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 Sao Paulo - History

In 1554, Jesuit missionaries founded São Paulo College. The city centre is located where this college once stood. The population grew steadily and in 1711, the village of São Paulo became a city and an important warehouse.

Increased coffee production and the construction of the railway, linking the city with Santos' harbour, paved the way for economic progress. The foreign immigrants that arrived at the end of the 19th century greatly contributed to the economic development and population growth.

Since the beginning of the 19th century, São Paulo has continued to grow, which has impacted its character.

Nowadays, the city of São Paulo is the major financial and business centre of Brazil and home to a huge industrial park with more than 25,000 companies and two million direct jobs. The city is responsible for half of the Brazilian Gross National Product.

2,493 feet (760 meters) above sea level, but only 45 miles (72 km) from the coast, as a mission center Patio do Colegio - as the area today is called) for early settlers and the Indians who inhabited the area. For a long time it remained a small town. Around 1850 it began to grow and became richer thanks to the highly productive coffee plantations in the state. Later on, the income from coffee exports and the increasing population provided capital and manpower for the foundation of an industrial base. Today it is the industrial and financial center of Brazil generating over 30% of the GNP.

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