José dos Campos (615,871); Sorocaba (584,313); Ribeirão Preto (563,107); Juiz de Fora (526,706); Belford Roxo (501,544); Niterói (479,384); São João de Meriti (469,827); Betim (441,748); Campos dos Goytacazes (434,008). Economy: Manufacturing (machinery, electronics, automobiles and aviation, steel, chemicals, shoes, textiles), coffee, sugar cane, orange juice, livestock, tourism, petroleum, iron, gold, energy production (not sufficient, however, to fulfill its demand). The Southeast is the economic center of Brazil, and most large companies present in Brazil have their headquarters in this region. The economic success of this region is a combination of its 4 states. São Paulo state is the most developed in the country, it has a population density as high as western Europe, and a HDI comparable to eastern Europe. Rio de Janeiro is the leader in petroleum production (with almost 3/4 of national production) . Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo are located in the richest mining region in Brazil. Transport: The region is heavily covered by highways, and, to some extent, railways. Railways and rivers are used mainly for freight, and used where they are present. The region also contains several airport hubs which provide many domestic and international air routes. Vegetation: Mainly tropical-like semi-deciduous forests (Mata Atlântica); semi-arid in the north, with almost no vegetation; savannah-like vegetation in the west and in the northwest (Cerrado). Very little of the native vegetation still remains (~2%, mostly in parks.) Notable characteristics: The southeast region is the major powerhouse of the Brazilian economy, responsible for 49% of the Brazilian GDP (approximately US$1024 billion in 2010). It is also the most populous region in the country, with more than 80 million people, and contains the three most important metropolitan regions (São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte), as well as many other large cities (such as, Vitória (the capital of Espirito Santo state), Campinas, Uberlândia and several others.) South Region Area: 577,214 km2 (6.75%) Population: 25,800,000 (43.46 people/km2, 12.5%) GDP: R$503 billion / US$313,8 billion (2008; ~15%) (2nd) Climate: Subtropical by the coast, hot to moderately hot in the summer, mild and very humid winters and temperate by the mountain range, the valleys and the plateaus in the interior, with moderate temperatures in the summer and cold in the winter, with well distributed rainfalls. Snow is relatively common, mainly in the highlands (for example in Santa Catarina state's São Joaquim). States: Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina Largest Cities: Curitiba