casos, servindo como bairrosdormitrios. Isto se deve ao processo de planejamento urbano da cidade ao longo do sculo XX, que manteve as reas de habitao popular isoladas das centralidades principais do municpio.[139] Ao crescimento demogrfico estiveram associados processos de especulao imobiliria que aceleraram a ocupao de reas perifricas com pouca infraestrutura, em alguns casos fomentados pelos prprios programas urbansticos estatais de habitao popular.
[140]

Nas ltimas dcadas, algumas famlias de baixa renda passaram a ocupar irregularmente regies de mananciais.[141]

A constante mudana da paisagem paulistana devido s alteraes tecnolgicas de seus edifcios tem sido uma caracterstica marcante da cidade, apontada por estudiosos como Benedito Lima de Toledo. Segundo Toledo, em um perodo de um sculo, entre meados de 1870 e 1970 a cidade de So Paulo foi praticamente demolida e reconstruda no mnimo trs vezes. Estes trs perodos so caracterizados pelos processos construtivos tpicos de suas pocas: em um primeiro momento a cidade apresentava-se como um emaranhado de construes em taipa de pilo, situao que perdurou desde o perodo colonial at as ltimas dcadas do sculo XIX. No incio do sculo XX, a cidade foi rapidamente transformada e passou a apresentar-se como uma cidade de alvenaria, importando mtodos de construo e arquiteturas europeias. Enfim, com a necessidade de verticalizao e expanso e a popularizao de avanos tecnolgicos, a cidade foi novamente demolida e reconstruda em concreto armado e metal, constituindo parte da paisagem atual. De cada um dos perodos anteriores restam poucos exemplares: algumas poucas residncias bandeiristaspreservadas e o Museu de Arte Sacra de So Paulo so os nicos resqucios da "cidade de taipa". Da mesma maneira, da "cidade de alvenaria", so preservados ainda edifcios como o da Pinacoteca do Estado.

Planejamento urbano Ver tambm: Plano de Avenidas de So Paulo

Fotografia da Avenida Paulista. So Paulo possui um histrico de aes, projetos e planos ligados ao urbanismo e ao planejamento urbano que podem ser traados at as administraes deAntnio da Silva Prado, Baro de Duprat, Washington Lus e completado por Francisco Prestes Maia. Porm, de uma forma geral, a cidade constituiu-se ao longo do sculo XX, saltando de vila metrpole, por meio de uma srie de processos informais ou irregulares de expanso urbana. Desta forma, So Paulo difere consideravelmente de cidades brasileiras como Belo Horizonte e Goinia, cuja expanso inicial seguiu determinaes de um plano e de um projeto urbano original, ou de uma cidade como Braslia, cujo plano piloto fora inteiramente desenhado previamente construo da cidade.

Por outro lado, a sucesso de loteamentos perifricos e dos processos de requalificao e reconstruo de tecidos j consagrados, comuns na cidade ao longo de sua evoluo, foi eventualmente acompanhada de planos urbansticos que tentavam ordenar segundo diretrizes de planejamento a lgica informal prpria da constituio da cidade. Se as primeiras intervenes de Prado e Teodoro possuam carter pontual, tais planos procuraram, ora setorialmente integrados e ora isolados, a definio de padres a serem seguidos na produo de novos espaos urbanos e na regulao dos anteriores. A eficcia histrica de tais planos em cumprir aquilo a que, aparentemente, se propunham, porm, tem sido apontada por alguns planejadores e historiadores diversos como questionvel. Por outro lado, outros destes mesmos estudiosos alegam que tais planos foram produzidos visando o benefcio exclusivo das camadas mais abastadas da populao, enquanto as camadas populares ficariam relegadas aos processos informais tradicionais.[142] Em So Paulo, at meados da dcada de 1950, os planos apresentados para a cidade ainda possuam um carter haussmanniano, ou seja, eram baseados na ideia de "demolir e reconstruir". Podem-se citar planos como os apresentados pelo ento prefeito Prestes Maia para o sistema virio paulistano (conhecido como Plano de Avenidas) ou o de Saturnino de Brito para as marginais do rio Tiet. Em 1968 proposto o Plano Urbanstico Bsico que se desdobraria no Plano Diretor Integrado de Desenvolvimento de So Paulo, desenvolvido durante a gesto de Figueiredo Ferraz. O principal resultado deste plano foi aquilo que ficou conhecido como lei de zoneamento e que vigorou at 2004, quando foi substituda pelo atual Plano Diretor. Naquele zoneamento, aprovado em 1972, notava-se uma clara proteo s chamadas Z1 (zonas cuja definio de uso era exclusivamente residencial e era destinada s elites da cidade) e uma certa indefinio da maior parte da cidade, classificada como Z3 (vagamente regulamentada como "zona mista" mas sem definies mais claras a respeito de suas caractersticas). Desta forma, tal zoneamento incentivou o crescimento de bairros perifricos dotados de edifcios de baixo gabarito aliados a processos deespeculao imobiliria ao mesmo tempo que valorizava regies nas quais se permitia construir edifcios altos.[143]

Panorama da Zona Central de So Paulo a partir do edifcio Altino Arantes (2006).

Mobilidade urbana e acessibilidade Ver artigo principal: Mobilidade urbana no municpio de So Paulo

Marginal Tiet, a principal via expressa da cidade. A cidade de So Paulo sofre um problema comum a outras grandes metrpoles mundiais: o grande congestionamento de carros em suas principaisvias. O transporte coletivo, no entanto, representa um papel fundamental no dia a dia da metrpole. So Paulo conta com uma imensa estrutura de linhas de nibus, com uma frota de cerca de quinze mil unidades[144] entre nibus comuns e articulados (cerca de 10 mil), trlebus (215 veculos) emicronibus (cerca de 5 mil). Em 2003, iniciou-se uma grande reformulao no sistema de transporte pblico na cidade que reduziu significativamente o grande nmero de lotaes clandestinas, que em sua maioria foram recadastradas e organizadas em cooperativas.[145] Na cidade, em mdia, existe um veculo para cada dois habitantes, totalizando mais de 6 milhes de unidades somente.
[146]

Alm disso, So Paulo possui a terceira maior frota de txis da Amrica Latina[147] e a maior frota

de helicpteros do mundo.[148] Os trens da CPTM, o Metr e o sistema de interligao entre eles completam o sistema municipal e estadual de transporte na cidade.

O sistema virio do municpio notadamente heterogneo, especialmente do ponto de vista rodovirio. A cidade cortada por duas grandes vias que tm papel estruturador, tanto na escala infraurbana quanto na metropolitana: a Marginal Tiet e a Marginal Pinheiros. Estas duas "artrias" so consideradas as principais vias estruturais (ou vias expressas) do municpio, sendo que, a elas, conectam-se diversas rodovias estaduais e federais, dentre as quais a Anchieta, Anhanguera, Raposo Tavares, Dutra (acesso ao Vale do Paraba e ao Rio de Janeiro), Ferno Dias (acesso a Belo Horizonte), Imigrantes (acesso Praia Grande), Bandeirantes (acesso regio de Campinas), Castelo Branco e Ayrton Senna (acesso Guararema). Est em construo o Rodoanel Mrio Covas, que permitir o acesso a vrios municpios da regio metropolitana de So Paulo.[149] Com uma frota de 5 392 692 veculos em 2007,[150] estima-se que So Paulo alcanou uma taxa de motorizao de 0,454 veculos por habitante, o que corresponde aproximadamente a um veculo para cada dois habitantes. A taxa mdia no Brasil de 0,24, o que coloca So Paulo entre os municpios com maior nvel de motorizao do pas, superado s por alguns como So Caetano do Sul (0,739), Curitiba (0,545) e Goinia (0,512).[151] O congestionamento de veculos na cidade recorrente, principalmente, mas no restrito, aos horrios de pico. Desde 1996, a prefeitura adota medidas paleativas para amenizar os problemas causados pelo trnsito, como a adoo do Rodzio Municipal, a restrio de estacionamentos (Zona Azul) e de circulao de caminhes e veculos de carga. O recorde de congestionamento da cidade foi o de 266 km, em maro de 2008.[152] Hoje, como medidas para solucionar o problema do trnsito, investe-se a ampliao do metr, na construo de mais corredores de nibus, no alargamento da Marginal Tiet e na construo do Rodoanel Metropolitano e existem estudos para uma futura implementao de pedgio urbano. Em relao ao transporte areo a cidade possui dois principais aeroportos: Aeroporto de Congonhas/So Paulo[153], que serve voos domesticos e o Aeroporto Internacional de So Paulo-Guarulhos[154], locializado na municpio de Guarulhos, que serve voos domesticos e internacionais, sendo um dos principais aeroportos internacionais do Brasil, alm destes aeroportos possui oAeroporto Campo de Marte[155] que serve para helicopteros e avies de pequeno porte, todos estes aeroportos so operados pela estatal Infraero. Transporte pblico Ver artigo principal: Metr de So Paulo, CPTM e EMTU

Terminal Rodovirio Tiet, o segundo maior terminal rodovirio do mundo.[156] Os sistemas de transporte pblico tambm apresentam certa heterogeneidade e, eventualmente, alguma contraditoriedade. So comuns crticas ao sistema no sentido de que os vrios sistemas que o compem no respondem a uma mesma autoridade de planejamento, o que resultaria em situaes paradoxais e duplicao de esforos. Tal fato se deve, primariamente, pelo fato de os dois principais meios de transporte pblico (o metr e os nibus) serem administrados por esferas diferentes: o Metr de So Paulo, a CPTM e a Empresa Metropolitana de Transportes Urbanos de So Paulo, so empresas cujo scio principal o Estado de So Paulo, enquanto o sistema de nibus municipais (composto por diversas empresas particulares) responde SPTrans, entidade municipal. Na zona norte da cidade encontra-se o Terminal Rodovirio Tiet, o segundo maior do mundo,[156] que possui linhas de nibus para diversos municpios paulistas e para muitos outros estados do pas, alm de linhas para outros pases sulamericanos, como Chile, Argentina, Paraguai, Uruguai e Peru.[157][158] integrado estao do metr de mesmo nome.
[159]

Existem tambm outros terminais rodovirios, como o Terminal Intermodal da Barra Funda (zona oeste), com destinos

para outros estados brasileiros, e o Terminal Intermunicipal Jabaquara (zona sul), com linhas de nibus para vrias cidades do litoral paulista.[157]

A malha metroferroviria da cidade tem 322 quilmetros de extenso, sendo 69 quilmetros de linhas administradas de metr (34,6 quilmetros inteiramente subterrneo), com 5 linhas em operao e 55 estaes de embarque,[160] e 261 quilmetros de linhas administradas pela Companhia Paulista de Trens Metropolitanos (CPTM). A CPTM e o Metr transportam em mdia 5,9 milhes de pessoaspor dia,[161] e algumas linhas subterrneas que esto sendo construdas vo adicionar ainda mais passageiros ao sistema dentro dos prximos cinco anos. Segundo dados da administrao atual espera-se expandir o sistema de trens urbanos de So Paulo dos atuais 322 quilmetros para mais de 500 quilmetros nos prximos 10 anos.[162] O The Metros, principal premiao do setor metrovirio no mundo, fez uma conferncia no dia 23 de maro de 2010, no Reino Unido, que analisou os 70 maiores metropolitanos do mundo, que deu resultado como o de So Paulo o melhor metr das Amricas, superando a dos EUA, Canad e Mxico.[163]

Trem modelo TUE CAF 7000 da Companhia Paulista de Trens Metropolitanos. Trem do Metr de So Paulo. nibus articulado noExpresso Tiradentes. Interior da estaometro-ferroviria da Luz.

Infraestrutura urbana

Infraestrutura um conjunto de elementos essenciais para o desenvolvimento de qualquer cidade. Redes bem estruturadas de gua, esgoto, eletricidade,drenagem, comunicao e transporte so imprescindveis para a melhora na qualidade de vida da populao de um municpio. Em cidades de grande porte, distribuir esses recursos a toda populao um enorme desafio. A cidade de So Paulo vem conseguindo grandes avanos, aumentando a rea de cobertura de suas redes de esgoto e gua, mas uma parte da populao, especificamente a de baixa renda, ainda no conta com recursos bsicos de infraestrutura. Desde o comeo do sculo XX, So Paulo o principal centro econmico da Amrica Latina. Com a primeira e a segunda guerras mundiais e a Grande Depresso, as exportaes do caf aos Estados Unidos e Europa foram fortemente afetadas, forando os ricos cafeicultores a investir nas atividadesindustriais que transformariam So Paulo no maior centro industrial do Brasil. As novas vagas de trabalho contriburam para atrair um nmero significativo deimigrantes (sobretudo da Itlia) e de migrantes, especialmente dos estados do Nordeste. De uma populao de apenas 32 mil pessoas em 1880, So Paulo passa a ter 8,5 milhes de habitantes em 1980. O rpido crescimento demogrfico trouxe como consequncia inmeros problemas para a cidade. So Paulo praticamente toda servida pela rede de abastecimento de gua potvel.[165] A cidade consome uma mdia de 221 litros de gua/habitante/dia enquanto a ONU recomenda o consumo de 110 litros/dia. A perda de gua de 30,8%.
[166] [165]

No entanto entre 11 a 12,8% das residncias no possui rede de esgoto, depositando dejetos em fossas e valas. Sessenta por cento do esgoto coletado tratado.[166] Segundo dados do IBGE e da Eletropaulo a rede eltrica atende

quase 100% das residncias. A rede de telefonia fixa ainda precria, com cobertura de 67,2%.[165] A coleta de lixo domiciliar cobre todas as regies do municpio mas ainda insuficiente, atingindo cerca de 94% da demanda, em distritos como Parelheiros e Perus.[165] Cerca de 80% do lixo produzido diariamente pelos paulistanos exportado para outras

cidades, comoCaieiras e Guarulhos.[167] A reciclagem atinge cerca de 1% das 15 mil toneladas de lixo produzidas diariamente.[167] Educao e cincia Ver artigo principal: Educao na cidade de So Paulo

Cidade Universitria Armando de Salles Oliveira (USP), com os edifcios da FAUUSPe da FEAUSP em destaque. A cidade de So Paulo tem um sistema de ensino primrio e secundrio, pblico e privado, e uma variedade de profissionais de escolas tcnicas. Com 2 725estabelecimentos de ensino fundamental, 2 998 unidades pr-escolares, 1 199 escolas de nvel mdio e 146 instituies de nvel superior, a rede de ensinoda cidade a mais extensa do pas.
[168]

Ao total, so 2 850 133 matrculas e 153 284 docentes registrados.[168]

