Rio de Janeiro: Growth, Opportunities, and Challenges

Vocabulary flashcards covering urban growth, migration, social and economic opportunities, zones, and housing challenges in Rio de Janeiro.

Rio de Janeiro

Brazil's second largest city and former capital, located on the Atlantic coast at 23°S and 43°W, serving as a major regional, national, and international industrial and financial hub.

Guanabara Bay

A large natural bay in Brazil around which the city of Rio de Janeiro has grown.

Brasília

The current capital city of Brazil, which replaced Rio de Janeiro as the national capital in 1960.

Global City

A major urban center that plays a critical role in the global economy due to its importance as an industrial, financial, and international transportation hub.

Migration

The movement of people from one area or country to another, responsible for 65 per cent of Rio de Janeiro's growth over the last 150 years.

Internal Migration

The movement of people from other parts of the same country, particularly rural areas, accounting for up to two-thirds of Rio's population growth in recent years.

Natural Increase

Population growth resulting from a birth rate higher than the death rate, driven in Rio by a predominantly young population of migrants in their 20s and 30s.

Line 4

A new Metro link built in Rio de Janeiro as part of infrastructure developments associated with the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

Family Health Teams

Healthcare teams in Rio comprising a GP, a nurse, and community health agents, each providing health care for up to 3000 people.

Schools for Tomorrow

An NGO working with communities in Rio's poorer favelas to improve educational opportunities and student attendance.

Estácio de Sá

A university that opened inside the Rocinha favela in 2001 to expand higher education opportunities.

Guandu River

The river from which around 80 per cent of Rio de Janeiro's water supply is sourced.

Simplicício Hydro-electric Plant

A hydro-electric plant constructed in 2013 that increased Rio's electricity supply by 30 per cent.

Centro Zone

The oldest part of Rio de Janeiro containing the central business district (CBD), main shopping district, and headquarters of major companies like Petrobras.

North Zone

The zone of Rio de Janeiro containing the city's main industrial and port areas, along with the international airport.

West Zone

A region in Rio containing the industrial area of Campo Grande, Sepetiba Bay, and the main stadiums for the 2016 Olympic Games.

South Zone

A wealthy coastal district in Rio de Janeiro dominated by retail and tourism, including famous beaches like Copacabana.

Ternium Steelworks

A major steel plant located on Sepetiba Bay in Rio's West Zone, triggering multiplier effects that attract construction and supply industries.

Cortiços

Slums in Rio, typically older industrial or residential tenement buildings from the 1890s that have been illegally subdivided and overcrowded.

Squatter Settlements

Unplanned residential areas built illegally on land by homeless people, which initially lack basic services and infrastructure.

Loteamentos

Illegal subdivisions of land without proper infrastructure, but constructed according to a planned layout, located mostly in Campo Grande.

Invasões

Poor and temporary makeshift dwellings constructed on marginal, hazardous land such as river banks, steep slopes, or road margins.

Favelas

Self-built squatter settlements on public or private land in Rio, representing around 1000 communities and housing about 24 per cent of the city's population.