Originally founded as São Paulo de Piratininga, the city is known simply as São Paulo today. Its residents are referred to as Paulistanos, while those who reside outside the city, but in the surrounding state of São Paulo, are called Paulistas.
São Paulo is an immense city. The city proper covers an area of about 1500 sq km (about 580 sq mi) and the metropolitan region spreads out over about 7900 sq km (about 3100 sq mi). The commercial core of the city is found in an area known locally as the Triângulo (Triangle). The large Praça da República (Plaza of the Republic) forms one of the center's key geographical anchors, and many hotels and restaurants are located on adjacent streets. In addition, there is a wide range of commercial, retail, and office establishments located in the area, as well as a number of the city's principal landmarks. These include the city's tallest structure, the 42-story Edifício Itália (Italian Building); the nearby modernistic S-shaped skyscraper, the Copan Building; and the Municipal Theater, which blends art nouveau and Italian Renaissance architectural styles. The imposing and architecturally significant German Gothic Municipal Market is on the northeast margin of the city center, near Dom Pedro II Park.