O fator "educao" do IDH no municpio atingiu em 2000 a marca de 0,919 patamar consideravelmente elevado, em conformidade aos padres do Programa das Naes Unidas para o Desenvolvimento (PNUD)[8] ao passo que a taxa de analfabetismo indicada pelo ltimo censo demogrfico do IBGE foi de 4,9%, superior apenas porcentagem verificada nas cidades de Curitiba, Porto Alegre, Florianpolis, Rio de Janeiro, Vitria e Belo Horizonte.[83][84] Tomando-se por base o relatrio do ndice de Desenvolvimento da Educao Bsica (IDEB) de 2007, So Paulo obteve a nona colocao entre as capitais brasileiras[85] e o 1 903 lugar no ranking geral dos municpios.[169] Na classificao geral do Exame Nacional do Ensino Mdio (ENEM) de 2007, trsescolas da cidade figuraram entre as 20 melhores do ranking, sendo os colgios Vrtice, Bandeirantes e Mbile os respectivos terceiro, dcimo quarto e vigsimo colocados.
[86]

Contudo e em consonncia aos grandes contrastes verificados na metrpole , em algumas regies perifricas e

empobrecidas, oaparato educacional pblico de nvel mdio e fundamental ainda deficitrio, dada a escassez relativa de escolas ou recursos. Nesses locais, a violnciacostuma impor certas barreiras ao aproveitamento escolar, constituindo-se em uma das causas preponderantes evaso ou ao aprendizado carencial.[87] Contemplado por expressivo nmero de renomadas instituies de ensino e centros de excelncia, So Paulo o maior polo de pesquisa e desenvolvimento do Brasil, responsvel por 28% da produo cientfica nacional segundo dados de 2005.[16][170] No cenrio atual, destacam-se importantes universidades pblicas e privadas, muitas delas consideradas centros de referncia em determinadas reas. Ficheiro:Instituto butantan ciete silverio.jpg Laboratrio de influenza do Instituto Butantan. Entre as muitas instituies de ensino superior, podem-se destacar o Instituto Federal de So Paulo (IFSP),
[171]

a Universidade Federal de So Paulo (UNIFESP),[172] a Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP)[173] e a Universidade

de So Paulo (USP),[170] criada em 1934, quando incorporou a histrica Faculdade de Direito de So Paulo, no Largo de So Francisco. Entre as universidades pblicas, a USP aquela com o maior nmero de vagas de graduao e de psgraduao no Brasil, sendo responsvel tambm pela formao do maior nmero de mestres e doutores do mundo,
[174] [175]

bem como responsvel por metade de toda a produo cientfica do estado de So Paulo e mais de 25% da brasileira. Como o Brasil responsvel por cerca de 2% da produo mundial, pode-se dizer que a USP responsvel por 0,5%

das pesquisas do mundo.[174] Instituies filiadas universidade incluem o Instituto Butantan, plo de pesquisa biomdica fundado em 1901, e atualmente vinculado Secretaria de Sade de So Paulo, fabrica antgenos e vacinas diversos, e o maior produtor nacional de soros antiofdicos.[176] Centro de renome internacional em pesquisa cientfica de animais peonhentos, conta com 14 laboratrios e um ncleo de biotecnologia.[177] O municpio tambm possui universidades particulares de grande reputao nacional e internacional, como a Pontifcia Universidade Catlica de So Paulo (PUC-SP)[178] e a Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie,[179] alm de diversos institutos de ensino superior e pesquisa em reas especficas, entre os quais podem ser destacados a Fundao

Armando lvares Penteado (FAAP)(engenharia, artes e cincias humanas),[180] a Fundao Getlio Vargas (FGV) (administrao e direito)[181] e a Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing (ESPM).[182]

Cultura Ver artigo principal: Cultura da cidade de So Paulo

Virada Cultural de 2010.

Auditrio Ibirapuera. So Paulo considerada plo cultural no Brasil, tendo-se consolidado como local de origem de toda uma srie de movimentos artsticos e estticos ao longo da histria do sculo XX. Apesar de tradicionalmente rivalizar com o Rio de Janeiro o status de sede das principais instituies culturais do pas, em So Paulo que existe o maior mercado para a cultura, tendo hoje se consolidado como uma das principais capitais culturais do Brasil e da Amrica Latina.[183] A cultura da cidade de So Paulo foi largamente influencidada pelos diversos grupos de imigrantes que ali se estabeleceram, principalmente italianos. So Paulo possui uma ampla rede de teatros, casas de show e espetculo, bares e grandes eventos culturais como a Bienal de So Paulo e a Virada Cultural. Instituies de ensino, museus e galerias de arte no raro empregam superlativos em suas descries (sedia, por exemplo, a maior universidade pblica do pas - a Universidade de So Paulo - a maior universidade privada - a Universidade Paulista - e a maior casa de espetculos do pas, o Credicard Hall). Na cidade, so celebrados festivais relacionados aos grupos de imigrantes, com os Matsuri (festivais de cultura japonesa). Destes, destacam-se: o Tanabata Matsuri[184] (, "Festival do Tanabata"), relacionado comemorao do Tanabata, e realizado desde 1979[185], o Nikkey Matsuri[186] (, "Festival do Nikkey"), o Mochitsuki Matsuri[187] (, "Festa do Mochi Batido") e o Bunka Matsuri[188] (, "Festival da Cultura"). Artes cnicas Episdios relevantes na histria das artes cnicas no Brasil aconteceram na cidade de So Paulo. Verifica-se na cidade tanto um cenrio de teatro de vanguarda como de um teatro tradicional. Trs instituies revelaram-se importantes na cidade, ao longo do sculo XX: primeiramente o Teatro Brasileiro de Comdia (TBC), depois o Teatro de Arena e finalmente o Teatro Oficina. Literatura A literatura na cidade de So Paulo comea com a chegada dos missionrios da Companhia de Jesus, cujos membros so conhecidos como jesutas, no incio do sculo XVI. Eles escreveram relatrios coroa portuguesa sobre as terras recm-encontradas e sobre os povos nativos, compondo poesias emsicas para o catecismo. Os padres jesutas Manuel da Nbrega e Jos de Anchieta so considerados os fundadores da capital paulista.

Biblioteca Mrio de Andrade.

Durante o sculo XIX a cidade teve grandes nomes da literatura como o escritor lvares de Azevedo, representante da fase ultrarromntica do Romantismo. Porm, os escritores paulistanos s atingem independncia cultural e projeo nacional no incio do sculo XX, com o movimento modernista brasileiro, principalmente aps a realizao da Semana de Arte Moderna em 1922.[189] Durante o perodo modernista surgiram importantes escritores da literatura brasileira como Mrio de Andrade e Oswald de Andrade, responsveis pela introduo do modernismo no Brasil e produtores de uma extensa e importante obra literria, dramatrgica e crtica para a cultura brasileira.[190] Com o poema urbano "Pauliceia desvairada", Mrio de Andrade estabeleceu o movimento modernista no Brasil.[191] O romance Macunama, com a sua abundncia de folclore brasileiro, representa o pice da prosa nacionalista no modernismo atravs da criao de um anti-heri nacional. A poesia experimental de Oswald de Andrade, a prosa de vanguarda, em especial o romance "Serafim Ponte Grande" (1933), e manifestos provocativos que exemplificavam a quebrar do movimento com a tradio.[192] Artistas e escritores modernistas escolheram o Teatro Municipal de So Paulo para lanar seu manifesto modernista. O local passou a ser um bastio da cultura europeia com a pera e apresentaes de msica clssica trazidas da Alemanha, Frana, ustria e Itlia. Foi importante para eles escolher o Teatro Municipal como ponto de partida, porque a alta sociedade que frequentava o local negavam suas razes brasileiras por falar lnguas como o francs apenas na casa de pera. Alm disso, os frequentadores se comportavam como se o resto do Brasil, e a prpria cultura brasileira, no importasse ou no existisse. Ambos os autores foram influentes escritores da escola modernista: Mrio de Andrade e Oswald de Andrade. Museus

O Museu Paulista. Ver pgina anexa: Museus da cidade de So Paulo

Por ter feito parte da histria poltica e econmica do Brasil, So Paulo praticamente um museu a cu aberto, com bairros e edifcios de incalculvel valor histrico. A cidade possui uma enorme variedade de museus e galerias de arte, que possuem acervos dos mais variados estilos, da arte sacra a moderna, alm de curiosidades sobre cincia, poltica, religio, entre outros temas. Entre os museus mais famosos da cidade esto Museu de Arte de So Paulo(MASP), o Museu do Ipiranga, o Museu de Arte Sacra, o Museu da Lngua Portuguesa, a Pinacoteca do Estado de So Paulo, entre outras instituies de renome. Tambm abriga um dos cinco maiores parques zoolgicos do mundo, o Parque Zoolgico de So Paulo.[193]

Msica

Sala So Paulo, localizada na Estao Jlio Prestes, a maior sala de concertos dacidade.

Teatro Municipal de So Paulo.

A cidade tem uma cena musical fervilhante, com diversas vertentes musicais sendo representadas. No samba, a cidade possui nomes de renome como Adoniran Barbosa, cujos sucessos mais lembrados so Saudosa Maloca eTrem das Onze, e os Demnios da Garoa, grupo de samba da dcada de 1940 ainda em atividade considerado o "Conjunto Vocal Mais Antigo do Brasil em Atividade".[194] O municpio foi o bero de vrias bandas de rock nas dcadas de 1960, 1970 e 1980, como os Os Mutantes, uma banda de rock psicodlico que liderou o caminho no cenrio musical da msica experimental, cujo sucesso por vezes relacionado com o de outros msicos da Tropiclia, mas com um estilo musical e ideias prprias. No final do governo militar no incio dos anos 1980 a banda Ultraje a Rigor surgiu na cidade. Eles jogaram um estilo simples e irreverente do rock. As letras representavam as mudanas na sociedade e na cultura que no apenas So Paulo, mas em toda a sociedade brasileira. As cenas ps-punk e garagem tornaram-se fortes na dcada de 1980, talvez associada com o cenrio sombrio de desemprego e de poucas perspectivas reais do ponto de vista da juventude da poca. Exemplos de bandas provenientes deste movimento incluem Ira!, Tits, Ratos de Poro e Innocentes. Nadcada de 1990, drum & bass tornou-se um outro movimento musical em So Paulo, com artistas como DJ Marky, DJ Patife, XRS, Drumagick e Fernanda Porto.[195] Muitas bandas de heavy metal tambm se originaram na cidade, como Angra, Torture Squad, Korzus e Dr. Sin. Muitas culturas "alternativas" de So Paulo se misturam em um pequeno shopping apelidado de Galeria do Rock, que inclui lojas que atendem a uma ampla gama de nichos alternativos. Em 2011, foi confirmada a verso brasileira do festival Lollapalooza, que ser sediada no Jockey Club paulistano nos dias 7 e 8 de abril de 2012.[196][197] Por seu aspecto urbano, a cidade cada vez mais se renova musicalmente, aceitando os diversos ritmos musicais oriundos de todas as partes do pas. So Paulo tambm um dos principais centros de msica erudita do Brasil, sendo local de nascimento de compositores internacionalmente reconhecidos comoOsvaldo Lacerda e Amaral Vieira, e palco durante o ano todo de apresentaes de concertos e peras em suas diversas salas, como a Sala So Paulo, oTeatro Municipal de So Paulo (palco da Semana de Arte Moderna de 1922, considerada marco de incio da arte moderna no Brasil), o Teatro So Pedro e o Teatro Alfa. A Orquestra Sinfnica do Estado de So Paulo (Osesp) considerada o melhor conjunto sinfnico da Amrica Latina.[198] A cidade tambm muito influente no movimento hip-hop (break, grafite e rap), sendo que, no Brasil, os maiores expoentes dessa vertente cultural esto em So Paulo e seu entorno. Tambm forte a presena da msica eletrnica, com diversas raves e festas, como o Skol Beats, Nokia Trends, Spirit of London, entre outras. Esportes

Grande Prmio do Brasil de 2007 noAutdromo de Interlagos. A cidade sedia eventos esportivos de importncia nacional e internacional, como o Grande Prmio do Brasil de Frmula 1, realizado no Autdromo de Interlagos, o So Paulo Indy 300, evento que faz parte da IndyCar Series e realizado no Circuito Anhembi,[199][200] e o Aberto de So Paulo de Tnis, realizado no Complexo de Tnis do Parque Villa-Lobos. Tambm realiza-se na cidade a tradicional Corrida de So Silvestre, prova pedestre disputada desde1925, todo dia 31 de dezembro, pelas ruas do centro. Entre as corridas de rua tradicionais, destacam-se, tambm, as provas So Paulo Classic, com cerca de 12 mil participantes[201] e Run Amricas com 25 mil participantes[202] em So Paulo num evento que acontece simultaneamente em diversas cidades daAmrica Latina: So Paulo, Lima, Caracas, Bogot, Cidade do Mxico, Santiago e Buenos Aires num evento que no total rene 120 mil pessoas nessas 9cidades. So Paulo foi sede de Jogos Pan-Americanos de 1963, uma das sedes do Mundial Interclubes de 2000 e recebeu jogos da Copa do Mundo FIFA de 1950. Tambm foi sede do Campeonato Mundial de Basquetebol

Feminino da FIBA em 1983 e 2006, de Vlei Feminino em 1994, de uma das etapas do Concurso Mundial de Saltos da FEI (Federao Equestre Internacional) em 2007 e ser cidade-sede dos jogos da Copa do Mundo FIFA de 2014.

Fotografia area do Jockey Club de So Paulo. A cidade conta tambm com um Jockey Club, onde a primeira corrida aconteceu em 29 de outubro de 1876, no Hipdromo da Mooca, na rua Bresser. Com dois cavalos inscritos na primeira corrida, Macaco e Republicano, inauguraram as raias instaladas nas colinas da Mooca. Republicano era o favorito, mas Macaco levou o Primeiro Prmio da Provncia. O municpio sede de trs grandes clubes brasileiros de futebol: Corinthians, Palmeiras (fundado por italianos) e So Paulo FC. Alm do chamado "Trio de Ferro", ainda conta com outras agremiaes futebolsticas, como a Portuguesa de Desportos, o Juventus e o Nacional. A cidade conta com quatro grandes estdios:

[203]

Morumbi, do So Paulo FC, o maior estdio de futebol de So Paulo, com capacidade para 73 501 pessoas;[203] Pacaembu, estdio municipal, onde jogam todos times paulistas, com destaque para o Corinthians, com

capacidade para cerca de 37 mil pessoas;[203] Estdio Universitrio, da USP, com capacidade para cerca de 30 mil pessoas;[203] Estdio Palestra Itlia, da S.E. Palmeiras com capacidade para 28 599 pessoas e que passa atualmente por

reforma para ampliao;[203] Estdio do Canind, da Portuguesa de Desportos, beira do rio Tiet, com capacidade para 19 717 pessoas.

Novo estdio do Sport Club Corinthians Paulista (em construo) do Corinthians Paulista, localizado em

Itaquera, zona leste da cidade, com capacidade planejada para 48 mil pessoas[204] Alm destes, conta com estdio menores como o Estdio Conde Rodolfo Crespi - popularmente conhecido como Estdio da Rua Javari - (do Clube Atltico Juventus), o Estdio Nicolau Alayon (doNacional) e o Parque So Jorge (do Corinthians). Conta tambm com diversos ginsios de Vlei e Basquete (Ibirapuera, Esporte Clube Pinheiros, Clube Hebraica e Paulistano), quadras de tnis, e muitas outras arenas esportivas, como o Estdio do Ibirapuera, destinado ao atletismo.

