Brazil's Megacities: São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro & Brasília

Brazil has three metropolitan areas exceeding the 10-million threshold commonly used to define "megacities" (though definitions vary; UN uses 10M for urban agglomeration).

1. São Paulo (São Paulo Metro Region – RMSP)

• Population: ~22.6 million (metro, 2022 IBGE) – largest in Southern Hemisphere, 4th globally.
• Role: Financial capital (B3 stock exchange), industrial core (ABC Paulista), services, tech, culture. GDP ~$500B (PPP).
• Challenges: Traffic, inequality, water security, sprawl.

2. Rio de Janeiro (Rio Metro Region)

• Population: ~13.7 million (metro, 2022).
• Role: Oil & gas (Petrobras HQ), tourism (Christ the Redeemer, Copacabana, Carnival), media, shipbuilding, universities.
• Icon: Sugarloaf, Corcovado, Maracanã, Tijuca Forest.

3. Brasília (Federal District + Entorno)

• Population: ~4.8 million (metro, 2022) – does NOT meet 10M threshold. Often called a megacity in Brazilian context due to political centrality, but technically a large metro.
• Role: Planned capital (1960), government, embassies, services. Designed by Lúcio Costa & Oscar Niemeyer.
• Note: The source claims 3.1M city / 10M+ metro – metro is ~4.8M. "Megacity" label is aspirational/political.

Other Major Metros (Approaching Megacity)

• Belo Horizonte: ~6.3M
• Porto Alegre: ~4.4M
• Recife: ~4.3M
• Fortaleza: ~4.2M
• Salvador: ~4.0M

Brazil's urbanization: 87% urban (2022). Megacities drive national economy but concentrate inequality.