SÃO PAULO
São Paulo, the capital of the State with the same name, is the largest city in Brasil, and indeed South America. It is the second largest city in the Americas, beaten only by Mexico City. The population of the greater São Paulo area is in excess of 20 million. The people refer to themselves as Paulsitanos or Paulista's, though the second term refers to generally anyone from the State. It is the main Economic Centre in all of South America, and is sometimes compared to New York, hence its nickname “The Big Apple of South America”.
HISTORY
The City was founded on 25th January 1554 by the Jesuit missionaries Manuel da Nóbrega
and José de Anchieta. The original name of their settlement was called São Paulo
dos Campos de Piratininga. They established the Colégio de São Paulo de Piratininga
with the aim of converting the local Tupi-
The settlement got its city status in 1711, and by this time was known simply as São Paulo. It became prosperous in the 19th Century because of its close proximity to the port City of Santos, convenient for shipping coffee grown in the area all over the world, so it’s not unfair to say that the City flourished because of the “black gold”.
After slavery was abolished in 1888 the authorities in Brasil were terrified that Brasil would become a “black country”, so they decided to open up immigration to white Europeans. Most of these immigrants came from Italy, though others came from countries like Spain, Portugal (naturally), Germany and Poland. The Italian community is still the largest in the city, and indeed South America. Later Arabic populations arrived, mainly Lebanese, and also Japanese. Indeed the Japanese community in the Liberdade district is the largest outside of Japan.
There is a rivalry between São Paulo & Rio de Janeiro which echoes that of other cities around the world, for example Edinburgh & Glasgow in Scotland.
GETTING THERE
Getting to São Paulo is easy. The city has 2 airports. The International airport is located in nearby Guarulhos, which itself used to be a part of the city before breaking away. The other airport is Congonhas, and this is located in the centre of the city. This airport handles mainly domestic flights, although there are also some flights to other South American countries. There is a metro system in the city which is best avoided during rush hour as you will find yourself jammed in tighter than sardines, and will have to fight to get off the metro at your stop. Trains run to nearby smaller cities, and naturally there is an excellent bus service within the city and to other cities in the State from Barra Funda. The other Bus Terminal at Tieté deals with longer distance coach travel to other parts of Brasil/South America.
SAFETY ISSUES
Much is made of the violence in the city, but in my general opinion the city is no different from any large city throughout the world. Actually I felt safer in Sampa (as the locals call the city) than in some other places I’ve visited (such as Vitória in Espirito Santo). Basic precautions should of course be taken. Don’t appear to “showy”, that is, don’t wander around with expensive watches, jewellery or cameras adorning your person, and you should be alright. Also never travel on your own after dark, and take a taxi if possible. If you do find yourself on your own after dark then stick to well lit areas with lots of people around. Sadly the phenomenon called “Flash Kidnapping” is not uncommon. This usually involves the person being snatched off the street & separated from their credit cards, money & jewellery.
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