Panorama do interior do Estdio do Pacaembu.

Panorama do interior do Estdio do Morumbi.

So Paulo So Paulo (Portuguese pronunciation: [sw pawlu] ( listen), English: / palo/ Saint Paul;) is the largest city sa

in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the So Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among the five largest metropolitan areas on the planet.[3] So Paulo is

the capital of the state of So Paulo, which is the most populous Brazilian state, and exerts strong regional influence in commerce and finance as well as arts and entertainment. So Paulo maintains strong international influence and is considered an Alpha World City.[4] The name of the city honors Saint Paul. The metropolis has significant cultural, economic and political influence both nationally and internationally. It houses several important monuments, parks and museums such as the Latin American Memorial, the Museum of the Portuguese Language, So Paulo Museum of Art and the Ibirapuera Park. The Paulista Avenue is the most important financial center of So Paulo. The city holds many high profile events, like the So Paulo Art Biennial, the Brazil Grand Prix Formula 1 Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo Fashion Week, ATP Brasil Open, and the So Paulo Indy 300. It is home to the So Paulo Stock Exchange, the Future Markets, and the Cereal Market Stock Exchanges (the second largest stock exchange in the World, in market value).[5] So Paulo has been home to several of the tallest buildings in Brazil, including the building Mirante do Vale, Italia, Altino Arantes, North Tower of the UNSCOM (United Nations Centre Enterprise) and many others. People from the city of So Paulo are known as paulistanos, while paulistas designates anyone from the whole of So Paulo state, including thepaulistanos. The city's Latin motto, which it has shared with the battleship and the aircraft carrier named after it, is Non dvcor, dvco, which translates as "I am not led, I lead."[6] The city, which is also colloquially known as "Sampa" or "Cidade da Garoa" (city of drizzle), is also known for its unreliable weather, the size of its helicopter fleet, its architecture, gastronomy, severe traffic congestion, and multitude of skyscrapers.[7] [edit]History

Monument to Independence in Independence Park, located at the place where the independence of Brazil was proclaimed. The first coastal settlement in Brazil, So Vicente was founded in 1532.[8] It was the first permanent Portuguese colony in the New World.[8] Twenty two years later the Tibiri Chief and Jesuit missionaries Manuel da Nbrega and Jos de Anchieta founded the village of So Paulo dos Campos de Piratininga68 kilometres (42 mi) inland from So Vicente, on January 25, 1554.[8] The clergymen established a mission at the Colgio de So Paulo de Piratininga, aimed at converting the TupiGuarani indigenous Brazilians to the Catholic faith, as well as make it easier for the Portuguese crown to rule them. Anchieta is said to have killed a native, which brings a degree of protest from Indian rights groups against his canonization by the Vatican. The Jesuits were later also often at odds with the Portuguese authorities, mainly the Marqus de Pombal, who eventually expelled them from Brazil for protecting converted natives in their missions. Located just beyond the Serra do Mar cliffs, above the port city of Santos, and close to the Tiet River, the new settlement became the natural entrance

from the South East coast to the vast and fertile high plateau to the West that would eventually become the richest Brazilian state.

So Paulo central square. So Paulo officially became a city in 1711. In the 19th century, it experienced economic prosperity brought about through coffee exports shipped from the neighboring city of Santos. After the abolition of slavery in 1888, waves of immigrants from Portugal, Italy, Spain and other European countries emigrated to So Paulo in order to "bleach the race," as Luso-Brazilian authorities feared Brazil's black population would grow far more than other groups. These Europeans were granted lands as incentives to immigrate and some worked in an indentured fashion at coffee plantations. Newcomers and their descendants ended up "making the America," as they said in Italian and Portuguese, and some of Brazil's greatest entrepreneurs have Italian, Portuguese, and German last names such as Mattarazzo, Diniz, and Mueller.

The Martinelli Building, a symbol of So Paulo's iconic early 20th century architecture. By the beginning of the 20th century, the coffee cycle had plummeted due to, among other factors, a sharp decline in international coffee prices. With the Wall Street Crash of 1929, coffee barons started losing their influence and status. The Paulistan economy looked for other alternatives such as sugar cane and the production of alcohol. With the difficulties brought about by World War II, when industrialized items had difficultly reaching Brazil, and following the national incipient trend of import-substitution, So Paulo began industrializing for domestic consumption. Brazil already showed a pattern of huge importation of most fashionable and manufactured products from Europe, which was maintained well into the late 20th century, and created huge trade deficits despite substantial coffee and sugar exports.

Correios Palace. Local entrepreneurs then started investing in the industrial development of So Paulo, attracting new contingents of immigrants to the city, mainly Italians. In addition to Europeans, Japanese and Syrian and Lebanese immigrants arrived in large numbers in the first half of the 20th century. Along the 20th century, the booming economy of the city also attracted huge waves of migrants from the poorest regions in Brazil, such as the Northeast. So Paulo maintained a high economic growth rate through the 1920s, driven by interrelated streams of immigration, rapid industrialization, and investment. In the early 1920s the Sampaio Moreira Building reached an unprecedented 14 stories,

and by the end of the decade the Martinelli Building attained more than twice that height. Growing fleets of automobiles and diesel buses allowed hordes of service workers to commute from their outlying homes to jobs in the city center. However, due to competition with many other Brazilian cities, which sometimes offer tax advantages for companies to locate manufacturing plants there, So Paulo's main economic activities have gradually left its industrial profile in favour of the services industry in the late 20th century. The city is home to a large number of local and international banking offices, law firms, multinational companies and consumer services.

So Joo avenue, one of So Paulo's most important commercial centers.

Early twentieth century pedestrian bridge in central So Paulo. Although a modern face had emerged in So Paulo's better areas by the 1930s, larger portions were basically unchanged. So Paulo had lacked any city plan before 1889, and no zoning law was passed until 1972. Indeed, well into the 20th century much of the city retained a colonial aspect, with narrow unpaved streets, shabby buildings, and a few old churches of Jesuit and Franciscan styles. In 1924 the city was bombed during the Tenente revolts. Between 1920 and 1940 the population more than doubled, reaching 1.3 million. Although Rio de Janeiro had itself grown spectacularly during this period, So Paulo trailed it by only 460,000 inhabitants and would leapfrog ahead within two decades. During 193945 the engineer-mayor Francisco Prestes Maia built the multilane Avenida 9 de Julho and widened numerous other streets despite resistance from displaced residents. By 1947 the new star of So Paulo's skyline was the So Paulo State Bank building, and, starting with the Mrio de Andrade Municipal Library, the city's architecture moved beyond the short period of Art Deco design. By 1950 So Paulo had grown to a metropolis of 2.2 million compared to Rio's 2.4 million, but a decade later So Paulo led with 3.7 million to Rio's 3.3 million, thus solidifying its reputation as one of the world's most dynamic urban centres.

Skyscrapers in the Berrini region. Famed architect Oscar Niemeyer was lured from Rio to design the sinuous curves of the Copan Building, and the Itlia Building became its towering neighbour. The highly imaginative So Paulo Art Museum (begun in 1956 and completed in 1968) was built over the juncture of Avenida 9 de Julho and eight-lane Avenida Paulista.

Bridge lit up in the financial center of Sao Paulo In the 1960s So Paulo came to include almost half of the population of the State of So Paulo (Brazil's most populous state) and to account for about one-third of the country's total industrial employment. Because automobiles were becoming a So Paulo family staple, expressways were built along the canalized Tiet and Pinheiros rivers in 1967, and the Bandeirantes expressway provided access to the city center. Highway expansion continues to be an ongoing process because the roads running alongside the rivers are among the heaviest used in the country. However, no amount of highway construction and street widening could more than briefly alleviate the intolerable traffic congestion. Construction of a subway system was begun in the late 1960s in hopes of improving the situation, and new subway lines continue to be expanded and added and enhanced. Despite its many woes, So Paulo remains a business hub of Latin America. Having prospered first with the coffee industry, and later with industrialization, in the early 21st century it expanded into the tertiary, or services sector. Its huge market (about 20 million people in greater So Paulo) is a magnet formultinational corporations. Thanks to events such as the Feira Bienal Internacional de Arte, and its reputation for hosting cutting-edge music concerts, it has become something of a cultural center as well. Economic growth and exportation of goods has lifted employment and wages. The murder rate has dropped by almost a quarter since its peak. The historic center profited with the return of the city's government and the arrival of private universities, although businesses continue to move out to new boom neighborhoods such as Itaim and Berrini. So Paulo also claims to attract more visitors (mostly, but no longer exclusively, on business) than Rio de Janeiro, testimony of the intense rivalry between the two metropolises. [edit]Geography [edit]Physical setting

Pico do Jaragu Mountain is the highest point in the city, at 1,135 metres (3,724 ft).[9] So Paulo is located in Southeastern Brazil, in southeastern So Paulo State, approximately halfway between Curitiba (Capital of Paran State, previously part of So Paulo State) and Rio de Janeiro (former capital of Brazil and now capital of the State which bears the same name). The city is located on aplateau located within the Serra do Mar (Portuguese for "Sea Range"), itself a component of the vast region known as the Brazilian Highlands, with an average elevation of around 799 metres (2,621 ft) above sea level, although being at a distance of only about 70 kilometres (43 mi) from the Atlantic Ocean. This distance is covered by two highways, the Anchieta and the Imigrantes, (see "Transportation" section below) that roll down the range, leading to the port city ofSantos and the beach resort of Guaruj. Rolling terrain prevails within the urbanized areas of So Paulo except in the northern area of the city, where

theSerra da Cantareira Range boasts higher elevations and a sizable remnant of the Atlantic Rain Forest. The entire region is very stable tectonically, and no significant seismic activity has ever been recorded. See also: Water management in the Metropolitan Region of So Paulo The Tiet River, and its tributary, the Pinheiros River, were once important sources of fresh water and leisure for So Paulo. However, heavy industrial effluentsand wastewater discharges in the later 20th century caused the rivers to become heavily polluted. A substantial clean-up program for both rivers is underway, financed through a partnership between local government and international development banks such as the Japan Bank for International Cooperation.
[10]

Neither river is navigable in the stretch that flows through the city, although water transportation becomes increasingly

important on the Tiet river further downstream (towards South, near river Paran), as the river is part of the River Plate basin. There are no large natural lakes in the region, but the Billings and Guarapiranga reservoirs in the southern outskirts of the city are used for power generation, water storage, and leisure activities, such as sailing. The original flora consisted mainly of a great variety of broadleaf evergreens. Today, non-native species are common, as the mild climate and abundant rainfall permit a multitude of tropical, subtropical and temperate plants to be cultivated, with eucalyptus being especially ubiquitous. [edit]Climate

Lightning during a storm in Lapa. The city has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Cfa), according to the Kppen classification.[11] In summer, mean temperatures are between17 C (63 F) and 28 C (82 F), and 32 C (90 F) on the hottest days. In winter, are between 11 C (52 F) and 23 C (73 F), and 6 C (43 F). on the coldest days. The highest temperature recorded was 35.3 C (95.5 F) on November 15, 1985.[12] and the lowest recorded was 2 C (28 F) on August 2, 1955, and on the same day 3.8 C (25.2 F) was recorded unofficially. The average temperatures throughout the year are similar to those of Sydney and Los Angeles. The Tropic of Capricorn, at about 2327' S, passes through north of So Paulo and roughly marks the boundary between the tropical and temperateareas of South America. Because of its elevation, however, So Paulo enjoys a distinctly temperate climate.[13] Rainfall is abundant, amounting to an annual average of 1,454 millimetres (57.2 in).[14] It is especially common in the warmer months average of 219 millimetres (8.6 in), and decreases in winter, average of 47 millimetres (1.9 in). Neither So Paulo nor the nearby coast has ever been hit by a tropical cyclone, and tornadic activity is uncommon. Snow flurries were reported officially only once, on June 25, 1918. During late winter, especially August, the city experiences the phenomenon known as "veranico" or "verozinho" ("little summer"), which consists of a bout of unusually hot and dry weather, sometimes reaching temperatures well above 28 C (82 F). On the other hand, relatively cool days during summer are fairly common when persistent winds blow from the ocean. On such occasions daily high temperatures may not surpass 20 C (68 F), accompanied by lows often below 15 C (59 F).

[edit]Law and government See also: List of Mayors of So Paulo

Matarazzo Building is headquarters of So Paulo City Hall.

Subdivisions of the city of So Paulo. So Paulo's most recent mayors were:

Mayor

Entry in Left Office in Political Party

Gilberto Kassab 2006

Democratas

Jos Serra

2005

2006

PSDB

Marta Suplicy

2001

2004

PT

Celso Pitta

1997

2000

PPB, later PTN

Paulo Maluf

1993

1996

PPB (PP)

Luiza Erundina 1989

1992

PT

Jnio Quadros

1986

1988

PTB

Mrio Covas

1983

1985

PMDB

[edit]Metropolitan region Main article: Greater So Paulo

Satellite view of Greater So Paulo. The nonspecific term "Grande So Paulo" ("Greater So Paulo") denotes any of So Paulo's metropolitan area definitions. The legally defined Regio Metropolitana de So Paulo consists of 39 municipalities in total, and a population of 19,889,559[18] inhabitants (as of 2010 National Census). Because So Paulo is sprawling like Los Angeles, it has another definition for its metropolitan area. Analogous to the US's CSA (Combined Statistical Area) type definition of metropolitan area, it is the third largest city in the world with 27 million inhabitants (Complexo Metropolitano Expandido),[19] behind Tokyo and Jakarta, which includes 2 contiguous legally defined metropolitan regions, and 3 microregions. [edit]Subdivisions Main article: Subdivisions of the City of So Paulo The city of So Paulo is divided into 31 subprefectures (subprefeituras), each in turn divided into 96 districts. Locally, districts may contain one or more neighborhoods (bairros).[20][21] The subprefectures are officially grouped into nine regions (or "zones"), taking into account their geographical position and history of occupation. These regions are used only in technical and governmental agencies and are not identified by any visual communication in the city. There is also a geographic radial division established in 2007 by the mayor Gilberto Kassab. These geographical areas (historical downtown, extended downtown, north, south, east, west, northeast, northwest, southeast and southwest) are each identified with a distinct color in the buses and in the street plaques. These have no relationship with the subprefectures and districts, and, in some cases, the same district may be in two or more geographic regions. [edit]Demographics Main articles: Demographics of So Paulo and Demographics of Brazil

Italian immigrants arriving in So Paulo. The largest ethnic group of the city.

Promotion to Italian diaspora to So Paulo in 1886.

Arab influence in the city of So Paulo.

