Map of São Paulo
São Paulo is a first-level division of Brazil. Its largest mapped city is São Paulo, with about 18.84 million people in the metropolitan area. The interactive map below is centred on São Paulo, and the tables list its 47 mapped cities along with the mountains, lakes, ports, World Heritage Sites nearest to them.
- Cities Mapped
- 47
- Largest City
- São Paulo
- Country
- Brazil
- Highest Point Mapped
- 2,798 m
Interactive Map of São Paulo
About São Paulo
São Paulo (, Portuguese: [sɐ̃w ˈpawlu] ) is one of the 26 states of the Federative Republic of Brazil and is named after Saint Paul of Tarsus. It is located in the Southeast Region and is bordered by the states of Minas Gerais to the north and northeast, Paraná to the south, Rio de Janeiro to the east, and Mato Grosso do Sul to the west, in addition to the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast. It is divided into 645 municipalities. The total area is 248,219.481 square kilometres (95,838.077 square miles), comprising 2.9% of Brazil's territory. Its capital is the municipality of São Paulo, which is the most populous city in country.
With more than 44 million inhabitants in 2022, São Paulo is the most populous Brazilian state, comprising around 22% of the Brazilian population. It is the world's 28th-most-populous sub-national entity, the most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, and the fourth-most-populous political entity of South America, surpassed only by the rest of the Brazilian federation, Colombia, and Argentina. The local population is one of the most diverse in the country. Ethnic groups present in the state include Portuguese, who colonized Brazil; Italians, who began immigrating to the country in the late 19th century; Indigenous peoples, many distinct ethnic groups; Africans, who were brought from Africa as enslaved people in the colonial era and migrants from other regions of the country. Arabs, Armenians, Chinese, Germans, Greeks, Japanese, Spanish, and American Southerners are some other national backgrounds present in the local population.
The region of São Paulo was inhabited by Indigenous peoples from approximately 12,000 BC. In the early 16th century, the coast was visited by Portuguese and Spanish explorers and navigators. In 1532, Martim Afonso de Sousa founded São Vicente, which was the first permanent Portuguese settlement in the Americas.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: São Paulo (state) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
São Paulo in Depth
History
The region of the current state of São Paulo was already inhabited by Amerindian peoples since at least approximately 10,000 BCE, as evidenced by studies carried out in ancient archaeological sites (such as the sites Caetetuba, Bastos, Boa Esperança II and Lagoa do Camargo) in different parts of the current territory of São Paulo. There are even records (e.g. - studies at the Rincão I archaeological site) that suggest that ancient human occupation was already present in São Paulo 17 thousand years ago, during the last glacial maximum.
Geography
São Paulo is one of 27 states of Brazil, located southwest of the Southeast Region. The state area is 248,222.362 km2 (95,839.190 sq mi), most of the north of the Tropic of Capricorn, and the 12th unit of the Brazilian federation in area and the second in the Southeast region, behind only Minas Gerais. The state has a relatively high relief, having 85 percent of its surface between three hundred and nine hundred meters above sea level, 8 percent below three hundred meters and 7 percent over nine hundred meters.
The distance between its north and south end points is 611 km (380 mi), and 923 km (574 mi) between the east–west extremes. The state time zone follows the Brasilia time, which is three hours behind Greenwich Mean Time.
Economy
In 2009 the service sector was the largest component of GDP at 69%, followed by the industrial sector at 31%. Agriculture represents 2% of GDP. The state produces 34% of Brazilian goods and services. São Paulo (state) exports: vehicles 17%, airplanes and helicopters 12%, food industry 10%, sugar and alcohol fuel 8%, orange juice 5%, telecommunications 4% (2002).
São Paulo state is responsible for approximately a third of Brazilian GDP. The state's GDP (PPP) amounts US$1.221 trillion, making it the biggest economy in Latin America and in the Southern Hemisphere. Its economy is based on machinery, the automobile and aviation industries, services, financial companies, commerce, textiles, orange growing, sugar cane and coffee bean production.
Demographics
According to the IBGE estimates for 2022, there were 44,411,238 people residing in the state. The population density was 177.4 inhabitants per square kilometre (459/sq mi).
The 2022 census revealed the following numbers: 25,661,895 White people (57.8%), 14,636,695 Brown (Multiracial) people (33%), 3,546,562 Black people (8%), 513,066 Asian people (1.2%), and 50,528 Amerindian people (0.1%).
People of Italian descent predominate in many towns, including the capital city, where 48 percent of the population has at least one Italian ancestor. The Italians mostly came from Veneto and Campania. There are 32 million descendants of Italians in Brazil, half of whom live in the state of São Paulo.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: São Paulo (state) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
São Paulo: Key Facts
| Population | 44,411,238 (2022) |
|---|---|
| Area | 248,209 km² |
| Capital | São Paulo |
| Head of government | Tarcísio de Freitas |
| Highest point | Pedra da Mina |
| Established | 1889 |
Facts from Wikidata Q175 (CC0).
History of São Paulo: Empires and States
The atlas records 7 polities whose mapped territory included part of São Paulo, from The Portuguese Empire in 1556 CE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here |
|---|---|
| The Portuguese Empire | 1556–1823 CE |
| The Spanish Empire | 1582–1639 CE |
| Empire of Brazil | 1822–1889 CE |
| Brazilian Republic | 1890–1966 CE |
| Unitary State of Brazil | 1932–1945 CE |
| Federated Republic of Brazil | 1967–1986 CE |
| Republic of Brazil | 1987–2024 CE |
Historical Maps of São Paulo
São Paulo on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Visiting São Paulo
São Paulo is a state in the southeast of Brazil. It is undoubtedly the country's economic powerhouse, contributing alone to one third of the Brazilian GDP. Among visitors, the state is more well-known for its huge and somewhat chaotic capital, São Paulo. However, the vast countryside of the state offers much else to be enjoyed, including rainforest-surrounded amazing beaches, a rich Italian and Japanese heritage blended seamlessly with local (caipira) culture, and prosperous, relaxing small towns.
