Rio de Janeiro

Location of Rio

Located in south east of Brazil; east of Sao Paulo and along the coast in the South Atlantic Ocean

What draws people to Rio? (5 marks)

Beautiful natural surroundings

Flourishing industries

5% of Brazil’s GDP

Major port

Christ the Redeemer statue

Rio’s main manufacturing industries (5 marks)

Chemicals, pharmaceuticals, clothing, furniture, processed foods

Rio’s main service industries (3 marks)

Banking, finance, insurance

Why is Rio de Janeiro known as a ‘global city’?

Major regional, national and international centre for important companies and industries

Access to education in Rio (4 marks)

25% of children do not attend school

Illiteracy rate is 4%

1000 primary schools and 400 secondary schools

6 major universities

Access to healthcare services in Rio (2 marks)

105 hospitals but only 36 are public

Life expectancy is 77 years

Access to resources in Rio (2 marks)

95% has access to main water supply, compared to the 65% across Brazil

99% has access to power grid

Economic opportunities in Rio (4 marks)

Provides 6% of employment in Brazil

2nd most important industrial centre in the country

Highest income per head

Top tourist destination

Economic challenges in Rio (2 marks)

Recession in 2015, causing a sudden spike in unemployment

Uneven distribution of employment causes rise in taxes

What is the informal economy?

Jobs that are not provided for by the state, meaning people do not need to pay tax but are also not given employment benefit or insurance

Why is the informal economy an issue?

The government does not receive any money from them through taxes, meaning the economy is not growing

Health care issues

In 2013, only 55% of Rio had a local family health clinic. Services for pregnant women and the elderly were very poor, especially in the west zone

Solutions to healthcare

Medical staff take health kits into people’s homes

Infant mortality has fallen and life expectancy has risen

Education issues in Rio

Compulsory from 6-14

Only 50% of children in Rio continue their education after 14

Many drop out to get involved in drug trafficking

Solution to education

Encouraging locals to volunteer in schools

Giving grants to poor families to keep them in school

Providing money for super-curriculars

Opening a private university in Rocinha favela

Water supply issue in Rio

12% did not have access to running water

37% of water is lost through leaky pipes, fraud and illegal access

Solution to water supply

7 treatment plants were built between 1998 and 2014

By 2014, 95% of the population had access to mains water

Energy supply issue

Rio suffers from frequent blackouts due to shortage of electricity

People illegally tap into the mains, which is dangerous

Solution to energy

60km of new power lines

New nuclear generator

Simplicio hydro-electric complex

Crime in Rio (4 marks)

10 people die everyday due to murder

Gang activity

Police corruption

Drug traffickers

What is a favela?

Illegal, informal communities that are self-providing and have no formal government

Where are favelas usually located?

Steep hillsides since flatter lands are preferred by the government

Challenges in favelas (5 marks)

Many homes are made from plastic sheets, wood and broken bricks

Illegal connection to electricity

No sewage connections

Streets are littered

Police and gang violence are prevalent

Rocinha facts (3 marks)

Largest favela in Rio

Population of 75000 in 2010 census but is now likely to be 3 times higher

Overlooks wealthy areas like Ipanema and Copacabana, where many of its residents work

Urban E-Health Project (4 marks)

Provides medical check-ups and medication for people who cannot access it

In Santa Marta

GE manufacture equipment like thermometers and blood pressure checkers

Good employment opportunity

What was the Favela Bairo Project?

Moving people to new areas such as Barra de Tijuca

How was the Bairo project funded?

Raising taxes of the rich to help pay for housing, improving their quality of life

Benefits of Bairo Project (3 marks)

Developing cultural activities for the youth

Better access to water supply and drainage systems

New health, leisure and education facilities

Disadvantages of Bairo project (5 marks)

Increased rent that poorer inhabitants cannot afford

Infrastructure is not being maintained

Budget of $1 billion will not cover every favela

New residencies lack a sense of community

Far from city centre

Negative effects of Olympics (4 marks)

Houses were demolished to make developments for the Olympics

Walls were built to hide favelas

77290 people removed

Bus lines were rerouted

Environmental problems in Rio (2 marks)

Eutrophication in Lagao Rodrigo Channel

Heavy pollution in the bay due to increasing urbanisation and industrialisation

Effects of water pollution in Rio (2 marks)

Caused commercial fishing to decrease by 90% in the last 20 years

Risk of pollution damaging beaches like Copacabana, affecting tourism and local economy

Causes of water pollution in Rio (4 marks)

200 tonnes of raw sewage everyday

50 tonnes of industrial waste everyday

Oil spills from Petrabras oil refinery

Ships empty fuel tanks into bay

Solutions of water pollution (2 marks)

12 sewage works have been built since 2004, costing $68 million

5km of sewage pipes installed in polluted areas

Effects of waste pollution

Spread of disease like cholera

Favelas are affected the most due to their location and structure

Solutions to the waste problem

Power plant set up near University of Rio that uses biogas, consuming 30 tonnes of rubbish everyday