The Japanese-speaking community of So Paulo used to live mostly in theLiberdade neighbourhood. According to the 2010 IBGE Census, there were 10,659,386 people residing in the city of So Paulo.[22] The census revealed the following numbers: 6,824,668 White people (60.6%), 3,433,218 Brown (Multiracial) people (30.5%), 736,083 Black people (6.5%), 246,244 Asian people (2.2%), 21,318Amerindian people (0.2%).[23] In 2010, the city of So Paulo was the most populous city in Brazil and in South America.[24] In 2010, the city had 2,146,077 opposite-sex couples and 7,532 same-sex couples. The population of So Paulo was 52.6% female and 47.4% male.[23] So Paulo is the most ethnically diverse city in Brazil.[25] At the end of the traffic of enslaved Africans in the country (1850), So Paulo started to replace the African manpower with immigrants in the coffee plantations. The pioneer in this new project was senator Nicolau Vergueiro, who brought many German, Swissand Portuguese immigrants to work in his own properties. The next waves of immigrants contained Italians and Portuguese from the mid-19th century until the turn of the century. These were far more adaptable to coffee cultivation and became over time the largest immigrant communities in the state of So Paulo.[26] After the abolition of slavery (1888), So Paulo received increasingly large numbers of European immigrants, most of them coming from Italy, followed byPortugal, Germany and Spain. In 1897, Italians are over half of the city's population. Portuguese, Spaniards, Germans, Japanese, Jews and Christian Syrian-Lebanese also came in significant numbers. From 1908 to 1941, many Japanese immigrants arrived.[27] In the 1960s, Chinese and Koreans started arriving. In the mid-20th century, many from the drought-stricken Northeastern Brazil started to migrate to So Paulo. Nowadays, the city is witness to a large wave ofBolivian migration.[28]

So Paulo City in 1886

Immigrants

Percentage of immigrants in foreign born population [5]

Italians

47.9%

Portuguese

29.3%

Germans

9.9%

Spaniards

3.2%

A French observer, travelling to So Paulo at the time, noted that there was a division of the capitalist class, by nationality (...) Germans, French, and Italians shared the dry goods sector with Brazilians. Foodstuffs was generally the province of either Portuguese or Brazilians, except for bakery and pastry which was the domain of the French and Germans. Shoes

and tinware were mostly controlled by Italians. However, the larger metallurgical plants were in the hands of the English and the Americans. (...) Italians outnumbered Brazilians two to one in So Paulo.[29] Until 1920, 1,078,437 Italians entered in the State of So Paulo. Of the immigrants who arrived there between 1887 and 1902, 63.5% came from Italy. Between 1888 and 1919, 44.7% of the immigrants were Italians, 19.2% were Spaniards and 15.4% were Portuguese.[30] In 1920, nearly 80% of So Paulo city's population was composed of immigrants and their descendants, and Italians made up over half of its male population.[30] At that time, the Governor of So Paulo said that "if the owner of each house in So Paulo display the flag of the country of origin on the roof, from above So Paulo would look like an Italian city". In 1900, a columnist who was absent from So Paulo for 20 years wrote "then So Paulo used to be a genuine Paulista city, today it is an Italian city."[30]

So Paulo City

Year

Italians

Percentage of the City[30]

1886

5,717

13%

1893

45,457

35%

1900

75,000

31%

1910

130,000

33%

1916

187,540

37%

A research conducted by the University of So Paulo (USP) shows the high ethnical diversity in the city: when asked if they are "descendants of foreign immigrants", 81% of the students reported "yes". The main reported ancestries were: Italian (30.5%), Portuguese (23%), Spanish (14%), Japanese (8%), German (5.6%), Brazilian (4.3%), African (2.8%), Arab (2.4%) and Jewish (1.2%).[31] Since the 19th century there is a migration of people from Northeastern Brazil into So Paulo. However, this internal migration grew enormously in the 1930s and remained huge in the next decades. The concentration of land, modernization in rural areas, changes in work relationships and cycles of droughts stimulated the high migration rate. The Northeastern migrants live mainly in hazardous and unhealthy areas of the city, in cortios, in various slums (favelas) of the metropolis, because they are cheaper housing alternatives. According to the 2000 Brazilian Census, there were 3,641,148 people from Northeastern Brazil living in So Paulo, about 20% of the city's population. According to another resource, the largest concentration of Northeastern migrants was found in the area of S/Brs (districts of Brs, Bom Retiro, Cambuci, Pari and S). In this area they composed 41% of the population.[32] Today, the city has the largest community of Italian and Portuguese descendants.

As in all of Brazil, people of different ethnicities mix with each other, producing a multi-ethnic society. Today, people of many different ethnicities make So Paulo their home.[33] The main groups, considering all the metropolitan area, are: 6 million people of Italian descent,[34] 3 million people of Portuguese descent,[35] 1.7 million people of African descent,[36] 1 million people of Arab descent,[37] 665,000 people of Japanese descent,[37] 400,000 people of German descent,[37] 120,000 people of Chinese descent,[37] 40,000 Jews,[38] 60,000 Bolivian immigrants,[39] 150,000 people of Greek descent,[37] 250,000 people of French descent[37] and 50,000 people ofKorean descent.[40] Changing demographics of the city of So Paulo

Source: Planet Barsa Ltda.[41] [edit]Religion Main article: Religion in Brazil

So Paulo Cathedral in Downtown So Paulo.

Religion

Percentage

Number

Catholic

73.11%

7,107,261

Protestant

15.94%

1,663,131

No religion

8.97%

936,474

Kardecist

2.75%

286,600

Buddhist

0.65%

67,591

Umbanda and Candombl

0.46%

48,400

Jewish

0.36%

37,500

Source: IBGE 2000.[42] [edit]Languages Main article: Languages of Brazil

Museum of the Portuguese Language. The language spoken by the vast majority of the population is Portuguese. Due to the large influx of Italian immigrants, the Portuguese spoken in the city reflects a significant influence from the languages of the Italian peninsula, particularly from Neapolitan and Venetian.[43] Italian dialects are mixed with the countryside Caipira accent of So Paulo. Some linguists maintain that the So Paulo dialect of Portuguese was born in Mooca, a neighborhood settled in the early 20th century mainly by people from Naples, Southern Italy.[44][45] The Italian influence in the accent of the inhabitants of So Paulo is more evident in the traditional Italian neighborhoods such as Bexiga, Mooca, Brs and Barra Funda. The Italianism came from the contact of Italian with the Portuguese language and since it is an old influence, it was assimilated or disappeared in the spoken language of the city. In 2009, a councilman from So Paulo, Juscelino Gadelha, presented a project designed to transform Mooca's accent on "intangible property" of the city of So Paulo and then protected by law. If approved, the accent of people from Mooca will be preserved on recordings and transcripts. The local accent with Italian influences became notorious through the songs of Adoniran Barbosa, a Brazilian samba singer born to Italian parents who used to sing using the local accent.[46] Other languages spoken in the city are mainly among the Asian community: Liberdade neighborhood is home to the largest Japanese population outside of Japan. Although today most Japanese Brazilians can speak only Portuguese, some of them are still fluent in Japanese. Some people of Chinese and Korean descent are still able to speak their ancestral languages. However, most of the Brazilian-born generations only speak Portuguese.[47] In some areas of the city is still possible to find descendants of immigrants that speak German[48] (specially in the area of Brooklin paulista) and Russian or East European languages (specially in the area of Vila Zelina).[49] [edit]Statistics

So Paulo has the third highest density of buildings in the world.

Vehicles: 7,081,778 (June 2011)[50] Vehicles: more than 10,000,000 in Greater So Paulo Daily newspapers: 34 (September 2008).[51] Foundation date: January 25, 1554.[52] It is considered the 20th ranked global city.[53] It has the largest fleet of helicopters in the world.[54] Urban area: 1,968 km (760 mi)[55] Air passenger traffic in 2010: 47,723,894 (Cumbica, Congonhas, Viracopos, Campo de Marte, So Jos dos

Campos), the largest in Southern Hemisphere.[56]

Buildings: the city is the 3rd in the world in number of highrise buildings with 5,644, according to Empori's

database.[57]

According to Mystery Shopping International, the ninth most luxurious street in the world is located in the city,

the Oscar Freire Street.[58]

Rail passenger traffic per day: 6 million passengers in the So Paulo metro and the CPTM (3.7 million and

2.3 million respectively).[59][60]

Has the largest shopping center in Latin America, the Centro Comercial Leste Aricanduva with 365,000

m2 (3,928,827.30 sq ft) of built area and 242,300 m2 (2,608,095.49 sq ft) of gross leasable area.[61]

Has the largest hospital complex in Latin America, the Hospital das Clnicas of the University of So Paulo with

352,000 m2 (3,788,896.47 sq ft) of built area.[62]

Has five CBD: Paulista Avenue, Downtown So Paulo, Itaim Bibi, Brooklin Novo and Faria Lima. So Paulo is the 6th city with most billionaires in the world, drawn with Mumbai with 21 billionaires.[63] According the PricewaterhouseCoopers the Greater So Paulo is the world's 10th richest city in 2008 with one

GDP PPP of $388 billion and will be the 6th in 2025 only behind Tokyo, New York City, Los Angeles, London and Chicago.[64][65]

In 2010 the daily average of traffic peak during the afternoons reached 110km [edit]Economy Main articles: Economy of So Paulo and Economy of Brazil

New commercial buildings in Brooklin. Highlights, the United Nations and the Business Center cable-stayed bridge.

So Paulo Stock Exchange. So Paulo is the is the 10th largest city in the world by GDP,[66] and is expected to be the 6th largest in 2025.[67] According to data of IBGE, its gross domestic product (GDP) in 2006 was R$ 282,852,338,000, equivalent to approximately 12.26% of the Brazilian GDP and 36% of all production of goods and services of the State of So Paulo.[68] According to PricewaterhouseCoopers annual economic growth of the city is 4.2%.[69] In 2010 the daily average of traffic peak during the afternoons reached 110km The biggest financial center in Brazil, So Paulo's economy is going through a deep transformation. Once a city with a strong industrial character, So Paulo's economy has become increasingly based on the tertiary sector, focusing on services and businesses for the country. The city is also unique among Brazilian cities for its large number of foreign corporations. Many analysts point to So Paulo as an important global city, even though this categorization can be criticised considering its serious problems of social exclusion and spatial segregation.[70] Despite being the most important financial centre of the country, So Paulo also presents a high degree of informality in its economy.[71] So Paulo has the largest concentration of German businesses worldwide[72] and also considered the largest Swedish industrial hub alongside Gothenburg.[73] In 2005, the city of So Paulo collected R$ 90 billion in taxes, and the city budget was R$ 15 billion. The city has 1,500 bank branches. There are 70 shopping malls. 63% of all the international companies with business in Brazil have their head offices in So Paulo. The So Paulo Stock Exchange (BM&F Bovespa) is Brazil's official stock and bonds exchange. The BM&F Bovespa is the largest stock exchange in Latin America where about R$ 6 billion (US$ 3.5 billion) are traded every day.[74] The per capita income for the city was R$ 32,493 (2008).[75] According to Mercer's 2011 city rankings of cost of living for expatriate employees, So Paulo is now among the ten most expensive cities in the world, ranking in 10th place in 2011, up from the 21st position in 2010, and ahead of London, Paris, Milan, and New York City.[76][77]

Companies in Financial Times Global 500 of So Paulo in 2011[78]

SP

Corporation

BRA

World

Ita Unibanco

52

AmBev

79

Bradesco

93

Banco Santander Brasil

175

Itasa

255

[edit]Science and technology Main article: Brazilian science and technology The city of So Paulo is home to several important Research and Development structures in Latin America, and has been attracting a growing number of companies due to the presence of several regionally renowned universities. The system of science, technology and innovation of So Paulo is leveraged by the allocation of funds from the state government, mainly carried out by means of the Foundation to Research Support in the State of So Paulo (Fundao de Amparo Pesquisa do Estado de So Paulo Fapesp), one of the main agencies of promotion of the scientific and technological research of the country. [edit]Luxury goods

Oscar Freire Street.

Unique Hotel, designed by Brazilian architect Ruy Ohtake is located in Jardins.

Vila Olimpia, People's Square at night.

Skyline Higienpolis and Pacaembu. The luxury market in So Paulo is concentrated in the called 'luxury quadrilateral' whose vertices are the Cidade Jardim Mall, the area of Oscar Freire Street, the Iguatemi So Paulo Mall and JK Iguatemi Mall, scheduled to open in April 2012, in the neighborhood Vila Olmpia.

Sales of luxury goods in Brazil amounted to 8.9 billion dollars in 2010, according to GfK Brazil, of which 70% of luxury goods are sold in So Paulo City and 95% of sales in the city are represented by 'luxury quadrilateral'. The Shopping Cidade Jardim is a relatively new, high-end mall, in Jardim Panorama, Morumbidistrict, with restaurants, cinemas, and boutiques, including brands such as Carolina Herrera, Chanel, Ermenegildo Zegna, Giorgio Armani, Herms,Longchamp, Montblanc, Rolex, Salvatore Ferragamo, Tiffany & Co., Prada, Louis Vuitton, Jimmy Choo, Emilio Pucci, Alexandre de Paris, Canali, La Martinaand Daslu department store. Fendi, Christian Louboutin, Balmain, Tag Heuer, Miu Miu, Elie Saab, Valentino, Tod's, the Argentinian brand Etiqueta Negra, the English Issa London, flagships of Dior, Gucci, Cartier and the new stores of Longchamp, Salvatore Ferragamo and Chanel. Louis Vuitton will have a new store with about 1,400 square metres (15,000 sq ft). The Iguatemi Faria Lima, in Faria Lima Avenue, is the Brazil's oldest mall, opened in 1966. It is considered the 11th most expensive shopping area in the world, according to Cushman & Wakefield. Among the more than 30 international luxury brands there are Burberry, Emporio Armani, Hugo Boss, Chanel,Bang & Olufsen, Bvlgari, D&G, Diane von Frstenberg, Gucci, Missoni, M Missoni, Kate Spade, Marc Jacobs, Bottega Veneta, Christian Louboutin, Salvatore Ferragamo, Louis Vuitton, Ermenegildo Zegna, Max Mara, Tiffany & Co. and Swarovski. The Oscar de la Renta, Longchamp, Tod's and TopShop shops are expected to be opened there in 2012. In the Vila Olmpia neighborhood a future upmarket shopping centre is being built. JK Iguatemi, which will house brands such as Versace, Balenciaga, Nicole Miller, Gucci, Chanel, Ermenegildo Zegna, Longchamp, Tod's, Yves Saint Laurent, TopShop/TopMan, Burberry, Lanvin, Miu Miu, Diane von Frstenberg,Goyard, Juicy Couture, Kate Spade, Bottega Veneta, Carolina Herrera, Coach, Dolce&Gabbana, Sephora, Tory Burch, Van Cleef & Arpels, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Panerai, Rimowa, Paula Cahen D'Anvers, Vicomte A. and Daslu. The Jardins neighborhood is regarded amongst the most sophisticated places in town, where upscale restaurants and hotels are located. The New York Times has once compared the Oscar Freire street to Rodeo Drive.[79] In Jardins are Ferrari, Aston Martin, Bentley, BMW, Bugatti, Maserati, Lamborghini, Jaguar, Volvo, Porsche, MercedesBenz, Pagani, Land Rover and Audidealerships; hotels as Tivoli, Porto Bay, Fasano, Emiliano, Renaissance and Unique. Also, one of the best restaurants in the world as elected by The World's 50 Best Restaurants Award, D.O.M.[80], is located there. In the Oscar Freire street and nearby streets such as Haddock Lobo and Bela Cintra are Bang & Olufsen, Calvin Klein, Cartier, Dior, Emporio Armani, Ermenegildo Zegna, Giorgio Armani, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Marina Rinaldi, Max Mara, Montblanc,Roberto Cavalli, Salvatore Ferragamo, Tommy Hilfiger, Christofle and Versace. Outside the 'luxury quadrilateral', is the Brooklin CBD. In this neighborhood, some of the city's most luxurious hotels are located, such as the Hilton Hotel,Sheraton Hotels and Hyatt, as is another shopping mall, the Morumbi Shopping. Other regions of the city also have luxury trade as Jardim Anlia Franco (East Zone), Higienpolis (Central Zone), Alto de Santana (North Zone), Alto de Pinheiros (West Zone), Moema/Vila Nova Conceio (South Zone) andAlphaville (Barueri municipality, Greater So Paulo). In 2010 the daily average of traffic peak during the afternoons reached 110km

Panorama of Paulista Avenue. [edit]Urban planning

Changes in urban fabrics in the region of Jardins, Pinheiros district: side by side, vertical areas and low houses.

