Subdivisions of São Paulo

The city of São Paulo in Brazil is a large metropolitan city that has several levels of subdivision. Administratively, the municipality is divided into 31 subprefectures, each in turn divided into 96 districts. Locally, districts may contain one or more neighborhoods (bairros).

Administrative Zones

The subprefectures are officially grouped into nine regions (or "zones"), taking into account their geographical position and history of occupation. These regions are used only in technical and governmental agencies and are not identified by any visual communication in the city.

Official Administrative Zones of São Paulo.

Administrative Zones of São Paulo
Zone	Population	Area
	est. 2008	in km²
Central	328,597	31
Northwest	1,007,691	144
Northeast	1,181,582	152
East 1	1,212,099	140
East 2	1,342,924	68,8
Southeast	1,494,770	128
South	2,346,913	607
South-Central	715,910	74
West	872,817	128
City of São Paulo	10,940,311	1509
Source:[1]

Subprefectures

Subprefectures are similar to the boroughs of New York City. Subprefectures were created—at least in theory—to give more financial autonomy to local governments. There are 31 subprefectures.

Subprefectures
1	Aricanduva		17	M'Boi Mirim
2	Butantã		18	Mooca
3	Campo Limpo		19	Parelheiros
4	Capela do Socorro		20	Penha
5	Casa Verde		21	Perus
6	Cidade Ademar		22	Pinheiros
7	Cidade Tiradentes		23	Pirituba-Jaraguá
8	Ermelino Matarazzo		24	Santana-Tucuruvi
9	Freguesia-Brasilândia		25	Santo Amaro
10	Guaianases		26	São Mateus
11	Ipiranga		27	São Miguel Paulista
12	Itaim Paulista		28	Sé
13	Itaquera		29	Vila Maria-Vila Guilherme
14	Jabaquara		30	Vila Mariana
15	Jaçanã-Tremembé		31	Vila Prudente
16	Lapa

Districts

Districts are smaller areas within the subprefecture.

Districts of the city of São Paulo

Bairros

Some districts are further divided into bairros, which are the equivalent of neighborhoods in English.

Geographic Areas

The city of São Paulo recognizes ten geographical areas used to reference locations in the city. These zones were established by dividing the city radially from the center and each is represented by a different color that is used on city buses and street signs. It should be noted, however, that the only criterion used for this division is geographic boundaries (roads, rivers, etc.), having no relation whatsoever to the administrative divisions. Some districts can be partly in one geographic area, and partly in another.

Geographic Areas of the city of São Paulo

Geographic Areas of São Paulo

Historical Center

Expanded Center

Northwest

North

East

Northeast

Southeast

South

Southwest

West

References

1. Observatório Cidadão - Rede Nossa São Paulo, esse site análisa as 31 subprefeituras e os 96 distritos