All You Need To Know About Sao Paulo, Brazil's Largest City

[TotallyOz]

I found this article on Forbes and thought some of you might like it.

The recent protests in Brazil that have caused Dilma Rousseffs approval rate to drop by 27% in less than three weeks, which started as a local protest against public transport fare increase in São Paulo. As São Paulo continues to be at the epicenter of Brazils massive protests, the city has been making international headlines daily . Therefore, it is a good time to increase your knowledge about Brazils largest city. Here is all you need to know about São Paulo:

São Paulo is both the name of a state, as well as, a city. Those born in the city of São Paulo are called Paulistanos. Those born in the state of São Paulo but, not in its capital, are called Paulistas. To illustrate, there are three Paulistanos soccer teams in the first division of the national league: Portuguesa, São Paulo and Corinthians, which is the only billionaire soccer club in Brazil. Accordingly, there are two Paulistas soccer teams in Brazils Serie A: Ponte Preta and Santos FC.

São Paulo state has 645 municipalities and a population of approximately 40 million inhabitants. According to IBGE, Brazils main government research institute, the population in the city of São Paulo is about 11 million inhabitants. If we take into account the metropolitan area, which includes 38 smaller cities around the capital, the population is almost 19,000,000 inhabitants. In Brazil, 81.3% of the population lives in urban areas even though the amazon rainforest covers up to 57% of the total area of Southern hemispheres largest country. This urban concentration helps to explain why it is more expensive to rent an office in São Paulo than in New York City.

São Paulo metropolitan region totals 847 thousand students enrolled in institutes of higher education (mainly colleges and universities), 90% are enrolled in private institutions and 10% in public ones. According to Sindata, which provides data about São Paulos education ecosystem, there are 202 private institutions of higher education and 20 public one in São Paulo metropolitan are, representing a growth of 47% in the total of institutions of higher education since 2000. (See: Brazils Multi-Billion Dollar Education Industry: Shaping Futures, Changing Lives, and Minting Billionaires).

In 2013, São Paulo ranked 6th in Forbes List of the Top 10 Billionaire cities. There are 26 billionaires (up from 19 last year) with primary residences in São Paulo. Together, their total net worth is superior to $120 billion. The average billionaire living is São Paulo is worth $4.65 billion. However, São Paulo is not included in the list of the top 20 cities with the largest amounts of millionaires. (See: All you ever needed to know about Brazilian billionaires).

One of the biggest challenges of living in São Paulo is definitively the commute. In São Paulo, the average traffic jams on Friday evenings is 180km (112 miles) and as long as 295km (183 miles) on bad days according to local traffic engineers. However, smart visitors can get a free pass if they stay in Jardins, Highienópolis or Centro as most sights, galleries, restaurants and shops will be within easy reach. There are 420 helicopters registered in São Paulo, a total second only to New York, according to the Brazilian Association of Helicopter Pilots. In São Paulo state there are 700 registered helicopters and 1,900 in Brazil.

São Paulo has 12,500 restaurants. Including more pizzerias than any city worldwide. The most renowned paulista restaurant is D.O.M., which has been in the list of the worlds best restaurants for the past eight years. Alex Atala, the worlds most influential chef, was born in São Paulo and runs both D.O.M. and Dalva & Dito.

São Paulo is home to the largest Japanese diaspora in the world. There are 1.5 million people of Japanese origin living in SP. The architect Ruy Othake, one of the most emblematic Japanese-Brazilians, is the head behind the half-moon-shaped Hotel Unique, one of São Paulos most recognizable landmarks and South Americas most surprising hotel. São Paulos Japan town neighborhood is called Liberdade, which means freedom in Portuguese, and has a McDonalds with a Japanese-style garden around the back.

São Paulo is home to the worlds largest gay parade. According to the organizers, 3.5 million people attended the 17th Gay Pride parade and the festivities that followed on June 2, 2013. According to Paul Thompson, founder of LGBT Capital, a specialist asset management and corporate advisory business for this sector, the Brazilian LGBT market is worth R$ 300 billion (US$133 billion) and is booming. This estimate puts Brazils gay market only behind its European ($870 billion), American ($750 billion) and Chinese ($300 billion) counterparts.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ricardogeromel/2013/07/12/all-you-need-to-know-about-sao-paulo-brazils-largest-city/