An ultramodern city in southeastern Brazil; the largest city in South America.
City in Brazil, 72 km/45 mi NW of its port Santos; metropolitan area 15,280,000. It is 900 m/3,000 ft above sea level, and 2ş S of the Tropic of Capricorn. It is South America's leading industrial city, producing electronics, steel, and chemicals; it has meatpacking plants and is the center of Brazil's coffee trade. It originated as a Jesuit mission 1554.