São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city proper in the southern hemisphere and the Americas and the world’s seventh largest city by population (11.3 million). The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among the ten largest metropolitan areas on the planet (19.9 million).
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 (462 private choppers), its architecture, gastronomy, severe traffic congestion and multitude of skyscrapers.