Map Recife

Recife (pronunciation IPA: [heˈsifi]) is the fifth largest Metropolitan area in Brazil and the capital of Pernambuco. The population was 1,515,052 in 2005, and 3,646,204 in the wider metropolitan Region. Recife is located where the Beberibe River meets the Capibaribe River to flow into the Atlantic Ocean. It is a major port on the Atlantic Ocean. The name means "reef" in Portuguese.
Surrounded by rivers and crossed by bridges, Recife is full of islands and mangroves that magnify its geography. It is known as the Brazilian Venice, thanks to its fluvial resemblance with the European city, and is considered one of Brazil's cultural capitals. Recife is the birthplace of poets and writers Manuel Bandeira, João Cabral de Melo Neto, Gilberto Freyre, Paulo Freire, Nelson Rodrigues, Carlos Pena Filho, Saulo Moreira and Sebastião Uchoa Leite; and of such composers as Chico Science, Lenine, Fred Zero Quatro, Otto, Pochyua Andrade, Don Tronxo, Valença Brothers, Antônio Nóbrega, Naná Vasconcelos, Jorge du Peixe, Paulo Diniz, Fernando Lobo and Antônio Maria. Canadian ice hockey player Robyn Regehr and footballers Vavá, Rivaldo and Juninho Pernambucano were also born in Recife.
The Guararapes International Airport connects Recife with Brazilian cities and also operates international flights.
The city is home to the Federal University of Pernambuco.