Guanabara Bay (, , ) is an oceanic

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...

Southeast Brazil The Southeast Region of Brazil ( ) is composed of the states of Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. It is the richest region of the country, responsible for approximately 53% of the Brazilian GDP (2022) , as São Paulo, ...

in the state of

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

. On its western

shore A coast (coastline, shoreline, seashore) is the land next to the sea or the line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. Coasts are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape and by aquatic erosion, su ...

lie the cities of

and

Duque de Caxias Duque is a Spanish surname meaning "duke". People Notable people with the name include: * Duque (footballer), nickname of Davi Ferreira (1926–2017), Brazilian footballer and manager * Jaime Enrique Duque Correa (1943–2013), Colombian Roman ...

, and on its eastern shore are the cities of

Niterói Niterói () is a List of municipalities in Rio de Janeiro, municipality in the state of Rio de Janeiro (state), Rio de Janeiro, in the Southeast Region, Brazil, southeast region of Brazil. It lies across Guanabara Bay, facing the city of Rio de ...

and São Gonçalo. Four other municipalities surround the bay's shores. Guanabara Bay is the second largest bay in area in Brazil (after the All Saints' Bay), at , with a perimeter of . Guanabara Bay is long and wide at its maximum. Its wide mouth is flanked at the eastern tip by the Pico do Papagaio (Parrot's Peak) and the western tip by

Pão de Açúcar Sugarloaf Mountain (, ) is a peak situated in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on a peninsula at the mouth of Guanabara Bay. Rising above the harbor, the peak is named for its resemblance to the traditional shape of concentrated refined loaf suga ...

(Sugar Loaf). The name Guanabara comes from the

Tupi language Old Tupi, Ancient Tupi or Classical Tupi () is a classical Tupian language which was spoken by the indigenous Tupi people of Brazil, mostly those who inhabited coastal regions in South and Southeast Brazil. In the words of Brazilian tupinol ...

, ''goanã-pará'', from ''gwa'' "bay", plus ''nã'' "similar to" and ''ba'ra'' "sea". Other glosses include ''hidden water'', ''lagoon of the sea'', and ''bosom of the sea''.

History

Guanabara Bay was first encountered by Europeans on January 1, 1502, when Portuguese explorers

Gaspar de Lemos Gaspar de Lemos (15th century) was a Portuguese explorer and captain of the supply ship of Pedro Álvares Cabral's fleet that arrived to Brazil. Gaspar de Lemos was sent back to Portugal with news of their discovery and was credited by the Viscou ...

and

Gonçalo Coelho Gonçalo Coelho (fl. 1501–04) was a Portuguese explorer who belonged to a prominent family in northern Portugal. He commanded two expeditions (1501–02 and 1503–04) which explored much of the coast of Brazil. Biography In 1501 Coelho was se ...

arrived on its shores. According to some historians, the name given by the exploration team to the bay was originally ''Ria de Janeiro'' ("January's

Ria A ria (; , feminine noun derived from ''río'', river) is a coastal inlet formed by the partial submergence of an unglaciated river valley. It is a drowned river valley that remains open to the sea. Definitions Typically rias have a dendriti ...

"). Then confusion took place between the words ''ria'' and ''rio'' ("river"). As a result, the name of the bay was soon fixed as ''Rio de Janeiro''. Later, the city was named after the bay.

Natives There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

of the

Tamoio The Tupi people, a subdivision of the Tupi-Guarani linguistic families, were one of the largest groups of indigenous peoples in Brazil before its colonization. Scholars believe that while they first settled in the Amazon rainforest, from abo ...

and

Tupiniquim Tupiniquim (also Tupinã-ki, Topinaquis, Tupinaquis, Tupinanquins; plural: Tupiniquins) are an indigenous people of Brazil of the Tupi family, who now live in three indigenous territories (''Terras Indígenas'' in Portuguese). The indigenous ...

tribes inhabited the shores of the bay. After the initial arrival of the Portuguese, no significant European settlements were established until French colonists and soldiers, under the

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

Admiral

Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon Nicolas Durand, sieur de Villegaignon, also Villegagnon (1510 – 9 January 1571) was a commander of the Knights of Malta, and later a French naval officer (vice-admiral of Brittany) who attempted to help the Huguenots in France escape persecuti ...

invaded the region in 1555 to establish the

France Antarctique France Antarctique (formerly also spelled ''France antartique'') was a French colony in Rio de Janeiro, in modern-day Brazil, which existed between 1555 and 1567, and had control over the coast from Rio de Janeiro to Cabo Frio. The colony quickl ...

