Unit 6 - Megacities
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro is one of the two megacities in South America, alongside São Paulo, and stands as the second most populated city in Brazil. With a current population of approximately 13,634,000 inhabitants, the city has experienced consistent growth, adding over 517,279 people between 2015 and 2020. However, as shown in the Brazil Population Growth graph (1961–2024), the annual growth rate has followed a clear downward trend, dropping from around 3.0% in 1961 to approximately 0.4% by 2024, indicating that while Rio de Janeiro continues to grow, the pace of that growth is steadily slowing over time. As a megacity, Rio de Janeiro benefits from Brazil's position as the eighth-largest economy in the world and provides its citizens with 100% access to electricity and 94.1% access to sanitation facilities. The city is also highly connected, with Brazil ranking 6th globally in mobile phone usage and 81% of its population being internet users. Culturally, Rio de Janeiro is r...