São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil and South America, and is the most populous city in the Southern Hemisphere with an estimated 11,105,249 residents within an area of 588 square miles.  São Paulo was founded by the Jesuits in 1554 as a mission center for early settlers.  It is located on a plateau that is part of the Serra do Mar (Portuguese for "Sea Range"), itself a component of the vast region known as the Brazilian Highlands, with an average elevation of around 2,620 ft. above sea level - though at a distance of only about 43 miles from the Atlantic Ocean.  São Paulo is the 19th richest city on earth, with one of the biggest financial centers in Brazil and the world. 

Acclaimed as a city of business tourism, São Paulo attracts today's biggest and most important international events in the economic, cultural, scientific and sporting area.  It holds more than 200 events per day, and offers a wide-range of event venues.  With more than 12,000 restaurants of more than 40 different world cuisines, numerous museums, cinemas, theaters, art galleries and cultural centers; São Paulo has one of the liveliest night-lives in the world. 

The ITC will lead a joint business development mission to São Paulo and Belo Horizonte, Brazil in September 2009.

Brazil is Miami-Dade County's #1 trading partner with bilateral trade at $13.17 billion in 2008.  Top exports included jet engines/parts, aircraft parts and computers/parts, and top imports included aircraft and cellular and landline phones/parts. Miami's Customs District is the main entry port of Brazilian goods in the U.S.  Miami-Dade and São Paulo have enjoyed a Sister City relationship since 1988.