São Paulo (/ˌsaʊ ˈpaʊloʊ/; Portuguese pronunciation: [sɐ̃w ˈpawlu]; Saint Paul) is a municipality, metropolis and global city located in southeastern Brazil. It is the most populous city in Brazil, in the Americas, in the western hemisphere and the world's twelfth largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the most populous metropolitan area in Brazil, the second in the Americas and the seventh in the world. São Paulo is the capital of the state of São Paulo, Brazil's most populous and wealthiest state. It exerts strong regional influence in commerce, finance, arts and entertainment and a strong international influence.