Urban growth in Rio de Janerio

Question 1

Why is Rio de Janeiro important internationaly?

Answer 1

*Rio is one of the main tourist destinations in the southern hemisphere and is famous for it’s beaches, carnivals and statue of Christ the redeemer
*Rio is an important international transport hub- it has 5 ports and 3 airports

Question 2

why is Rio de Janeiro nationally important?

Answer 2

•Rio has the third largest urban area in Brazil- it has a population of 6.5 million
•Rio contributes to 5% of Brazil’s GDP

Question 3

Why is Rio de Janeiro regionally important?

Answer 3

•Rio is popular with tourists, it gets 2.28 million visitors per year, more than any other South American country

Question 4

Why has Rio de Janeiro grown?

Answer 4

•rural push factors
•Rio has many important job opportunities in manufacturing and finance
•natural increase- young people with a high birth rate are increasing the population naturally

Question 5

what are some social challenges for Rio and what have been done to help?

Answer 5

*12% of Rio don’t have access to running water —» 7 new treatment plants built between 1998 and 2014 (300km of pipes laid) and by 2014 95% of the population had a mains water supply
*In 2013 only 55% of the city had a local family health clinic—» improvements in healthcare in the favela of Santa Marta. Medical staff took health kits into people’s homes and issued treatments

Question 6

what are some economic challenges in Rio and what has been done to help?

Answer 6

•deep recession hit Rio in 2015 which led to high unemployment and increased taxes —-> the ‘schools of tomorrow’ programme has been developed with aims to improve education for people in violent areas
•street crime is a huge problem in Rio for example powerful gangs and drug traffickers are popular in favelas—-> police pacifying units were set up to reclaim favelas from gangs

Question 7

what are some environmental challenges in Rio and what has been done to help?

Answer 7

*number of cars in Rio has grown by 40% in the last 10 years, 5000 deaths per year caused by air pollution&raquo_space; metros have been expanded and new toll roads have been introduced to reduce traffic congestion
*Guanabara bay is highly polluted so fishing has declined by 90% in the last 20years» 12 new sewage pipes have been built since 2004 costing US$68milliom