Rio de Janeiro

Coastal state in southeast Brazil; area 43,305 sq km/16,720 sq mi; population (1996) 12,808,000. The capital is the city of Rio de Janeiro. Río state has the highest percentage of urban dwellers of any Brazilian state. Most employment in the state is in the manufacturing and service sectors. The main industries are: metallurgy; the production of textiles, chemicals, and cement; automobile manufacture; and the processing of foodstuffs. These industries are concentrated for the most part in Río city and other large conurbations nearby, such as Niterói and Petrópolis.

Volta Redonda, on the northern boundary of the state, has one of the largest steel mills in South America. Brazil's first atomic power station is located on the coast in the south of the state at Angra dos Reis. The rural hinterland produces sugar cane, fruit, and coffee, the Paraíba river valley being the most important agricultural area.

The present state was formed in 1975 when the states of Rio de Janeiro and Guanabara were consolidated.