Recife is a Brazilian city located on the northeast coast of the country. Belongs to Pernambuco and plays the role of state capital, thus housing the seat of government. Recife is the most populous and most populated city in the state, today with 1.6 million inhabitants and a demographic density that exceeds seven thousand inhabitants/km².
In addition to being a political center, Recife it is also the economic center of your state., housing a very diversified industrial park as well as tertiary activities, which contribute enormously to the composition of its GDP, such as tourism.
Read too: What are the capitals of Brazilian states?
Summary about Recife
Recife is the capital of the state of Pernambuco, located in the Northeast region.
The city was founded on March 12, 1537. From the 16th century onwards, it remained for a period of time under Dutch rule, when there was an intense process of occupation and urbanization.
Recife has a humid tropical climate and relief that varies from flat to gently undulating. It is part of the Atlantic Forest biome.
Due to the rivers that cross the city and its bridges, it received the nickname of Veneza Brasileira.
The city has 1,653,461 inhabitants, the largest population in Pernambuco and the ninth largest in Brazil. Recife is also densely populated, with 7,039.64 inhab./km².
Recife's economy ranks 13th on a national scale, with a GDP of R$ 52.4 billion. The tertiary sector stands out, with services linked to tourism and port activities. The city also has a very diversified industrial park.
General data for Recife
Gentile: Recife
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Location
Parents: Brazil
Federative unit: Pernambuco
Intermediate region[1]: Recife
Immediate region[1]: Recife
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Metropolitan region: Metropolitan Region of Recife
Formed by the following municipalities: Recife, Abreu e Lima, Araçoiaba, Cabo de Santo Agostinho, Camaragibe, Goiana, Igarassu, Itamaracá Island, Ipojuca, Itapissuma, Jaboatão dos Guararapes, Moreno, Olinda, Paulista and São Lourenço da Woods
Bordering municipalities: Paulista, Olinda, Jaboatão dos Guararapes, São Lourenço da Mata, Camaragibe
geography
Total area: 218.843 km² (IBGE, 2020)
Total population: 1,653,461 inhabitants (IBGE, 2020)
Density: 7,039.64 inhab./km² (IBGE, 2010)
Climate: wet tropical
Altitude: four meters
Time zone: GMT -3
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Historic
Foundation: March 12, 1537
Recife geography
Recife is a Brazilian municipality in the state of Pernambuco, which makes up the Northeast region. It plays the role of state capital, thus housing the seat of government of that federative unit. The city is located on the coast of Pernambuco, covering an area of approximately 218.85 km², equivalent to 0.22% of the state area. Recife borders five other municipalities, namely:
Olinda, to the east;
Paulista, northeast and north;
Camaragibe and São Lourenço da Mata, to the west;
Jaboatão dos Guararapes, to the south.
As defined by IBGE, Recife is considered a metropolis. Thus, it becomes the main municipality in the Metropolitan Region of Recife, comprising 15 cities.
See too: 5 biggest Brazilian metropolises
Recife climate
O climate predominant in Recife is the Ttropical wet, marked by high temperatures and relative humidity. This aspect is notably influenced by maritimacy. The average temperature is around 25°C, while the highs can exceed 30 °C, and the lows are between 22 °C and 23 °C. The rains are concentrated in the months corresponding to the autumn and beginning of Winter, with annual volumes of 1200 mm on average.
Relief of Recife
The city of Recife is included in the domain of FORwoolen and Tmistakes Blines Çostlets, according to the classification established by Aziz Ab’Sáber. Its urban relief is characterized by the predominance of hills, which make up almost 68% of the entire city area, and also plains. the capital of Pernambuco is the four meters above sea level.
Reef Vegetation
The vegetation cover of Recife integrates the biome Atlantic forest. In 2015, the capital was recognized as the third city in which there was greater preservation of areas covered by the Atlantic forest in proportion to its surface. The extension was, at the time, 20% or 4.4 thousand hectares. Recife currently has 25 nature conservation units (UCN) and environmental preservation areas (APA), which include both forests and mangroves.
Recife Hydrography
Recife has a wide drainage network formed by several rivers, streams, lakes and weirs, that give the capital of Pernambuco an insular aspect. The land areas are connected by bridges, which are eight in total. The landscape complex made up of watercourses and bridges gave Recife the nickname of Veneza Brasileira. You main rivers that cross the city are:
Capibarib;
Beberib;
Tejipio.
Read too: São Francisco River – important watercourse for the Northeast region
Recife map
Location of the city of Recife on the northeast coast of Brazil.
Recife Demographics
Recife has the largest population in Pernambuco and the third largest in the Northeast region. The city now has 1.653.461 population, as shown by IBGE data for 2020. It is also the ninth most populous capital in Brazil. The people of Recife represent 17.1% of the population of Pernambuco and 40.7% of the residents of the Metropolitan Region of Recife, which comprises more than four million people.
In addition to being populous, Recife is a densely populated city. With 7,039.64 inhabitants/km², it is the second highest population density in Pernambuco, only behind the neighboring municipality, Olinda, which has more than 9,000 inhabitants/km². On a broader scale, Recife represents the 12th largest urban concentration in the country. When analyzing the household situation, the IBGE Census indicates that all people from Recife live in an urbanized area.
The vast majority of the population of Recife declares themselves to be brown and white, with the first group being 49.08% and the second with 41.42% of the inhabitants of the capital of Pernambuco. Blacks account for 8.31%, while yellow and indigenous people represent, respectively, 0.96% and 0.24% of the population of Recife.
