A city of southeast Brazil west-southwest of Rio de Janeiro. Founded by Jesuits in 1554, it developed rapidly as an industrial and commercial center after the 1880s and is now the largest city in South America. Population: 10,300,000.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
