Guanabara Bay

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In Portuguese, Baía da Guanabara is an oceanic bay located in southeastern Brazil in the state of Rio de Janeiro. In its southwest shore is the city of Rio de Janeiro and in its southeast shore the city of Niterói. Five other municipalities surround the bay's shores. Guanabara Bay is the second largest bay in area in Brazil (412 km², with a perimeter of 143 km).

The name Guanabara comes from the Tupi-Guarani language, guará-nhã-pará, which means "the bosom of sea, similar to a river".

Guanabara Bay is 31 km (19 miles) long and 28 km (18 miles) wide at its maximum. Its 1,5 km (approximately one mile) wide mouth is flanked at the northern tip by the Pico do Papagaio (Parrot's Peak) and the southern tip by Pão de Açucar (Sugar Loaf). There are more than 130 islands dotting the bay, including:

• Lajes
• Governador - site of Rio de Janeiro's Galeão - Antônio Carlos Jobim International Airport
• Galeão
• Paquetá
• Cobras
• Flores
• Fiscal
• Ilha da Boa Viagem
• Villegaignon
• Fundão

The bay is crossed by the mighty Rio-Niterói Bridge (13,290 m [8.25 miles] long and with a central span 72 m [236.22 feet] high) and there is a heavy traffic of boats and ships, including regular ferryboat lines. The two airports of Rio de Janeiro, the Galeão - Antônio Carlos Jobim International Airport (in the Island of Galeão) and the Santos Dumont Airport are located on its shores. The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro main campus is located on the Island of Fundão. A maze of smaller bridges seamlessly interconnect the main islands of Fundão, Galeão and Governador to the mainland.

Guanabara's Bay, surrounded by luxuriant tropical forests, beaches, strangely-shaped rocks and peaks, and a backdrop of the high mountains of Serra do Mar, is bordered by one of the most beautiful cities in the world, so it is considered one of the world's premier tourists spots.

Unfortunately, due to urbanization, deforestation and pollution of its waters with sewage, garbage, oil spills, etc., Guanabara Bay's ecosystem, which was incredibly rich and diversified in the past, has suffered a lot, particularly along its mangrove areas. Recovery measures are currently being tried.

In 1975 two intact amphorae were recovered from the bottom of Guanabara Bay. In 1981 archeologist Robert Marx discovered thousands of pottery fragments in the same locality, including 200 necks from amphorae. The amphorae have been shown to be of Roman make, from the 2nd century BC. [1]

[edit] History

Guanabara Bay was discovered in January 1, 1502 by Portuguese explorer Gaspar de Lemos, who named it Rio de Janeiro (January River), because they thought it was a large river coming to the sea. Indians of the Tamoio and Tupininquim tribes inhabited the shores of the bay. After its initial discovery, no significant European settlements were established until French colonist and soldiers, under the Huguenot Admiral Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon invaded the region in 1555 to establish the France Antarctique. After a brief stay in the Lajes Island, they moved to Serigipe Island, near the shore, and built there Fort Coligny. 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. Other islands were adapted by the Navy to host naval storehouses, hospitals, drydocks, oil reservoirs and the National Naval Academy.

[edit] External links

• Information Center for Guanabara Bay. State Government of Rio de Janeiro (in Portuguese).