Angra dos Reis is a Brazilian municipality located in the southern part of Rio de Janeiro state. Angra is located at an altitude of 6 meters and includes in its territory many offshore islands, the largest being the Ilha Grande. The area was first documented by Europeans on January 6, 1502, and has been under continual settlement since 1556. Its population was estimated, on July 1, 2018, to be 200,407 inhabitants.
The municipality fell into decline after 1872 with the advent of railways. It came back into prominence in the 1920s when a railway extension connected it to the states of Minas Gerais and Goias, as a terminus for the transportation of agriculture production from these same two states. The railway extension, in meter gauge, still exists and is currently operated by the Ferrovia Centro-Atlântica company. In the mid-twentieth century, the municipality was an essential part of the implementation of Companhia Siderurgica Nacional – CSN, Volta Redonda, and the endpoint for coking coal supplied from Santa Catarina. Today, the same company also uses the port, in part, for its steel exports. Its current importance is due, in part, to having a ferry terminal facility in the Bay of Ilha Grande and its harbour, used by TEBIG Petrobras, which transports large quantities of oil and thus positions the port of Angra dos Reis as one of the busiest in the country. Today, because of its beautiful beaches and nearby regions, the place has become a focal point for tourism – not only statewide but on a national scale also. Within the municipality are over three hundred islands, many of them owned by national and international celebrities, with the largest one called Ilha Grande. The pioneering Brazilian plastic surgeon and philanthropist Dr. Ivo Pitanguy was a noted resident. Most of the place is covered by hills, and its hilly terrain helped generate the landslides that occurred at the beginning of 2010, when numerous homes and hotels were severely damaged or destroyed, mainly on Ilha Grande.
Economy
The most important economic activities are commerce, fishing, industry, services, and tourism. The port has an oil terminal as well as shipbuilding facilities. Brazil's nuclear power stations, Angra I and Angra II are located nearby. They employ 3,000 people, and generate another 10,000 indirect jobs in Rio de Janeiro State. Tourism is highly developed with countless beaches, islands and pristine waters perfect for swimming or scuba diving. The nuclear power stations also warm the area's waters with their thermal discharges, a form of thermal pollution. There is a small amount of cattle raising, with approximately 4,200 head. The main agricultural products cultivated are:
bananas: 1,460 hectares / 3,600 tons
coconut: 10 hectares / 130,000 fruits
oranges: 4 hectares / 25 tons
hearts of palm : 50 hectares / 75 tons
sugarcane: 20 hectares / 390 tons
Data are from
Meaning of the name
, a navigator and commander of the Portuguesenaval fleet landed at Ilha Grande on 6 January 1502, a “Kings’ day” - that is, “Dia de Reis”. Accordingly, the place was named “Angra dos Reis”, which means “Creek of the Kings” or loosely – “Anchorage of the Kings”.