Luxury homes in the upscale neighborhood of So Paulo.

Seen from above the Avenida Paulista, buildings and luxury homes. So Paulo has a history of actions, projects and plans related to urban planning and urban planning that can be traced to the government of Antonio da Silva Prado, Baron Duprat, Washington and completed by Luis Francisco Prestes Maia. However, in general, the city was formed during the twentieth century, going from village to metropolis, through a series of informal processes and irregular urban sprawl. Thus, So Paulo differs considerably from other Brazilian cities like Belo Horizonte and Goinia, whose initial expansion followed determinations by a plan and a unique urban project, or a city like Braslia, whose master plan had been fully designed prior to construction of the city. Moreover, the succession of peripheral settlements and the processes of rehabilitation and reconstruction of tissues already present, common in the city throughout its evolution, was possibly accompanied by urban plans that tried to sort the second planning guidelines informal logic of the constitution itself city. If the first interventions Prado punctual and Theodore had such plans sought, either sectorally integrated and sometimes isolated, setting standards to be followed in the production of new urban spaces and regulation of the above. The historical effectiveness of such plans to comply with what they apparently were proposed, however, has been attributed by some planners and historians as diverse as questionable. On the other hand, some of these same scholars argue that such plans were produced exclusively for the benefit of the wealthier strata of the population while the working classes would be relegated to the traditional informal processes. In So Paulo until the mid-1950s, the plans submitted to the city even had a character Haussmann, or were based on the idea of "demolish and rebuild." May be cited as the plans submitted by former Mayor Prestes Maia So Paulo for the roads (known as the Avenues Plan) or by Saturnino de Brito for the Tiet River.

In 1968 the Urban Development Plan is proposed that would unfold in the Basic Plan for Integrated Development of So Paulo, developed during the administration of Figueiredo Ferraz. The main result has been what has become known as zoning laws and lasted until 2004 when he was replaced by current Master Plan. That zoning, adopted in 1972, we noted a clear protection calls Z1 (definition of areas whose use was residential and was designed exclusively for the elite of the city) and a certain vagueness of most of the city, classified as Z3 (loosely regulated as "mixed zone" but without clearer definitions about their characteristics). Thus, such zoning encouraged the growth of suburbs equipped for building low feedback processes coupled with speculation while valued regions in which it is allowed to build tall buildings.

Panoramic view of downtown So Paulo. [edit]Events

So Paulo Art Biennial. The second oldest art biennial in the world after the Venice Biennial. The city of So Paulo hosts approximately 90 thousand events every year, featuring arts, business, fashion and beyond. There are some Web sites and magazines specialising in the cultural events in the city, including the Agenda Cultural de So Paulo (So Paulo's Cultural Calendar).[81] [edit]So Paulo Pancake Cook-Off The So Paulo Pancake Cook-Off is a popular cooking festival held annually in the city center. Thousands of amateur chefs from throughout Brazil migrate to the city every summer to compete with other chefs to see who has made the finest So Paulo Pancake. The most recent winner of 2011 was a certain Felipe Ramos, a Portugese National from the Isle of Madeira with his curry-flavored "Pestana Palms" Pancake. [edit]So Paulo Art Bienal The So Paulo Art Biennial is a cultural event hosted in town every two years. Almost 1 million people visited the 26th Biennial in 2004. Its theme was chosen to enable a wide range of artistic positions to feel comfortable. In addition, to an intensification of the North-South dialogue inside Brazil, the Bienal's aims include the promoting of links between nonEuropean cultures along a South-South orientation.[82] [edit]So Paulo Fashion Week

Daiane Conterato at So Paulo Fashion Week. So Paulo Fashion Week, established in 1996 under the name Morumbi Fashion Brasil, is the largest and most important fashion event in Latin America. Brazil first entered the international fashion circuit with the increasing reputation of famous Brazilian top models such as Isabeli Fontana, Adriana Lima,Gisele Bndchen, Alessandra Ambrosio, Fernanda Tavares, Ana Beatriz Barros, Izabel Goulart, Brenda Costa, Ana Hickmann, and Evandro Soldati, and the "discovery" of some fresh talents such as Alexandre Herchcovitch by some international fashion magazines. [edit]So Paulo Gay Pride Parade Main article: LGBT rights in Brazil Main article: So Paulo Gay Pride Parade

So Paulo Gay Pride Parade. The first So Paulo Gay Pride Parade took place in 1987, and attracted a crowd, then impressive, of 20,000 people, but since then the event grows in participation, size and significance. The event is a tourist draw for the city, attracting larger and larger numbers of people, reaching around 2 million visitors in the last estimated official number available, from the 2008 parade. It is opened by the city's mayor, running along the Paulista Avenue, accompanied by several Trio Eltricos. The last parade, held on June 6, 2010, attracted about 3.5 million people according to official numbers, given by the Polcia Militar.[83][84] The Parade is an annual event, taking place in June, which aims to increase the visibility and social awareness of the community, as well as agitating against discrimination and in favor of positive legislation for homosexuals, bisexuals, transvestites and transsexuals. Since 2002, the Parade has also become associated with a wider long cultural program, lasting at least a month. [edit]March for Jesus The March for Jesus is an Evangelical parade that takes place on Corpus Christi Thursday every year in Zona Norte, or North Side. It is organized byRenascer em Cristo Church, a Neo-Pentecostal denomination created in the 1980s which has grown significantly in the first decade of the 21st century. In 2006, more than 2 million people took part in the event, according to official estimates.[85] Evangelicals from across Brazil go to So Paulo on the holiday in June for the march, as live Christian bands lead the way. The annual march, organized by evangelical churches, features concerts with 30 Christian bands carried on 17 flatbed trucks performing live as participants march through Brazil's financial capital. [edit]International Transport Industry Show The Salo Internacional da Indstria do Transporte (FENATRAN) is held in So Paulo in the Park Anhembi, every two years and usually in October.[86] It is a major event presenting new trends for the industry related to transport, such as

truck manufacturers, components for vehicles, fuel, motors and services for the industry, such as financial and insurance companies. [edit]International Film Festival The So Paulo International Film Festival is a film festival held annually in So Paulo, Brazil since 1976. It is one of the most important Brazilian film festival along with Rio Film Festival and Braslia National Film Festival. [edit]Electronic Language International Festival

Electronic Language International Festival. The Electronic Language International Festival is a non-profit cultural organization, whose purpose is to disseminate and to develop arts, technologies andscientific research, by means of exhibitions, debates, lectures, and courses. The festival promotes a yearly meeting in Brazil, in the city of So Paulo.[87] [edit]Festival of Electronic Art Every two years, Associao Cultural Videobrasil's International Electronic Art Festival brings works by artists from all over the world to So Paulo. In keeping with the constant transformations in media and support, the curatorship has added installations, performances, VJs, CD-ROM art, and Internet art to theprogramme. Art shows, debates and meetings introduce new ideas and artwork, setting new guidelines for contemporary art in Brazil. Exhibitions featuring work by prominent electronic artists are also part of the Festival. Brazilian pioneers such as Rafael Frana and Olhar Eletrnico, and international guests such as Nam June Paik, Bill Viola and Gary Hill, have featured in the event's past editions. Each edition has a theme of its own.[88] [edit]Carnival Main article: Brazilian Carnival

Parade Leandro Itaquera. The Carnival of So Paulo is a traditional celebration carnival held every year in So Paulo. The parade of samba schools in So Paulo is the Anhembi Sambadrome, designed by renowned architect Oscar Niemeyer, who also designed the Sambadrome of the sambodrome in Rio de Janeiro. The Special Group parade of samba schools of So Paulo happens on Friday and Saturday of carnival week, schools that participated in the carnival in 2012. Samba Schools: Unidos de Vila Maria; Rosas de Ouro; X9; Vai Vai; guia de Ouro; Camisa Verde e Branco; Imprio de Casa Verde; Drages da Real; Acadmicos do Tucuruvi; Gavies da Fiel; Mancha Verde; Tom Maior; Prola Negra; Mocidade Alegre.

[edit]Cultural Turn Cultural Turn is an annual event held since 2005 by the Municipality of So Paulo, promoting 24 hours of non-stop cultural activities held during the month of May, every year, always starting on a Saturday night and ending on a Sunday afternoon. The event was inspired by the annual event named Nuit Blanche in Paris, with many cultural entertainment events throughout the night. The activities include music shows, dance shows, classical & orchestra presentations, theater plays, cinema, poetry, anime/comics fans meetings and acrobatic performances. The event takes place in several parts of the downtown area, as well as some cultural centers, clubs and selected schools. In 2010, according to So Paulo Municipality, the event attracted around 4 million people.

[edit]Miss Universe 2011 So Paulo hosted the Miss Universe 2011 pageant. [edit]Other Events

X-Games - Brazilian branch, held in April. Tudo Verdade - Documentary film festival, held in March. Feicorte - Livestock fair. FIEPAG - International Printing Industry Fair CIOSP - International Dental Congress Skol Beats - Electronic music festival, features famous Brazilian and foreign DJs from around the world. Held in

May.

Grande Prmio So Paulo de Turfe - Equestrian competition, held in May. Expomusic - Music and audio exposition, also features small shows and autograph sessions. Feira do Circuito das Malhas - Winter clothes baazar. In-Edit - Music documentary festival. So Paulo's International Marathon - Held in June. Saint Vitus Festival (Festival de So Vito) - Italian festival, featuring food and music. Held in June. Anima Mundi - International Animation Film Festival, held in July. Batuka! - Drummers festival, featuring workshops, presentations and a national contest. Brasil Pack - International Packaging Fair Japan Festival - Held in July. Brooklinfest - German festival in October (district Brooklin Paulista).[89] Festa de Vila Zelina - Russian, Ukrainian and East European Festival in the district Vila Zelina.[90] Bolivian Arts and Culture Festival Achiropita Festival - Italian festival, featuring food and music. Held in August.

New Year's Eve - Held at the Paulista Avenue, features free concerts and fireworks, usually gathering up to 1

million people.

[edit]Education Main article: Education in Brazil [edit]Educational institutions

The Law School of the University of So Paulo. The city has several universities and colleges:

Universidade de So Paulo (USP) (University of So Paulo); Pontifcia Universidade Catlica de So Paulo (PUC-SP) (Pontifical Catholic University of So Paulo); Instituto Federal de Educao, Cincia e Tecnologia de So Paulo (IFSP) (So Paulo Federal Institute of

Education, Science and Technology);

Universidade Estadual Paulista Jlio de Mesquita Filho (Unesp) (So Paulo State University Jlio de Mesquita

Filho);

Faculdade de Tecnologia de So Paulo (FATEC) (So Paulo Technological College); Universidade Federal de So Paulo (UNIFESP) (Federal University of So Paulo); Universidade Nove de Julho (UNINOVE) (Ninth of July University); Universidade de Mogi das Cruzes (UMC) (University of Mogi das Cruzes); Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie (MACKENZIE-SP) (Mackenzie Presbyterian University) Universidade So Judas Tadeu (USJT) (So Judas Tadeu University/"So Judas University"); Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing (ESPM-SP) (Superior School of Advertising and Marketing); Fundao Getlio Vargas (FGV-SP) (Getlio Vargas Foundation); Fundao Armando Alvares Penteado (FAAP) (Armando Alvares Penteado Foundation); Universidade Anhembi Morumbi (Anhembi Morumbi University); Faculdades Metropolitanas Unidas (FMU) (UMC, United Metropolitan Colleges); Instituto Brasileiro de Mercado de Capitais (Ibmec-SP) (Brazilian Capital Market Institute); Faculdade de Comunicao Social Csper Lbero (Csper Lbero Social Communication College); Faculdade Santa Marcelina (FASM) (Santa Marcelina College) and many others.

There are more than 578 universities in the whole state of So Paulo.[91]

[edit]Educational system So Paulo has a quite well developed system of primary and secondary schools, both public and private, and a variety of vocational-technical schools. More than nine-tenths of the population areliterate, and roughly the same proportion of those age 7 to 14 are enrolled in school. Among the many institutions of higher education, the largest and most well-regarded is the state-financed University of So Paulo (USP), established in 1934, which incorporated the historic Law School (Faculdade de Direito) in the old Largo So Francisco in the city centre. USP enrolls a very high proportion of Brazil's doctoral students and has spawned a wide variety of research institutes and policy centre. Affiliated institutions include the Butantan Institute, a world-famous centre for research on snakes and the production of snake toxins and antitoxins. The Pontifical Catholic University of So Paulo was established in 1946 and has earned an enviable reputation among the continent's private institutions of higher learning. Also of note among Greater So Paulo's many other public and private colleges and universities is the Business and Management School of the Getlio Vargas Foundation. [edit]Health care Main articles: Health in Brazil and Rede So Paulo Saudvel

View of Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital. So Paulo is the largest health care hub in Latin America. Among its best hospitals are the Albert Einstein Israelites Hospital, ranked as the best in Latin America and the Hospital das Clnicas, the largest in the region. In the city In terms of public health facilities, the city is home to institutions from all the three levels of government, federal, state and municipal. The private health care sector is also very large, and most of the best hospitals in Brazil are located in the city. As of September 2009, the city of So Paulo had:[92]

32,553 ambulatory clinics, centers and professional offices (physicians, dentists and others); 217 hospitals, with 32,554 beds; 137,745 health care professionals, including 28,316 physicians.