. They stayed briefly on Lajes Island, then moved to Serigipe Island, near the shore, where they built

Fort Coligny Fort Coligny was a fortress founded by Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1555, in what constituted the so-called France Antarctique historical episode. For protection against attacks by hostile Indians and the Portugu ...

. After they were expelled by Portuguese military expeditions in 1563, the colonial government built fortifications in several points of Guanabara Bay, rendering it almost impregnable against a naval attack from the sea. They were the Santa Cruz, São João, Lajes and Villegaignon forts, forming a fearsome crossfire rectangle of big

naval guns Naval artillery is artillery mounted on a warship, originally used only for naval warfare and then subsequently used for more specialized roles in surface warfare such as naval gunfire support (NGFS) and anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) engagements. T ...

. Other islands were adapted by the

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

to host naval storehouses,

hospitals A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emergency ...

drydock A dry dock (sometimes drydock or dry-dock) is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform. Dry docks are used for the construction, maintenance, ...

oil reservoir A petroleum reservoir or oil and gas reservoir is a subsurface accumulation of hydrocarbons contained in Porosity, porous or fractured rock formations. Such reservoirs form when kerogen (ancient plant matter) is created in surrounding rock by t ...

s and the National Naval Academy. Underwater exploration in the bay was disallowed by the Brazilian government in 1985 amid a dispute with American writer and treasure hunter Robert Marx, who claimed to have found evidence of a Roman shipwreck. Carl Feagans tells of 16 amphorae made for antiques-lover Americo Santarelli in 1960 or 1961, all 16 of which deliberately sunk in the bay for them to acquire the look of ancient artefacts covered in barnacles and corals; 4 of the 16 original amphorae were subsequently recovered, leaving 12 scattered about the bay, where two were found by lobster divers in 1974.

Description

There are more than 130 islands dotting the bay, including: * Lajes *

Ilha do Governador Governador Island (Ilha do Governador, in Portuguese; literally Governor's Island, in English) is the largest island in Guanabara Bay, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It has a population of about 211,018 inhabitants, in a small area of . Rio de J ...

– site of Rio de Janeiro's

Galeão - Antônio Carlos Jobim International Airport Galeão (Portuguese meaning galleon) may refer to: *Galeão Air Force Base, a Brazilian Air Force base in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil * Rio de Janeiro–Galeão International Airport (Galeão–Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport), an airport in ...

* Ilha de Paquetá *

Ilha das Cobras is an island located within Guanabara Bay in the city and state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is east of the neighborhood Guanabara. It is home to the Arsenal de Marinha do Rio de Janeiro base of the Brazilian Navy. See also * List of islands ...

Flores Flores is one of the Lesser Sunda Islands, a group of islands in the eastern half of Indonesia. Administratively, it forms the largest island in the East Nusa Tenggara Province. The area is 14,250 km2. Including Komodo and Rinca islands ...

* Ilha Fiscal * Ilha da Boa Viagem * Villegagnon * Fundão The bay is crossed by the Rio-Niterói Bridge ( long and with a central span high) and there is heavy boat and ship traffic, including regular

ferryboat A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus. ...

lines. The Port of Rio de Janeiro, as well as the city's two airports,

(on Governador Island) and

Santos Dumont Airport The Santos Dumont Airport is the second major airport serving Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is named after the Brazilian aviation pioneer Alberto Santos-Dumont, Alberto Santos Dumont (1873–1932). It is operated by Infraero. History Or ...

(on

reclaimed land Land reclamation, often known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill), is the process of creating new land from oceans, seas, riverbeds or lake beds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamatio ...

next to downtown Rio), are on its shores. The

Federal University of Rio de Janeiro The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (, UFRJ) is a public university, public research university in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is the largest federal university in the country and is one of the Brazilian centers of excellence in teaching and r ...

main campus is on the artificial Fundão Island. A maze of smaller bridges interconnect the two largest islands, Fundão and Governador, to the mainland. There is an

Environmental Protection Area Environmental protection, or environment protection, refers to the taking of measures to protecting the natural environment, prevent pollution and maintain ecological balance. Action may be taken by individuals, advocacy groups and governments. ...

(APA), which is mostly in the municipality of Guapimirim and given the name of Guapimirim APA.

