Brazil
São Paulo
Welcome to Brazil! São Paulo is one of the biggest cities in the entire world, a huge sea of skyscrapers stretching to the horizon in every direction. Yet right in the middle of all those towers sits Ibirapuera Park, a giant green space full of lakes, trees, and curvy modern buildings.
Why is it famous?
São Paulo is the largest city in South America and one of the largest in the entire world, home to more than 12 million people.
Avenida Paulista is the city's most famous street, lined with skyscrapers, museums, and the striking red-and-glass MASP art museum that seems to float above the ground.
How was it built?
São Paulo started nearly 500 years ago as a small mission settlement on a hilltop, chosen because it was easier to defend and had a pleasant, cooler climate than the coast.
The city grew explosively during a coffee-growing boom over a century ago, when new railways and waves of immigrants turned it from a small town into a major hub almost overnight.
Amazing facts
São Paulo's skyline has thousands of skyscrapers, more than almost any other city on the planet.
Ibirapuera Park's bright red Auditório building was designed by Oscar Niemeyer, famous for his swooping, curvy architecture found across Brazil.
Quick facts
- São Paulo's skyline has thousands of skyscrapers, more than almost any other city on the planet.
- Ibirapuera Park's bright red Auditório building was designed by Oscar Niemeyer, famous for his swooping, curvy architecture found across Brazil.
- The city sits on a plateau far from the coast, so unlike Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo has no ocean beaches of its own.
- São Paulo is home to people from all over the world, including one of the largest Japanese communities outside of Japan.