Institute of Cancer of So Paulo is the largest hospital of cancer in Brazil.[93] [edit]Municipal health Public health facilities in charge of the municipal government are spread all over the city's territory, with a grand total of 770 basic health care units (UBS), ambulatory and emergency clinics, and 17 hospitals. The Municipal Secretary of Health has 59,000 employees, among them more than 8,000 physicians and 12,000 nurses.

A population estimated in more than 6,000,000 citizens uses these facilities, which provide drugs at no cost, and manages an extensive family health program (PSF Programa de Sade da Famlia). The Rede So Paulo Saudvel (Healthy So Paulo Network) is a satellite-based digital TV corporate channel, developed by the Municipal Health Secretary of So Paulo, with the goal of bringing programs focused on health promotion and health education, which may be watched by citizens seeking health care in its units in the city. The network consists of two complete TV studios, and a system for transmission of closed digital video in high definition via satellite, with about 1,400 points of reception in all health care units of the municipality of So Paulo. [edit]Culture [edit]Music Main article: Music of Brazil

Sala So Paulo. Adoniran Barbosa was a famous samba singer and composer who became successful during So Paulo's radio era. Born in 1912 in the town of Valinhos, Barbosa was known as the composer to the masses, particularly the Italian immigrants living in the quarters of Bela Vista, also known as "Bexiga" and Brs, as well as those who lived in the city's many 'cortios' or tenements. The topics of his songs are drawn from the life of urban workers, the unemployed and those who live on the edge. His first big hit was "Saudosa Maloca" ("Shanty of Fond Memories" 1951), wherein three homeless friends recall with nostalgia their improvised shanty home, which was torn down by the landowner to make room for a building. In his Trem das Onze ("The 11 pm Train") 1964 record, which has been ranked one of the five best samba songs ever, the protagonist explains to his lover that he cannot stay any longer because he has to catch the last train to the Jaan suburb, for his mother will not sleep before he arrives home. An old-school samba band called Demnios da Garoa still plays his songs in the traditional Bar Brahma venue in Avenida So Joo downtown. Another important musician with a similar style is Paulo Vanzoline. Vanzoline is a PhD in Biology and a part-time professional musician. He composed a song depicting a love murder scene in So Paulo called "Ronda". In the late 1960s, a psychodelic rock band called Os Mutantes led the way in the national avant garde music scene. Their success is sometimes related to that of other tropicalia musicians, but they also had a musical style and ideas of their own. The group of Mutantes were known as very paulistanos in their behaviour and clothing. Os Mutantes released five albums together before lead singerRita Lee departed in 1972 to form another group called Tutti-Frutti. Although almost exclusively known in Brazil at that time, Os Mutantes became quite successful abroad after the 1990s (a legend has it that a Brazilian girl in an exchange programme in California forgot a Mutantes' vinyl record at her host home, and that helped make the band popular in that U.S. state. In 2000, Tecnicolor, an album recorded in the early 1970s in English by the band, was released with artwork designed by Sean Lennon.

Ibirapuera Auditorium. After the two oil price shocks in the 1970s, the country suffered from an economic recession during the 1980s, a phenomenon that was named the lost decade. The very repressive military government of the day did not help in any way the social situation.[94] At the end of the military rule in the early 1980s, a band called Ultrage a Rigor (Elegant Outrage) emerged in the city. They played a simple and irreverent style of rock. The lyrics depicted the changes in society and culture that not only So Paulo but Brazilian society as a whole were experiencing at the time. A late punk and garage scene became strong in the 1980s, perhaps associated with the gloomy scenario of unemployment and few actual perspectives from the viewpoint of the youth. Many thriving musicians and artists were just waiting for their moment to come. Examples of bands originating from this movement include Ira!, Tits, Ratos de Poro and Inocentes. In the 1990s, drum & bass arose as another musical movement in So Paulo, with artists such as DJ Marky, DJ Patife, XRS, Drumagick, andFernanda Porto.[95] Many heavy metal bands also originated in So Paulo, such as Angra, Torture Squad, Korzus and Dr. Sin. Many "alternative" tribes of So Paulo mingle at a small shopping mall at the city centre dubbed Galeria do Rock (English: "Rock Gallery") on Rua 24 de Maio, which includes shops which cater to a broad range of alternative niches. Famous electro-pop band Cansei de Ser Sexy, or CSS (Portuguese for "tired of being sexy") also has its origins in the city. Classical music is also refined and renowned in the city. Many of the most important classical Brazilian composers who are still alive, such as Amaral Vieira, Osvaldo Lacerda and Edson Zampronha, were born and live in So Paulo. Local baritone Paulo Szot has won international acclaim and a Tony Award nomination for his performance in a 2008 revival of South Pacific. The So Paulo State Symphony is one of the outstanding orchestras in the world. [edit]Music halls and concert halls

Credicard Hall. So Paulo's most important opera houses are: Sao Paulo Municipal Theater, Theatro So Pedro and Sala So Paulo, the latter being the headquarters ofOSESP. The city also counts with several music halls. The main ones are: Credicard Hall, HSBC Music Hall, Olympia, Via Funchal, Villa Country, Carioca Club, Kezebre Rock Bar, Arena Anhembi and Espaco das Amricas. Lots of bars and cultural centers also have stages for live performances, the soccer stadiums and the Sambadrome host musical presentations as well. At this time, the authoritys are preparing the coming next of many new very important halls, like the new Praa das Artes, with the Municipal Conservatory of Music Chamber Hall, and others veneus, like, Cultura Artistica, Teatro Srgio Cardoso with a venue for only dance performances, and the gorgeous Herzog&DeMeron's Centro Cultural Luz, for Ballet, Opera, theater, and concerts, with three huge halls, thera are also the auditorium of the Latin-American Cultural Center, for concerts, The Mozarteum, held many concerts throw all over the year,this list it's not exhausting, because, almost every month, new places come out.

[edit]Literature Main article: Literature of Brazil

Mrio de Andrade Library. So Paulo was home to the first Jesuit missionaries in Brazil, in the early 16th century. They wrote reports to the Portuguese crown about the newly found land, the native peoples and composed pieces of poetry and music for the catechism. Among them were priests such as Manuel da Nbrega and Jos de Anchieta, living in or near the colony then called Piratininga. They also helped to register the Old Tupi language, lexicon and its grammar. In 1922, the Brazilian Modernist Movement, launched in So Paulo, also began to achieve a similar cultural independence through different means. Brazil had gone through the same stages of development as the rest of Latin America, but its political and cultural independence came more gradually. The first emperor of Brazil, Pedro I, was a legitimate member of the royal Portuguese dynasty. Although he declared Brazil's independence from Portugal in 1822, the country remained under imperial rule and the dominance of the court in Rio de Janeiro until 1889.

Victor Civita Latin American Library. With Brazil thus tied to Portuguese culture, Brazilian writers only little by little assumed responsibility for giving expression to their own landscape and ethnic mix of peoples. The presence of large numbers of former slaves added a distinctive African character to the culture. And subsequent infusions of immigrants of non-Portuguese origin, from different parts of Europe, helped the new nation to find its own voice and to use it. Mrio de Andradeand Oswald de Andrade are the prototypical modernists. With the urban poems of "Paulicia Desvairada" and "Carefree Paulistan land" (1922), Mrio de Andrade established the movement in Brazil. His rhapsodic novel Macunama (1928), with its abundance of Brazilian folklore, represents the apex ofmodernism's nationalist prose through its creation of an offbeat native national hero. Oswald de Andrade's experimental poetry, avant-garde prose, particularly the novel Serafim Ponte Grande (1933), and provocative manifestos exemplify the movement's break with tradition. Modernist artists and writers chose the Municipal Theatre of So Paulo to launch their Modernist manifesto. The site happened to be a bastion of European culture with Opera and classical music presentations brought from Germany, France, Austria, and Italy. It was significant for them to choose such house as their starting point because the high society which frequented it denied its Brazilian roots by speaking languages such as French only in the opera house. Moreover, it behaved as if the rest of Brazil, and Brazilian culture itself, did not matter or did not exist. Both these authors were influential writers from the Modernist school: Mrio de Andrade andOswald de Andrade.

[edit]Theaters

Municipal Theatre of So Paulo, "Teatro Municipal de So Paulo." Many historians believe that the first theatre performance in Brazil was held in So Paulo. The Spanish Jesuit missionary Jos de Anchieta (15341597) wrote short plays that were performed and watched by the TupiGuarani natives. After that, however, So Paulo became a province and cultural activities wasn't the most important. It was only during the 19th's century, second half, that a cultural, musical and theatrical life, begins in the city, at the same time starts a very fast growing development,in almost all aspects of urban life, thanks to the coffee cycle and the wealth it brought, major European ethnic groups started making presentations in some of the state's countryside cities. The most important period for the art in So Paulo took place during, the 40's, it was the avant-garde time. It was in So Paulo a professional company, Teatro Brasileiro de Comdia, or TBC (Brazilian Theater of Comedy), but many others come with. During the 60s, major theater productions in So Paulo and Brazil were presented by two groups. Teatro de Arena began with a group of students from Escola de Arte Dramtica (Drama Art School), founded by Alfredo Mesquita, in 1948. In 1958, the group excelled with the play "Eles no usam black tie," a masterpiece by Gianfrancesco Guarnieri that, for the first time in the history of the Brazilian drama, had labor workers as protagonists. After the military coup of 1964, which was supported by the US, theater plays started focusing on the Brazilian history (Zumbi, Tiradentes). Teatro de Arena was an embattled stage for the democratic resistance during the military dictatorship period, marked by its censorship. Teatro Oficina also played an important role. It was there that the Tropicalist movement began. There was a number of plays that represented historic moments, among which "O Rei da Vela", "Galileu Galilei" (1968), "Na Sela das Cidades" (1969) and "Gracias Seor" (1972). Today, all kinds of plays are performed at So Paulo's hundreds of theatres and halls, going from classical music, ballet to avant-garde plays and Broadway musicals. [edit]Museums

Ipiranga Museum, "Museu do Ipiranga."

Museu Paulista

Also popularly known as "Ipiranga Museum", the first monument especially built to preserve the memory of the Independence of Brazil, opened on September 7, 1895, with the name of Museu de Cincias Naturais (Natural Science Museum). In 1919, it became once again a historic museum. Having the architectural influence of the Versailles Palace in France, the Ipiranga's collection, with approximately 100,000 pieces, comprises works of art, furniture, clothing, and appliances that once belonged to famous people who took part in Brazilian history, such as explorers, rulers,

and freedom fighters. Its facilities are also home to a library with 100,000 books and the "Centro de Documentao Histrica," Historic Documentation Center, with 40,000 manuscripts.

Memorial da Amrica Latina

Stretching over 78,000 square meters, Memorial da Amrica Latina (Latin America's Memorial) was conceived to be a place for the integration of Latin American countries and their roots and cultures. Memorial is home to the headquarters of Parlamento Latino-Americano Parlatino (Latin American Parliament). Designed by the architect Oscar Niemeyer, Memorial has an exhibition pavilion, where there is a permanent exhibition of the continent's craftwork production; a library with books, newspapers, magazines, videos, films and records about the history of Latin America; and an auditorium with capacity for 1,679 people.

Museu da Imigrao e Memorial do Imigrante

Memorial of the Immigrant, "Memorial do Imigrante." Hospedaria do Imigrante (Immigrant's Hostel) was built in 1886 and opened in 1887, when the first immigrants were housed there. The Immigrant's Hostel was built in Brs to welcome the immigrants who arrived in Brazil through the Port of Santos, quarantining those who were sick and helping new arrivals to find work in coffee plantations in Western, Northern, and Southwestern So Paulo State and Northern Paran State. From 1882 to 1978, 2.5 million immigrants of more than 60 nationalities and ethnicities were guests there,[96] all of them duly registered in the museum's books and lists. The hostel used to serve approximately 3,000 people on average, but under special circumstances, this number reached 8,000. The hostel received the last immigrants in 1978.[97] In 1998 the Hostel became a museum, and it preserves the documentation, memory and objects of the immigrants that came to Brazil in search of hope and wealth. Located in one of the few centenarian buildings left in the city of So Paulo, the museum occupies part of the former Hostel. Aside from bringing the immigrants' history to the public, the museum also restores wooden train wagons from the former So Paulo Railway. There are two restored wagons in the museum. One of them dates from 1914, and another one a second class passenger car, dates from 1931. The Memorial do Imigrante pays homage to the ancestors of millions of Brazilians who arrived through the port of Santos and had So Paulo as a gateway to Brazil. It is possible to find in the museum the names of all immigrants who were hosted there from 1888 to 1978.[98]

Museu de Zoologia da USP

Occupying an area of 700 square meters, the animals shown in the museum are samples of the country's tropical fauna and were prepared (embalmed) more than 50 years ago. In the entrance hall, there is information about the main activities carried out by USP's staff and by the museum's researchers. The animals are grouped together according to their classification: fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, and some invertebrates such as

reefs, crustaceans and mollusks. The library, specialized in zoology, has modern facilities and equipment and serve both the scientific communityand the public in general. It has 73,850 works, of which 8,473 are books and 2,364 are newspapers, in addition to theses and maps.

Museu de Arte de So Paulo

So Paulo Museum of Art, "Museu de Arte de So Paulo" in Paulista Avenue. The museum was founded by the journalist Assis Chateaubriand and directed by Pietro Maria Bardi. Its current headquarters, opened in 1968, were designed by the architect Lina Bo Bardi. Two enormous colonnades support the 9,2 thousand ton building, forming a 74-meter free space, unique in the world. MASPhas one of world's most important collections of European art,the most important collections are about Italian and French painting schools, but there are including works of art by distinguished artists of others European schools, such as Degas, Renoir, Modigliani and Bonnard, among others, The collection contains over 9,000 works of art's masterpieces of inestimable value,.

Acervo do Palcio dos Bandeirantes

The headquarters of the State Government has an important collection of works of art by Brazilian artists, such as Portinari, Aldo Bonadei, Djanira, Almeida Jnior, Victor Brecheret, Ernesto de Fiori and Aleijadinho. Additionally, it also gathers colonial furniture, leather and silver artefacts, and European tapestry. Ineclectic style, its walls are covered with panels describing the history of So Paulo.

Museu da Imagem e do Som

Opened in May 1990, the main aim of Museu da Imagem e do Som (Image and Sound Museum) is to keep and preserve manifestations in the music, cinema, photography, and graphical arts areas, as well as any other manifestation related to the Brazilian contemporary life. MIS has a collection of more than 200,000 images, distributed in thematic collections of diverse content. It has more than 1,600 fiction videotapes, documentaries and music, and 12,750 titles recorded in Super 8 and 16 mm. Additionally, MIS organizes concerts, cinema and video festivals, and photography and graphical arts exhibitions. [edit]Tourism and recreation Main article: Tourism in Brazil

Ibirapuera Park at night during Christmas. So Paulo is a major cultural centre. The city has an ethnically diverse metropolitan area, with predominant Italian, Portuguese and African background. It also has a significant number of Spanish, Arab and Japanese descendents. So Paulo is known for its varied and sophisticated cuisine, ranging from Chineseto French, from fast food chains to five star restaurants. There are approximately 62 different types of cuisines in So Paulo, and more than 12,000 restaurants.
[99]

Other venues such as bars, pubs, lounges and discos cater to a variety of music tastes.