With regard to social indicators, Recife presents HDI of 0.772, the second highest value in Pernambuco. The first place belongs to the Fernando de Noronha archipelago, with 0.788. When analyzing the set of Brazilian cities, the capital of Pernambuco is in 210th place, tied with other municipalities, such as Uberaba and Araxá, both in Minas Gerais.
Check out our podcast: What do I need to know about demographic theories?
Geographical division of Recife
The territory of Recife is subdivided into 94 districts. These, in turn, are grouped into different Political-Administrative Regions (RPA), which are numbered from 01 to 06 and have subdivisions, as indicated below:
Central Region - RPA 01;
North Region - RPA 02;
Northeast Region – RPAs 03-A and 03-B;
West Region – RPA 04;
Southeast Region – RPA 05;
Southern Region – RPAs 06-A and 06-B.
Recife Economy
Recife represents the largest economy in Pernambuco, being the 13th richest city in the national territory. The capital of Pernambuco also has one of the largest municipal economies in the regions North and Northeast. According to IBGE data for 2018, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the capital of Pernambuco is R$ 52.4 billion. This value corresponds to 28% of the state's GDP.
O tertiary sector plays a fundamental role in the Recife economy, and accounts for the largest share of municipal GDP. With the exception of administrative and public activities, its share is 71.2%. In addition to commercial establishments and activities, Recife is a city that attracts numerous tourists from different regions of Brazil and the world, which contributes enormously to the economy of the capital. Pernambuco.
There are many attractions, such as buildings and historic places, beaches and natural landscapes and related activities, such as diving centers, festivities, among which Carnival and its traditional blocks stand out, and countless other tourist and leisure itineraries carried out in the city.
Industry accounts for 12.61% of Recife's GDP. The city and its metropolitan region have a very heterogeneous industrial park, housing companies in the naval, civil construction, automobile, textile and fashion, pharmaceutical and hospital sectors, and electronic. O primary sector, in turn, is responsible for only 0.11% of municipal GDP. Among its products, coconuts, bananas, beans, fava beans and cassava stand out, as well as the creation of chickens and cattle.
See too: What are the sectors of the economy?
Recife government
The government of the municipality of Recife is of the representative democratic type. This means that the population of Recife chooses those who will occupy the main political positions in the city, which happens every four years. O FOROder ANDmunicipal executive is led by Mayor. The Legislative Power, represented by the City Council, is exercised by 39 councilors municipal.
The city is also the political and administrative center of the Pernambuco state government, thus performing the function of the state capital. The seat of the government of Pernambuco is located in the Palácio do Campo das Princesas.
Recife Infrastructure
Recife is a city with all of its municipalities located in an urban area. Therefore, IBGE data show that 69.2% of them hadm adequate sanitation at the time of the last Census. Houses located in wooded areas totaled 60.5%, while those located in properly urbanized areas accounted for 49.6%.The municipal water supply network reached 86.7% of theThes, and energy was much more comprehensive when this survey was carried out, covering a share of 99.8%.
In addition to municipal and intercity buses, Recife has a subway system or commuter trains extending over 71 km and using three lines, which serve, in addition to the capital, other municipalities in the metropolitan region. Important federal and state highways cross the capital of Pernambuco and connect it with other Brazilian municipalities.
The city is located in a region with large port structures, and, in Recife itself, the Port of Recife is responsible for the flow, mainly, of goods derived from the primary sector. The Recife-Guarapes International Airport is also located in the capital.
Recife Culture
Recife has a rich cultural framework which expresses itself in different ways. One of them is through their traditional parties, which bring together people from all over Pernambuco and Brazil. O Çarnaval is the main one, in which a mixture of different rhythms is heard, such as ciranda, coco de roda, afoxé and the traditional frevo. Another highlight are the Fthese Junited and religious celebrations, such as the festivities of Nossa Senhora do Carmo and Nossa Senhora da Conceição.
The coast of Recife is highly sought after not only by tourists interested in its beautiful beaches, but also by divers willing to venture into the Pernambuco Artificial Wrecks Park (PNAPE), in which many structures of ships sunk by researchers remain under the waters of the sea.
This was done because the city is known as the national capital of shipwrecks, having records of occurrence. Other historic sites such as the Recife Historic Center, became important visiting points in the capital of Pernambuco, as well as theaters, museums, parks and squares.
Recife history
Recife is a very old city, having been founded on March 12, 1537. His position was from the beginning of the colonization in Brazil, considered strategic for the arrival and departure of vessels. Thus, the settlement of the capital of Pernambuco began in the port region, which had been established in the first decades of the 16th century. Given its importance for access to Brazilian territory at the time, it was target of numerous invasion attempts. In the 17th century, the Dutchmen have succeeded in this.
Under the rule of Maurício de Nassau, the city of Recife underwent a intense process of urbanization that leaves marks to the present in its landscape. Recife's economy, even after the expulsion of the Dutch from the country, was essentially based on foreign trade and activities carried out at the port.
The town officially became a village with the name Recife in the year 1709. A century later, in 1823, Recife became a city and municipal seat. The capital of Pernambuco is currently the political and economic center of the state, playing an important role in the Northeast region as well.
Image credits
[1] Cacio Murilo / Shutterstock
[2] governor eduardocampos / commons
By Paloma Guitarrara
geography teacher
