ABSTRACT
Flying into São Paulo on a clear day, one can easily understand why this city has been called the locomotive that pulls the rest of Brazil. With a population in excess of 15 million, it is the largest city of the Southern Hemisphere. From its center thrust impressive clusters of modem buildings; beyond them the metropolitan complex stretches as far as the eye can see. This is the foremost industrial center of Latin America, and a dominant presence in finance and trade. São Paulo is home to Brazil’s automobile industry, and accounts for much of its manufacturing in sectors as diverse as computers, electrical and mechanical appliances, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, textiles, furniture, and processed foods. With about one-tenth of Brazil’s population, the city generates one-third of the country’s net national product. In addition to being an economic powerhouse, São Paulo is a force in culture and intellectual debate, the site of four universities, a medical school, and many important museums. In economics, politics, and the arts, writes Alves (2003), “São Paulo has become an exporter of ideas.”
