Rio de Janeiro

• Population of 6.7 million rio de Janeiro is the second most populous place in Brazil after São Paulo
• Located in the southeast of Brazil on the Atlantic coast most of the city built around Guanabara bay
• It’s regional importance:

  • Rio is important in its provision of schools , universities and hospitals as well as many opportunities for leisure and rectreation
  • thriving art and cultural scene in rio
  • The city is a major transport hub with an international airport and important docks providing raw materials for local and regional industries and exploring products
• National importance:

  • Brazil‘s oil mining and telecommunications companies have their HQ in Rio
  • several of the countries universities and research institutions are based in Rio
  • Rio is a major manufacturing centre in chemicals, clothing and processed food
  • The port of Rio is important for the export of coffee, sugar and iron core
  • Rio is Brazil’s second most important industrial area producing 5% of its GDP
  • Brazil’s major entertainment and media organisations are located in Rio
• International importance:

  • rio hosted the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games and in 2014 the football world cup
  • The statue of Christ the Redeemer is one of the worlds most iconic landmarks, drawing tourists from all over the world
  • Rio has five ports and three airports making it a major international transport hubs
  • Wits its stunning beaches , iconic landmarks and it is one of the most visited cities in the southern hemisphere
• How has Rio grown?

  • Migration- Portuguese city attracts Portuguese and also international migrants from South Korea and china wishing to start business in the city
  • Natural increase- youthful population due to migration which results in a high birth rate
• Access to services

  • Health care - has hospitals and healthcare and vulnerable people have a greater access to vaccinations
  • Education-has many primary and secondary schools the literacy rate is 95% for children aged 10 and over
• Access to resources:

  • Water supplies- increased in response to world sporting events and over 95% of the population have access to mains water supply
  • Energy- sometimes frequent power cut which cause problems for industry water supply and other services and in poorer area many people tap into electricity lines illegally which can lead to fires
• Improved economic development

  • Improvement in roads services and the environment
  • The many manufacturing industries
  • The port activities provide economic opportunities
  • The centro zone is the main financial centre
  • The service sector has grown
• Managing urban growth:

  1. lack of affordable property has forced millions of people build their own home
  2. people living their have many challenges
  3. these include poor health , services and landslide building construction employment and crime
• water supply- one third of piped water is lost through leaks and illegal tapping and recent drought have increased the pressure on water supplies however between 1998 and 2014 the city authorities constructed new water treatment plants
• sanitation- many people have no access to flush toilets instead they use pit latrines where sewage water either drains into the soil or pours into open rivers also many of ríos rivers and guanabara bay is polluted with rubbish- estimated 200 tonnes pour into the bay each day
• Education- compulsory for aged 6 to 14 and only 50% of people continue their education as they have to find work to support their families and also school attendance is low

  In response to this the government has given grants to help support children in schools and have encouraged local people to volunteer to work in schools
• Unemployment

  1. Varies between rich and poor areas
  2. can exceed 20% in terms of unemployment rates
  3. one third of the workforce is in the informal sector - while these people don’t have to pay taxes they also don’t have insurance
• crime

  • High crime rate -drugs , vandalism and theft
  • common with gangs controlling drug trafficking
  • in 2013 pacifying police units where established to address the problem of drug gangs and reclaim the local community
• waste disposal

  • around 3.5 million tonnes of waste annually
  • limited access due to steep slopes and narrow alleys. Waste piles up encouraging vermin such as rats and the spread of disease
  • recycling is increasingly encouraged an pickers operate of the landfill sites to. recover materials for reuse
• pollution-brown smog hangs over the city due to emissions from heavy traffic that clogs the streets
• Favela Barrio Projects


  The Favela Barrio Projects in Rio de Janeiro are a series of urban renewal initiatives aimed at improving the living conditions of the predominantly low-income and impoverished communities residing in the city's favelas. The projects aim to integrate these areas into the city's formal urban fabric, providing improved infrastructure, housing, sanitation, and services.
• favela barrio project in complejo de alemao is in the North and home to 60000 people

  paved roads have been constructed as well as access to sanitation new health centres and schools with cable car transports
• the favela barrio project was a bit of a success it is expensive and there is still a large scale of challenges as the favelas continue to grow and infrastructure needs to be constantly looked after