'''Sao Paulo''' is a state in the southeast of Brazil. It is the richest state in Brazil. It has the second highest per-capita income (lower than only the Federal District) and, with the states of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina, the highest standard of living in Brazil, despite the poverty in some peripheral parts of the largest cities.
Regions
Cities
Sao Paulo - The large, rich and cosmopolitan capital of Sao Paulo, with its large number of museums, theaters, restaurant, malls, offices and annual and international events. It's one of the best cities for business tourism in the world.
Campinas - A large industrial city, second largest city in the state.
Sao Carlos - Capital of Tecnology.
Campos do Jordao - A lovely mountain city covered by lots of Brazilian Pines, with a nice climate, European architecture, cobblestone streets, and small shops. The city is famous for its yearly Winter Classical Music Festival.
Guaruja - Devoted to tourism with dozens of beaches that stretch along its avenues and urban zones.
Holambra - Near Campinas, a city of Dutch colonization and greater producer in Brazil of flowers. At the end of winter every year, there is the "Expoflora", an exhibition of flowers and typical Dutch dances and presentations.
Ribeirao Preto - Sometimes nicknamed "The Brazilian California". It's the third largest city in the state, after Campinas and Sao Paulo City.
Ilhabela - A beach city, with some of the most beautiful beaches in the state.
Santos - The largest port in Brazil.
Sao Caetano do Sul - Close to Sao Paulo City, it's the Brazilian city with the highest standard of living.
Sao Jose dos Campos - known as the "Brazilian aeronautics capital"
Barretos - Known by the rodeo, with large farms and the greatest rodeo of the world.
Other destinations
Eldorado Paulista - In the extreme south of the state, has the "Caverna do Diabo" (The Devil's Cave), on of the of the most beautiful caves in Brazil.
Understand
Geography
The state of Sao Paulo has an area of approximately 248,800 km2 (95,700 mi2), and a population of about 40 million (21.5% of the population of Brazil), which makes it the most populous country subdivision in the Western Hemisphere. The climate of Sao Paulo is tropical to subtropical, altitude being the largest contributor to what variation there is. The capital, Sao Paulo, barely outside the tropics in the south of the state and about 800 meters (2,600 feet) above sea level, has daily minimum and maximum averaging about 19__C and 28__C (66__F and 82__F) respectively at the warmest time of year and about 12__C and 22__C (54__F and 72__F) respectively at the coolest time of year. Temperatures reach around 33__C (91__F) on the hottest days and fall as low as 5__C (41__F) on the coldest nights. In the low-lying northwest of the state, temperatures average around 4__C (7__F) higher.
Economy
Sao Paulo state is responsible for approximately one-third of Brazilian GDP. Its economy is based on machinery, the automobile and aviation industries, services, financial companies, commerce, textiles, orange growing, sugar cane and coffee production.
Wealth is unequally distributed in the state, however. The richest municipalities are centered around Greater Sao Paulo (such as Campinas, Jundiai, Paulinia, Americana, Indaiatuba, Sao Jose dos Campos, Santos, etc.), as well as a few other more distant nucle, such as around Sao Carlos and Ribeirao Preto. Some regions, such as Registro and the Bananal region, in the border with Rio de Janeiro, are very poor.
Demography
Sao Paulo has the most diverse population of Brazil. Strong immigration in the late 19th century and early 20th century brought people from all over the world to the state. The main ethnic group in Sao Paulo are the Italians. There are about 15 million people of Italian descent living in the state, and it is one of the largest concentration of Italians outside Italy.
Sao Paulo always had a large Portuguese population, since the 16th century, though most Portuguese arrived in the state in the early 20th century. The Spanish population is also large, with some 7 million people of Spanish descent in the state. The Arab population, mainly Christians of Lebanese or Syrian descent are 5 million, and people of German descent are about 3 million.T he population of Afro-Brazilian descent in Sao Paulo grew in the last decades, due to strong migration of people from northeastern Brazil, which used to concentrated most of them. The people of Asian descent make up 10% of the population, most of them of Japanese descent. Sao Paulo has the largest Japanese population outside of Japan. Other Asian groups include Chinese and Koreans.
Talk
Get in
A current visa is required to travel from another country into Brazil. A current passport is required to apply for a visa, which is valid for travel to Brazil within 90 days of issuing.
Traveling From the United States
The United States is divided in to nine consular jurisdictions. Each consular office handles visa processing from the states, areas, within their jurisdiction. Each office has different requirements for obtaining a visa. In general, a passport and proof of residence in the jurisdiction from which you are applying, are enough for identification. Along with a fully completed application, a travel itinerary is required for a visa. Fees are associated with each type of passport. Application can be submitted in person or through the U.S. Postal Service. If applying by mail, be prepared to wait two weeks for processing.
Consulate Offices
Atlanta, Georgia
(Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennesee
Boston, Maryland
(Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont)
http://www.consulatebrazil.org
Chicago, Illinois
(Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin)
www.brazilconsulatechicago.org
Houston, Texas
(Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Texas)
http://www.brazilhouston.org
Los Angeles, California
(Arizona, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, California-Specific areas)
http://www.brazilian-consulate.org
Miami, Florida
(Florida, Porto Rico, Virgin Islands)
http://www.brazilmiami.org
New York, New York
(Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Bermudas)
http://www.brazilny.org
San Francisco, California
(Oregon, Washington, Alaska, California- Specific areas)
http://www.brazilsf.org
Washington, D.C.
(Washington D.C., Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia)
http://www.brasilemb.org
Get around
Sao Paulo is the state with the largest system of transportation in Latin America, comprising roads, railways, fluvial lanes, airports, river and sea ports. The city of Sao Paulo also boasts of a metro and a suburban railway system.
See
Do
Eat
Drink
Get out