São Luís
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São Luís is a city located in Maranhão state in northeastern Brazil. It is the capital and largest city of the state, serving as an important cultural and economic center in the region.
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São Luís (/ˈsaʊnˈlwiːs/, SOWN LWEES; Brazilian Portuguese: [ˌsɐ̃w luˈis]; "Saint Louis") is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Maranhão. The city is located on São Luís Island, in the Baía de São Marcos (Saint Mark's Bay), an extension of the Atlantic Ocean which forms the estuary of Pindaré, Mearim, Itapecuru and other rivers. Its coordinates are 2.53° south, 44.30° west. São Luís has the second largest maritime extension within Brazilian states. Its maritime extension is 640 km (397 miles). The city proper has a population of some 1,088,057 people (2024 IBGE census). The metropolitan area totals 1,536,017, ranked as the 15th largest in Brazil.
São Luís, created originally as Saint-Louis-de-Maragnan, is the only Brazilian state capital founded by France (see France Équinoxiale) and it is one of the three Brazilian state capitals located on islands (the others are Vitória and Florianópolis). The historic center of the city (dating from the 17th century) has its original street plan preserved and was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.