Santos is the major port city of Brazil. The municipality of Santos has a population of 419,400. A municipality may include rural areas as well as the urban center. Santos lies on Brazil’s southeast coast, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) from the huge city of São Paulo. Santos is built on the sheltered inland side of a small island linked by bridges to the mainland.
In the 1860’s, a railroad was built between Santos and São Paulo. The railroad helped Santos become a center of the import and export trade of São Paulo and much of southern Brazil. Today, the production of iron and steel, petroleum products, and hydroelectric power contribute to the city’s economy. Many people who live in Santos work in São Paulo.
Portuguese colonists formed a settlement at the present site of Santos in the early 1500’s. Santos became a town in 1586.