So Paulo is home to the So Paulo Museum of Art (MASP), dedicated by Queen Elizabeth II in the first half of the 20th century and "Pinacoteca do Estado" art museums, a symphonic orchestra (So Paulo State Symphony (OSESP based in the Sala So Paulo theatre in the gorgeous Julio Prestes train station)), and a Formula One Grand Prix racing circuit (Interlagos). [edit]Landmarks

Brooklin new Commercial Street.

S Square, in downtown Sao Paulo.

Paulista Avenue (one of the most important thoroughfares of the city and the site of many cultural centers and

museums, such as the MASP and Centro Cultural Ita).

Brooklin (a financial and residential district).

Banespa Building (skyscraper with observation deck and museum designed after the Empire State building).

Catedral da S (the metropolitan cathedral, a symbol of the city).

Edifcio Copan, designed by Oscar Niemeyer, in the Centro neighbourhood. Built between 1951 and 1966, its

wavy shape gives the building an impression of movement, and the integration of small businesses and residential flats are of innovative urbanism.

Edifcio Itlia (skyscraper with observation deck).

Estao da Luz (historical railway station built 18951901).

Mooca (Italian district of So Paulo).

Liberdade (Asian district of So Paulo). Mercado Municipal (historical market place in So Paulo).

Mercado Municipal - Marketplace

Municipal Theatre of So Paulo (magnificent opera house built in the early 20th century.)

Museu de Arte Sacra (museum of religious art located in a colonial convent).

Museu do Ipiranga (museum built where the Independence of Brazil was proclaimed in 1822).

Museum of the Portuguese Language (located inside Estao da Luz).

Ptio do Colgio (founding site of the city, former Jesuit mission-school to convert the natives to Catholicism).

Pinacoteca do Estado de So Paulo (important museum of Brazilian art).

Praa da S (large square next to the So Paulo Cathedral. Official centre of the city).

[edit]Parks There are several parks in the city of So Paulo:

Parque da Aclimao - Located in the Aclimao neighbourhood in the central region, it was inaugurated in

1939 and has an area of approximatelly 112,000 m2 (1,205,558 sq ft).

Parque da gua Branca - Located at the west side of the city, in the Barra Funda district. It was inaugurated in

1929 and has an area of approximately 136,000 m2 (1,463,892 sq ft).

Parque Alfredo Volpi - With an area of 142,000 m2 (1,528,475 sq ft), it's located at the south side of the city, in

the Cidade Jardim neighbourhood.

Parque Anlia Franco - Located in the Jardim Anlia Franco neighbourhood, has an area of 286,000

m (3,078,478 sq ft).

Parque Anhanguera - This park features native Atlantic Forest and is environmentally protected by law.

Because of that, most of its area has restricted access. It was inaugurated in 1979 and has an area of approximately 9,000,000 m2 (96,875,194 sq ft). Located in the Perus neighbourhood, it's situated close to the Jaragu peak, in the city's far northwest.

Parque Buenos Aires - Located in the Higienpolis neighbourhood, in the city's central area. It was inaugurated

in 1913 and has an area of 22,200 m2(238,959 sq ft).

Parque Burle Marx - Inaugurated in 1995, it's located in the Panamby neighbourhood, in the city's south side.

Parque da Cantareira - Inaugurated in 1963, it's an environmental protection unit and was listed by UNESCO in

1994. With an area of approximately 7,916.52 hectares, it covers part of the Cantareira mountains, which is part of the Atlantic Forest. Includes areas of the north side of So Paulo and parts of the cities of Mairipor, Guarulhos and Caieiras.

Parque do Carmo - Inaugurated in 1976, it's the biggest public park inside the city, with an area of

approximately 500,000 m2 (5,381,955 sq ft). Situated at the city's east side, in the Itaquera neighbourhood.

Parque Cidade de Toronto - Located in the district of Santo Domingo, north-west of the city.

Parque dos Eucaliptos - Located in western Sao Paulo in the district of Vila Sonia.

Parque Estadual Fontes do Ipiranga - Also known as Parque do Estado (State Park), it was created in 1991 and

extends over 526 hectares. Contains remnants of the Atlantic Forest vegetation.

Parque Ecolgico do Guarapiranga - Situated on the banks of the Guarapiranga reservoir on the south side of

the city.

Parque Guarapiranga - Located on the banks of Guarapiranga Dam, in the district of Campo Limpo (south side

of So Paulo).

Horto Florestal de So Paulo - Located in the northern side of So Paulo, at about seven miles from the center

of the city, it occupies an area of 174 hectares at the foot of the Cantareira mountains. It's adjacent to the Cantareira State Park in the district of Mandaqui. It's access can be made from the neighboring district of Trememb, and its accecible perimeter is 47,875 meters.

Ibirapuera Park - The second largest park of the city and probably the most popular. It's home to several

museums and is known for its buildings designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, such as the Oca and the new Ibirapuera Auditorium.

Parque Estadual do Jaragu - Created in 1961, around the Jaragu peak.

Parque Jardim Felicidade - Located in the Pirituba district, north side of the city.

Parque Lus Carlos Prestes - A small park located in the extreme west of So Paulo, in the Jardim Rolinpolis

neighbourhood, near the Raposo Tavares highway and close to another city park, the Parque da Previdncia.

Opened in 1990, it was named after the political, military and revolutionary Luis Carlos Prestes, and has an area of 27,100 m2 (291,702 sq ft).

Parque Nabuco - Located in the Jabaquara district, south side of the city.

Parque do Piqueri - Located in the Tatuap neighbourhood, has an area of 97,272 m2 (1,047,027 sq ft).

Parque Previdncia - Located in the far west of So Paulo in the neighborhood of Jardim Rolinpolis, near the

Raposo Tavares highway. It has an area of 91,500 m2 (984,898 sq ft) and was founded in 1979.

Parque Lina e Paulo Raia - Located in the Jabaquara district, southern Sao Paulo, has an area of

15,000 m2 (161,459 sq ft).

city.

Parque Raposo Tavares - Located on the western outskirts of the city, in the district of Butantan.

Parque Raul Seixas - It has 33,000 m2 (355,209 sq ft) and is situated in the district of Itaquera, in the East of the

Parque Rodrigo de Gsperi - Located in the Pirituba district, north side of the city.

Parque Santa Amlia - Located in the Itaim Paulista district, eastern suburb of So Paulo.

Parque Santo Dias - Located in the district of Capo Redondo, in the city's south side suburb.

Parque So Domingos - Located in the district of Santo Domingo, west of the city. It was named after the

neighborhood, which honors the Catholic saint Dominic Savio.

Parque Severo Gomes - Located in the neighborhood of Granja Julieta, south of the city, was inaugurated in

1989.

Parque Ecolgico do Tiet - With an area of 12.5 million m, inaugurated in 1982, it's an environmental

protection region. Located in the floodplain of the Tiet River, between the cities of So Paulo, Guarulhos Itaquaquecetuba.

Parque Trianon - Inaugurateded in 1892 with the opening of Paulista Avenue, it was designed by French

landscape architect Paul Villon. The name came from the fact that at that time, opposite the park, there was a club named Trianon. In 1924 it was donated to the city, and in 1931 received its current name in honor of one of the heroes of the Uprising Lieutenants, Antonio de Siqueira Campos.

Parque Vila dos Remdios - Located in the district of Jaguara, close to the confluence of the Pinheiros and Tiet

rivers in the city's north side.

Parque Vila Guilherme - Opened in 1986, it's ocated in the district of Vila Guilherme, north side of the city.

Parque Ecolgico da Vila Prudente - Located in the district of VilaPrudente, on the city's east side.

Parque Villa-Lobos - Opened in 1994, it's located in the Alto de Pinheiros district, on the banks of the Pinheiros

River, and has an area of 732,000 m2 (7,879,182 sq ft).

Panorama Ibirapuera Park. [edit]Zoos

Main entrance of the So Paulo Zoo. The Zoological Park of So Paulo is the largest in Brazil. Located in an area of 824,529 m2 (8,875,156 sq ft) of original Atlantic Forest, has approximatelly 4 miles of alleys. It houses the headwaters of the historic stream of Ipiranga, at south side of the city. Displays more than 3,200 animals, 102 species of mammals, 216 species of birds, 95 species of reptiles, 15 species of amphibians and 16 species of invertebrates, in enclosures that replicate the natural habitats of these animals. The Zoo's farm of 572 ha, produces vegetables used in the manufacture of feed for various animals, and material to the enclosures where the animals stay. There are animals that need extra area for mating. The zoo also counts with a nursery for rejected puppies and incubators for hatching eggs of birds and reptiles. Its library of more than four thousand volumes is open to the public. Its partnerships with other state, federal and foreign research institutions include researches that aim to facilitate the preservation of endangered species. So Paulo also has a Safari Zoo located in its southeastern side, in the district of Cursino. [edit]Aquarium The Aqurio de So Paulo (So Paulo Aquarium) it's one of the largest aquariums in Latin America, with an area of 9,000 square meters and 2 million liters of water. It has approximately 3,000 specimens of about 300 species of animals, and it's located in the Ipiranga neighbourhood. [edit]Sports See also: 2014 FIFA World Cup and Sports in Brazil [edit]Football

Aerial Photography of Jockey Club de Sao Paulo.

Pacaembu Stadium, city's historic stadium. As in the rest of Brazil, Association football is by far the most popular sport in the city. The major teams in So Paulo are known as "The Iron Trio" ("Trio de Ferro"): Corinthians, Palmeiras and So Paulo FC. There are three other small clubs in the city, Portuguesa, Juventus and Nacional. So Paulo is one of the host cities of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, for which Brazil is the host nation. The opening of 2014 FIFA World Cup, is under negotiation to be held in the Corinthians stadium, called Arena Itaquera, which is being built.

Football/soccer teams

Club

League

Venue

Established

Alfredo Schrig Stadium SC Corinthians Srie A 16,000 (28,000 record) Palestra Itlia Stadium SE Palmeiras Srie A 29,173 (40,283 record) Morumbi Stadium So Paulo FC Srie A 67,428 (138,032 record)[100] Canind Stadium Portuguesa Srie A 19,717 (25,000 record) Rua Javari Stadium Juventus Campeonato Paulista Srie A3 2,730 (9,000 record) Nicolau Alayon Stadium Nacional Campeonato Paulista Srie A2 9,650 (22,000 record) [edit]So Silvestre Road Race Main article: Saint Silvester Road Race

1910

1914

1935

1920

1924

1919

The So Silvestre Race takes place every New Year's Eve. It was first held in 1925, when the competitors ran about 8,000 metres across the streets. Since then, the distance raced varied, but is now set at 15 km (9.3 mi).

[edit]Brazilian Grand Prix

Autdromo Jos Carlos Pace, the venue for theBrazilian Grand Prix. The Formula One Brazilian Grand Prix (Portuguese: Grande Prmio do Brasil) is held at the Autdromo Jos Carlos Pace in Interlagos, a neighborhood of So Paulo. The race at Interlagos has been held continuously since 1990. Since 1973, the first year Formula One Grand Prix had been held in Brazil, 4 Brazilians have won the Grand Prix in So Paulo: Emerson Fittipaldi (1973 and 1974), Jos Carlos Pace (1975), Ayrton Senna (1991 and 1993) andFelipe Massa (2006 and 2008). In 2007, new local railway station Autdromo of the Line C (Line 9) of CPTM, was constructed near the circuit to improve access. So Paulo profits the most in the year during the F1 Brazilian Grand Prix due to boosts in tourism, commerce and nightlife. [edit]So Paulo Indy 300

So Paulo Indy 300. The 2010 So Paulo Indy 300 was the first race of the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series season. This 190.2-mile (306.1 km) race took place on March 14, on the 2.536-mile (4.081 km) temporary street circuit in So Paulo, Brazil. The race was telecasted by Versus. There are seven IndyCar drivers from Brazil competing in the series, including Ana Beatriz, Hlio Castroneves, Tony Kanaan, Raphael Matos, Vitor Meira,Mario Moraes and Mario Romancini. So Paulo is the hometown of Beatriz, Castroneves, Moraes and Romancini. [edit]Other sports Volleyball, basketball,skateboard and tennis are other major sports. There are several traditional sports clubs in So Paulo that are home for teams in many championships. The most important are Esporte Clube Pinheiros (waterpolo, volleyball, swimming, basketball and handball), Clube Atlhetico Paulistano (basketball), Esporte Clube Banespa (volleyball, handball and futsal), Esporte Clube Srio (basketball), Associao Atltica Hebraica (basketball), So Paulo Athletic Club (rugby union), Pasteur Athltique Club (rugby union), Clube de Regatas Tiet and Clube Atltico Ipiranga, also, on Bom Retiro, we have the Baseball Stadium, Mie Nishi. [edit]International sports events The following international sports events have been held in So Paulo:

1950 FIFA World Cup (association football);

1963 Pan American Games (Multi-sports); 1971 FIBA World Championship for Women; 1977 Women's U20 Volleyball World Championship; 1983 FIBA World Championship for Women; 1993 Volleyball World League; 1994 Women's Volleyball World Championship; 1998 UFC 17.5: UFC Brazil; 2000 FIFA Club World Championship (Football); 2002 South American Games (Multi-sports); 2005 World Cup in Artistic Gymnastics; 2006 International Police and Fire Games (Multi-sports); 2006 FIBA World Championship for Women (Basketball); 2006 13th World Cup Final in Artistic Gymnastics; 2007 3rd International Blind Sports Association World Championships and Games; 2011 - World Women's Handball Championship; 2014 FIFA World Cup (association football).

[edit]Transportation Main articles: Transport in So Paulo and Transport in Brazil [edit]Highways

Imigrantes highway connects the city to the ocean coast.

Radial Leste, relevant axial through the city. The city is crossed by 10 major Brazilian motorways and automobiles are still the main means to get into the city. They are:

Rodovia Presidente Dutra/BR-116 (President Dutra highway) Connects So Paulo to the east and north-

east of the country. Most important connection: Rio de Janeiro.

Rodovia Rgis Bittencourt/BR-116 (Rgis Bittencourt highway) Connects So Paulo to the south of the

country. Most important connections: Curitibaand Porto Alegre.

Rodovia Ferno Dias/BR-381 (Ferno Dias highway) Connects So Paulo to the north of the country. Most

important connection: Belo Horizonte.

Rodovia Anchieta/SP-150 (Anchieta Priest highway) Connects So Paulo to the ocean coast. Mainly used

for cargo transportation to Santos Port.Most important connection: Santos.

Rodovia dos Imigrantes/SP-150 (Immigrants highway) Connects So Paulo to the ocean coast. Mainly used

for tourism. Most important connections:Santos, So Vicente, Guaruj and Praia Grande.