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: São Paulo (state) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Largest Cities in São Paulo
47 cities mapped. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | São Paulo | 18.84 million | São Paulo | Admin-1 capital |
| 2 | Campinas | 2.79 million | São Paulo | Populated place |
| 3 | Santos | 1.71 million | São Paulo | Populated place |
| 4 | São José dos Campos | 753,769 | São Paulo | Populated place |
| 5 | Santo André | 662,373 | São Paulo | Populated place |
| 6 | Sorocaba | 563,281 | São Paulo | Populated place |
| 7 | Ribeirão Preto | 551,267 | São Paulo | Populated place |
| 8 | Jundiaí | 505,548 | São Paulo | Populated place |
| 9 | Americana | 479,472 | São Paulo | Populated place |
| 10 | Taubaté | 403,560 | São Paulo | Populated place |
| 11 | São José do Rio Preto | 374,699 | São Paulo | Populated place |
| 12 | Piracicaba | 342,209 | São Paulo | Populated place |
| 13 | Bauru | 335,024 | São Paulo | Populated place |
| 14 | Itu | 320,170 | São Paulo | Populated place |
| 15 | Franca | 305,041 | São Paulo | Populated place |
| 16 | Limeira | 289,665 | São Paulo | Populated place |
| 17 | Marília | 212,218 | São Paulo | Populated place |
| 18 | Presidente Prudente | 209,502 | São Paulo | Populated place |
| 19 | São Carlos | 205,035 | São Paulo | Populated place |
| 20 | Guaratinguetá | 203,580 | São Paulo | Populated place |
| 21 | Rio Claro | 180,147 | São Paulo | Populated place |
| 22 | Araçatuba | 170,024 | São Paulo | Populated place |
| 23 | Pindamonhangaba | 132,218 | São Paulo | Populated place |
| 24 | Bragança Paulista | 127,676 | São Paulo | Populated place |
| 25 | Itapetininga | 126,243 | São Paulo | Populated place |
The other 22 (population, region, role)
- Jaú · 119,206 · São Paulo · Populated place
- Botucatu · 113,862 · São Paulo · Populated place
- Catanduva · 109,612 · São Paulo · Populated place
- Barretos · 101,220 · São Paulo · Populated place
- Ourinhos · 97,799 · São Paulo · Populated place
- Tatuí · 93,580 · São Paulo · Populated place
- Itanhaem · 90,385 · São Paulo · Populated place
- Assis · 87,471 · São Paulo · Populated place
- Avaré · 81,285 · São Paulo · Populated place
- São João da Boa Vista · 76,540 · São Paulo · Populated place
- Jaboticabal · 69,394 · São Paulo · Populated place
- Itapeva · 62,957 · São Paulo · Populated place
- Tupã · 62,035 · São Paulo · Populated place
- Fernandópolis · 61,931 · São Paulo · Populated place
- Pirassununga · 60,413 · São Paulo · Populated place
- Penápolis · 54,477 · São Paulo · Populated place
- Registro · 53,273 · São Paulo · Populated place
- Andradina · 52,406 · São Paulo · Populated place
- Batatais · 51,976 · São Paulo · Populated place
- Garça · 41,302 · São Paulo · Populated place
- Novo Horizonte · 30,158 · São Paulo · Populated place
- Iguape · 23,784 · São Paulo · Populated place
Highest Mountains in São Paulo
1 mountain mapped. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Elevation | Feet | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pico da Pedra da Mina | 2,798 m | 9,180 ft | South America |
Largest Lakes in São Paulo
3 lakes mapped. Ranked by mapped surface area. A lake on a border is listed under each country it lies in, with the area of the whole lake. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Surface Area | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bariri | 1,435 km² | Reservoir |
| 2 | Barra Bonita | 671 km² | Reservoir |
| 3 | Tiete | 372 km² | Reservoir |
Ports in São Paulo
2 ports mapped. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Channel Depth | Class | Sea | Max Vessel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Clara | 49.4 m | Very Small | Atlantic Coast of South America | medium vessels |
| 2 | Sao Sebastiao | 38.4 m | Small | Atlantic Coast of South America | large vessels |
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in São Paulo
1 World Heritage Site mapped. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Inscribed | Type | Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atlantic Forest South-East Reserves | 1999 | Natural | (vii) (ix) (x) |
São Paulo: Quick Answers
- Where is São Paulo?
- São Paulo is a first-level division of Brazil, in South America. Its mapped cities centre on 22.4669° S, 48.1328° W.
- What is the largest city in São Paulo?
- São Paulo is the largest city mapped in São Paulo, with a metropolitan population of about 18.84 million.
- How many cities are in São Paulo?
- YearMaps maps 47 cities and towns in São Paulo, with a combined metropolitan population of about 32.39 million. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.
- What is the highest mountain in São Paulo?
- The highest summit mapped in São Paulo is Pico da Pedra da Mina at 2,798 m.
- What is the largest lake in São Paulo?
- The largest lake mapped in or beside São Paulo is Bariri, at about 1,435 km².