São José dos Campos is a major city and the seat of the municipality of the same name located in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Situated in the Paraíba Valley, it lies between the country's two most active production and consumption regions: São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. The city serves as the primary urban center of the Metropolitan Region of Vale do Paraíba e Litoral Norte.
The city is recognized as one of Latin America's leading industrial and research centers, with a specific emphasis on aerospace sciences. It is the second most populous non-capital city in Brazil, surpassed only by Campinas. Residents of the city are known as joseenses.
São José dos Campos is positioned within the Expanded Metropolitan Complex, which is considered the first megalopolis in the Southern Hemisphere with a population exceeding thirty million inhabitants. Its metro area encompasses several other major regions, including Greater São Paulo, Campinas, Santos, and Sorocaba.