Environment

Guanabara Bay's once rich and diversified

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) is a system formed by Organism, organisms in interaction with their Biophysical environment, environment. The Biotic material, biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and en ...

has suffered extensive damage in recent decades, particularly along its

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows mainly in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. Mangroves grow in an equatorial climate, typically along coastlines and tidal rivers. They have particular adaptations to take in extra oxygen a ...

areas. The bay has been heavily impacted by

urbanization Urbanization (or urbanisation in British English) is the population shift from Rural area, rural to urban areas, the corresponding decrease in the proportion of people living in rural areas, and the ways in which societies adapt to this change. ...

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. Ab ...

, and

pollution Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause harm. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the component ...

of its waters with

sewage Sewage (or domestic sewage, domestic wastewater, municipal wastewater) is a type of wastewater that is produced by a community of people. It is typically transported through a sewerage, sewer system. Sewage consists of wastewater discharged fro ...

garbage Garbage, trash (American English), rubbish (British English), or refuse is waste material that is discarded by humans, usually due to a perceived lack of utility. The term generally does not encompass bodily waste products, purely liquid or ...

, and

oil spills An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially the marine ecosystem, due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. The term is usually given to marine oil spills, where oil is released into th ...

. As of 2014, more than 70% of the sewage from 12 million inhabitants of Rio de Janeiro now flows into the bay untreated. There have been three major oil spills in Guanabara Bay. The most recent was in 2000 when a leaking

Petrobras Petróleo Brasileiro S.A., better known by and Trade name, trading as the portmanteau Petrobras (), is a Brazilian state-owned enterprise, majority state-owned multinational corporation in the petroleum industry headquartered in Rio de Janeiro. ...

underwater pipeline released of oil into the bay, destroying large swaths of the

ecosystem. Recovery measures are currently being attempted, but more than a decade after the incident, the mangrove areas have not returned to life. One of the world's largest

landfill A landfill is a site for the disposal of waste materials. It is the oldest and most common form of waste disposal, although the systematic burial of waste with daily, intermediate and final covers only began in the 1940s. In the past, waste was ...

s is at

Jardim Gramacho Jardim Gramacho (Gramacho Gardens in English) is a neighborhood in the city of Duque de Caxias and the state of Rio de Janeiro. Landfill Jardim Gramacho was the site of one of the largest landfills in the world. It closed in June 2012 after 34 ...

adjacent to Guanabara Bay. It was closed in 2012 after 34 years of operation. The landfill attracted attention from environmentalists and it supported 1,700 people scavenging for recyclable materials. Guanabara Bay pan

In June 2014, Dutch windsurfer and former Olympic and world champion

Dorian van Rijsselberghe Dorian van Rijsselberghe (born 24 November 1988, in Den Burg) is a sailor (windsurfer) from the Netherlands. He won his first Dutch title when he was 13. Van Rijsselberghe on the Dutch RS:X won the gold medals at the 2012 Olympics in Weym ...

made an urgent appeal to government and industry in the Netherlands to collaborate in cleaning up the bay, together with the

Plastic Soup Foundation Plastic Soup Foundation is a non-profit marine conservation organisation that aims to reduce plastic pollution, specifically marine plastic pollution. Established in 2011, Plastic Soup Foundation advocates towards imposing bans or voluntary phase ...

. The Dutch government picked up the message and formulated a Clean Urban Delta Initiative Rio de Janeiro together with a consortium of Dutch industry, knowledge institutes and NGOs which will be presented to the Brazilian authorities in the State of Rio de Janeiro. As part of the preparations for the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

in Rio, the government was supposed to improve the conditions, but progress has been slow. There have been concerns that the efforts may only be short-term and abandoned following the Games, as there would be little political incentive to continue with them. The marine ecosystem of Guanabara Bay was severely damaged; the bay was once a whaling ground, and today, whales are no longer or rarely seen while

Bryde's whale Bryde's whale ( ), or the Bryde's whale complex, putatively comprises three species of rorqual and possibly four. The "complex" means the number and classification remain unclear because of a lack of definitive information and research. The c ...

s can be seen around the bay entrance. The bay is also home to a population of

boto Boto is a Portuguese name given to several types of dolphins and river dolphins native to the Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (c ...

s and this population faces severe risks of

population decline Population decline, also known as depopulation, is a reduction in a human population size. Throughout history, Earth's total world population, human population has estimates of historical world population, continued to grow but projections sugg ...

.Dale J.. 2016
População de golfinhos da Baía de Guanabara sofre redução de 90% em três décadas
Globo.com. Retrieved on September 18, 2017

History

Description

Environment

References

Further reading

See also