Rodovia Castelo Branco/SP-280 (President Castelo Branco highway) Connects So Paulo to the west

and north-west of the country. Most important connections: Osasco, Sorocaba, Bauru, Ja and Campo Grande.

Rodovia Raposo Tavares/SP-270 (Raposo Tavares highway) Connects So Paulo to the west of the

country. Most important connections: Cotia,Sorocaba, Presidente Prudente.

Rodovia Anhangera/SP-330 (Anhanguera highway) Connects So Paulo to the north-west of the country,

including its capital city. Most important connections: Campinas, Ribeiro Preto and Braslia.

Rodovia dos Bandeirantes/SP-348 (Bandeirantes highway) Connects So Paulo to the north-west of the

country. It is considered the best motorway of Brazil. Most important connections: Campinas, Ribeiro Preto, Piracicaba and So Jos do Rio Preto.

Rodovia Ayrton Senna/SP-70 (Ayrton Senna highway) Named after Brazilian Formula One pilot Ayrton

Senna, this motorway connects So Paulo to east locations of the state, as well as the north coast of the state. Most important connections: So Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport, So Jos dos Campos and Caraguatatuba.

[edit]Rodoanel Main article: Rodoanel Mrio Covas So Paulo grew quickly from the 1940s to the 1980s and many roads and buildings were built without major planning. As a result, heavy traffic is common on the city's main avenues, and traffic jams are relatively common on its largest highways. The main means of commuting into the city is by car and by bus. In March 2011, there are more 7 million vehicles registered.[101] An effective way of avoiding heavy vehicles traffic in the city, such as buses and trucks that crossed the city for other destinations, was planned by ex-governor Mrio Covas as a road ring that circles the city, called Rodoanel Mario Covas,[102] and is being built by DERSA.[103]

[edit]Railways Main article: Rail transport in Brazil

Luz Station "Estao da Luz" in the morning. The two major So Paulo train stations are Luz and Julio Prestes in the Luz/Campos Eliseos region. Luz is the seat of the Santos-Jundia line which historically transported international immigrants from the Santos port to So Paulo and the coffee plantation lands in the Western region of Campinas. Julio Prestes connected the SW So Paulo State and Northern Paran State to So Paulo and products were transferred to Luz Station from which they headed to the Atlantic ocean and overseas. Julio Prestes ceased from transporting passengers through the Sorocabana or FEPASA lines and now only has limited suburban service. Due to its acoustics and the beauty of its interior, surrounded by Greek revival columns, part of the rebuilt station was transformed into the So Paulo Hall, or Sala So Paulo, home of the internationally, known So Paulo Orchestra. Luz Station, which was built in Britain and assembled in Brazil, has an underground station and is still very active with east and westbound suburban trains that link So Paulo to the Greater So Paulo region to the East and the Campinas Metropolitan region in Jundia in the western part of the State. Besides housing the interactive Museu da Lngua Portuguesa (Portuguese Language Museum), Luz Station is surrounded by important cultural institutions such as the Pinacoteca do Estado, The Museu de Arte Sacra on Tiradentes Avenue and Jardim da Luz, among others.

Trains in Luz Station. Although poorly maintained by heavy rail services, there is an infrastructure project to build a high-speed railwayservice linking Brazil's two largest cities, So Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.[104] The trains would go as fast as 280 kilometres per hour (170 mph) (the trip would last about 1 hour and 30 minutes). This specific project is still waiting an official announcement by the Brazilian government, who is trying to obtain international financing through a public-private partnership.

Train of CPTM in Luz Station Another important project is the "Expresso Bandeirantes," which is a medium-speed rail service (about 160 km/h) from So Paulo to Campinas, which would reduce the journey time from the current one hour and a half by car to about 50 minutes by train, linking the towns of So Paulo, Jundia, Campinas Airport, and Campinas city center. This service is also going to be connected to the railway service between So Paulo city center and Guarulhos Airport. Major works on an

express railway service between So Paulo city center and Guarulhos International Airport were announced by the So Paulo state government in 2007,[105] which will be a milestone in the revitalisation and improvement of the Brazilian passenger railway services. [edit]Airports

Congonhas Airport. Airplanes waiting in line to take off due to congestion at Congonhas airport.
[106]

So Paulo has two main airports. The So Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport (IATA: GRU) for the international flights and the Congonhas-So Paulo Airport (IATA: CGH) for domestic and regional flights. Another airport, theCampo de Marte Airport, serves light aircraft and helicopters. The three airports together moved 42,617,779 passengers in 2010, making So Paulo one of the top 20 busiest in the world, by number of air passenger movements. The region of Greater So Paulo is also served by So Jos dos Campos Airport andViracopos-Campinas International Airport. Congonhas Airport operates flights mainly to Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte and Braslia. After the upgrade work by Infraero has been completed, passengers now enjoy new boarding lounges, located on the mezzanine level, accessed by escalators. Besides this, eight boarding bridges were installed to provide more comfort to passengers by eliminating the need to walk in the open to their flights. The terminal area was expanded from 37.3 thousand to over 51 thousand square meters. This expansion did not seek to raise capacity, which was already saturated, but only to satisfy current demand. Congonhas Airport, built in the 1930s, was designed to handle 6 million passengers a year and was operating with 12 million a year. The ample new boarding area, separated from the main concourse, adds greatly to passenger comfort.[107]

Panoramic photo of Campo de Marte Airport and in the background the Skyline of the district of Santana Campo de Marte is located in Santana district, the northern zone of So Paulo. The airport handles small aircraft, particularly private craft belonging to flying clubs and air taxi firms. Opened in 1935, Campo de Marte today is the base for the largest helicopter fleet in Brazil. It has no scheduled airlines, but its terminal is equipped with a snack bar, restaurant and bank branch. This airport also is the home base of the State Civil Police Air Tactical Unit, the State Military Police Radio Patrol Unit and the So Paulo Flying Club.[108] A city with possibly the world's highest helicopter ownership rate. Largely using this airport, an elite wealthy class takes advantage of some one hundred remote helipads and heliports to conveniently bypass heavy road traffic.[109] Campo de Marte also hosts the Ventura Goodyear Blimp.

The Guarulhos International, also known to So Paulo dwellers as "Cumbica" is 25 km (16 mi) north-east of the city center, in the neighbouring city of Guarulhos. Every day nearly 100 thousand people pass through the airport, which connects Brazil to 28 countries around the world. There are 370 companies established there generating 53 thousand employments. With capacity to serve 15 million passengers a year, in two terminals, the airport currently handles 32 million users. Construction of a third passenger terminal is pending, to raise yearly capacity to more than 45 million passengers. The project, in the tendering phase, is part of the airports master plan and will get under way shortly. So Paulo International Airport is also the main air cargo hubs in Brazil. The roughly 100 flights a day carry everything from fruits grown in the So Francisco Valley in the Northeast to the most sophisticated medications created by science in the Southeast. The airport's cargo terminal is South America's largest and stands behind only Mexico City's in all of Latin America. In 2003, over 75 thousand metric tons of freight passed through the terminal.[110] [edit]Metro Main articles: So Paulo Metro and Companhia Paulista de Trens Metropolitanos

So Paulo subway.

Sacom Metro Station.

Consolation Station on Avenida Paulista. The city has actually 379,7 km, operated by three companies, the first is 69.0 km (42.9 mi) of underground railway systems (34.6 km (21.4) fully underground) (the So Paulo Metro,[111] locally known as the Metr), with 5 lines in operation and 59 stations,but at this moment other stations and extensions of two line are in work, this is complemented by another 260.7 km (162.0 mi) of Companhia Paulista de Trens Metropolitanos (CPTM, or "Paulista Company of Metropolitan Trains") railways, the third one is Via4. Both CPTM, Via4 and Metr, so the underground and railway lines carry some 7 million people on an average weekday, and new underground lines to be constructed are expected to add another million people to the system within the next five years. The projects expected to expand So Paulo's urban railway system from the current 322 km (200 mi) to more than 500 km (310 mi) on the next 10 years, surpassing the London Underground.[112]

So Paulo Metro is the world's busiest. So Paulo has three rapid transport systems:

The underground rail system (called "metr", short for "metropolitano" and in plates in English is called

"subway"), with three complete lines.

The suburban rail system, Companhia Paulista de Trens Metropolitanos (CPTM), has six lines that serve many

regions not reached by the underground system, and even some other cities in the metropolitan region. The CPTM network is longer than the underground rail system.

The fast-lane bus system: there are many such bus lines in the city, called "Passa Rpido," which are street-

level, placed on large avenues, and connected with the underground or suburban train stations.

Further information: Expresso Tiradentes

Paulista Metro Station. So Paulo has no tram lines, although trams used to be common in the first half of the 20th century.[113] So Paulo's underground train system is considered modern, safe and clean and, although it still has some problems with overcrowding, it was considered one of the best subway systems, as certified by the NBR ISO 9001. It has five lines and links to the metropolitan train network, the CPTM. The So Paulo Metro last year reached the mark of 11.5 million passengers every mile of line. The number is 15% higher than in 2008, when 10 million users were taken per mile. It is the largest concentration of people in a single transport system in the world, according to the company. Also in 2008, the Moscow metro, in Russia, moved 8.6 million people for every mile of track. The Shanghai, China, took 7 million, according to the Community of Metros (Comet, English acronym), an organization that brings together representatives of the 12 largest metro systems in the world. Data from last year have not been released by Comet. Every day last year, 2.56 million people passed through the turnstiles of the subway capital, on average. If taken into account transshipments, these passengers have about 3.5 million trips per day, according to balance sheet contained in the "Management Report 2010" released yesterday with the company's balance sheet. The number of entries in the stations was 6.8% higher than recorded in 2009. While the total number of passengers has increased the satisfaction of those who use the system decreased. The survey "The Metro according to its user: a service evaluation" of last year showed that 60% of respondents rated the means of transport as "very good" and "good." In 2009, the notes were 67% positive. The survey is conducted since 1974. [edit]Buses Main article: Trolleybuses in So Paulo

Low-floor trolleybuses in So Paulo. The bulk of the public transport (government and private companies) is composed of approximately 17,000 buses (including about 290 trolley buses),[114]coloured uniformly according to the non-central region served (ex.: light green for the buses that go North West, dark blue for the Northern area). Until the past few years, there was a strong presence of informal transport vans (dab vans), but the vast majority of such vans are already fully registered with the city council, legalized and operating under the same color scheme of the main system.

Tiet Bus Terminal, the second largestBus Terminal in the world.[115] So Paulo Tiet Bus Terminal is the second largest bus terminal in the world. It serves localities in all the States of Brazil, with the exception of Amazonas,Roraima and Amap. There are routes to 1,010 cities in five countries (Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Paraguay). It offers a special line to theCongonhas and Guarulhos airports, and a ride sharing automobile service to Santos. The Palmeiras-Barra Funda Intermodal Terminal is much smaller and is connected to the Palmeiras-Barra Funda metro and Palmeiras-Barra Funda CPTM stations. It serves the southwestern cities of Sorocaba, Itapetininga, Itu, Botucatu, Bauru, Marlia, Ja, Avar, Piraju, Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo, Ipaussu,Chavantes, and Ourinhos (on the border with Paran State). It also serves So Jos do Rio Preto, Araatuba and other small towns located on the northwest of So Paulo State. For buses to So Paulo coast, travelers need to get off at the Jabaquara metro station, which is the final southbound stop on Line 1 (Blue) of the So Paulo Metro. The Litoral bus terminal serves Praia Grande, Santos and So Vicente on the South Shore and Mongagu, Bertioga, and Guaruj on the North Shore. Buses to North Shore cities such as Maresia, Riviera de So Loureno, Caraguatatuba, Ubatuba, and Paraty, in Rio de Janeiro State must be taken at theTiet Bus Terminal, at Portuguesa-Tiet metro station on Line 1 (Blue). [edit]Helicopters Due to the intense traffic jams on the roads combined with fears of kidnappings among its richer citizens, So Paulo has become the city with the highest number of helicopters in the world. With 462 private helicopters[116] in 2008, and around 70,000 flights per year within central So Paulo, according to the British newspaper The Guardian, is turning into a "real life South-American episode" of The Jetsons.[117] Helicopters enable businessmen and other executives to sharply reduce their commuting time, at least to the most important meetings and conferences. They are also used to bring executives in from their homes in distant parts of the greater metropolitan area and back to them at the end of the work week. Some companies own their helicopters, others lease them, and still others use helicopter taxi services. One suburban helicopter shuttle service, located about 15 miles

(24 km) from the center of the city in a suburb called Tambor, is unique in the sense that it is run and operated totally by women, including its pilots. [edit]Current critical problems

Smog in So Paulo.

Traffic congestion on Consolao Street Main article: Social issues in Brazil Since the beginning of the 20th century, So Paulo has been a major economic center in Latin America. With the arrival of the two World Wars and the Great Depression, coffee exports (from other regions of the state) to the United States and Europe were critically affected, leading wealthy coffee farmers to invest in industrial activities which eventually turned So Paulo into Brazil's largest industrial hub. The new job positions thereof contributed to attracting a significant number of immigrants from Europe and Asia and migrants from within the country, especially the northeastern states. From a population of merely 32,000 inhabitants in 1880, So Paulo increased its population to approximately 250,000 in 1900, 1,800,000 in 1940, 4,750,000 in 1960 and 8,500,000 in 1980. The effects of this population boom have been:

Poverty and development of favelas Although urban planning has been implemented in some areas, So Paulo has developed quickly without major

planning.

Overcrowded public transport associated with a high number of cars and other vehicles in circulation lead to

consistently congested traffic on many roads of the city.

Due to heavy usage and poor maintenance, the quality of the pavement on certain roads (especially in the

outskirts of the city) is problematic, andpotholes and other asphalt defects are common.

For a long time considered to be one of the most critical problems found in the city, crime rates are, finally,

about to reach non endemic levels defined byUnited Nations parameters by a homicide rate below 10.0. With numbers consistently decreasing for the past 12 years, the city homicide rate is 9.0 in 2011, less than half the 22.3 national rate. Today So Paulo figures as an world-wide example on crime reduction due to the its approach on public safety.[118]

High air pollution,[119] mainly due to the high circulation of automobiles and buses in town. The two major rivers crossing the city, Tiet and Pinheiros, are highly polluted. A major project to clean up these

rivers is under way.

[edit]Solutions

The Clean City Law or antibillboard, approved in 2007, focused on two main targets: antipublicity and

anticommerce. Advertisers estimate that they removed 15,000 billboards and that more than 1,600 signs and 1,300 towering metal panels were dismantled by authorities.[120]

Some countries have adopted vehicular restrictions in order to reduce air pollution levels. In So Paulo

metropolitan region, the vehicle restriction was adopted from 1996 to 1998, in order to reduce air pollution, during wintertime. Since 1997, a similar project was implemented during the whole year in the central area of So Paulo in order to improve the urban traffic.[121]