Baixada Fluminense

Physical geography of part of the Baixada Fluminense in the strict sense (from Queimados to Guapimirim) The Baixada Fluminense, in the broad sense of the term, presents variable width: it is quite narrow in the initial stretch of the "Sepetiba Lowlands" (the section extending from the municipality of Mangaratiba to the Coroa Grande neighborhood, in Itaguaí, between the Serra do Mar and Sepetiba Bay), and gradually widens eastward until the Macacu River, in the "Guanabara Lowlands" region, which extends to the municipalities of Guapimirim and Cachoeiras de Macacu. In this stretch, within the municipality of Rio de Janeiro, between the West Zone (Sepetiba Lowlands), North Zone and South Zone (Guanabara Lowlands), rise the massifs of Pedra Branca Massif and Tijuca Massif, which reach altitudes slightly above one thousand meters. From Guanabara Bay to Cabo Frio, along the "Araruama Lowlands" sector, the Baixada Fluminense narrows again, presenting a succession of small elevations between 200 and 500 meters in height: the so-called "coastal massifs of Rio de Janeiro state". From the stretch between the district of Rocha Leão, in Rio das Ostras, and the neighborhood of Imboassica, in Macaé, the Baixada Fluminense widens once more in its final sector, the "Goytacazes Lowlands", reaching its greatest extent in the delta of the Paraíba do Sul River, in the region of Campos dos Goytacazes and São João da Barra, in northern Rio de Janeiro state. In a broad sense, the Baixada Fluminense is considered the central axis of the state of Rio de Janeiro, encompassing the state capital, part of the Costa Verde, the municipalities of the far western metropolitan area, all municipalities surrounding Guanabara Bay, the coastal lowlands (including the seven municipalities of the Lagos Region) and some municipalities of northern Rio de Janeiro state. It is crossed by some of the main highways of the state and of Brazil, such as the BR-101 (which runs through the Costa Verde, metropolitan region, coastal lowlands and northern Rio de Janeiro, thus crossing the entire Baixada Fluminense), the BR-040, the BR-116 and the RJ-106. It is also crossed, within the metropolitan area, by the railway lines Santa Cruz (entirely within the municipality of Rio de Janeiro), Japeri, Belford Roxo, Saracuruna, Paracambi (whose route reaches the tourist region of the Vale do Café), Vila Inhomirim and Guapimirim, all operated by the suburban rail concessionaire SuperVia; the region was also formerly served by the railway lines Niterói, Itaguaí, Mangaratiba and Campos (the latter being the only one of these lines that served an inland municipality of the state). Divergences regarding its limits Regarding the municipalities that belong to the Baixada Fluminense, there is consensus concerning Duque de Caxias, Nova Iguaçu, São João de Meriti, Nilópolis, Belford Roxo, Mesquita, Queimados (all north of the city of Rio de Janeiro) and Japeri, municipalities of Greater Iguaçu, where a large part of the consolidated periphery of the Rio de Janeiro metropolis is located. However, some authors consider, in addition to the eight municipalities mentioned, the municipalities of Guapimirim, Magé (to the east), Paracambi, Seropédica and Itaguaí, which originated from the partition of the former municipalities of Magé and Itaguaí during the 20th century and encompass a significant part of the expanding periphery of Greater Rio, as part of the region. In addition, the municipality of Mangaratiba is also sometimes considered part of the Baixada Fluminense in the strict sense (which refers to the area where the urban expansion of the Rio metropolis occurred), since the municipality is the first in the region in the broad sense (referring exclusively to the physical geography of the state); with these limits, the Baixada Fluminense in its most comprehensive conception becomes even more extensive, composed of 14 municipalities, beginning in Mangaratiba and ending in Guapimirim. Comparison between the Baixada Fluminense and the East Metropolitan Region Like the Baixada Fluminense, the East Metropolitan Region (East Fluminense or Greater Niterói), composed of the municipalities of Niterói, São Gonçalo, Itaboraí, Maricá, Tanguá, Rio Bonito and Cachoeiras de Macacu—the seven municipalities historically most integrated with each other and with Rio de Janeiro (especially with the Central Region) east of Guanabara Bay—, also grew as an expansion of the Rio de Janeiro metropolis, However, these two regions differ considerably from one another, as they developed in quite distinct ways. The Baixada Fluminense grew as the immediate periphery of Rio de Janeiro, through the direct expansion of the city's urban footprint into the portion of the former state of Rio de Janeiro located north of the then Federal District—an area of lowlands situated between the territory corresponding to the present municipality of Rio de Janeiro and the Serra do Mar. Thus, the Baixada Fluminense and the East Metropolitan Region each have their own identity, and the municipalities composing each region share characteristics that clearly distinguish them. Due to their origin and development, the East Metropolitan Region has a certain degree of autonomy in relation to Rio (largely due to the role played by the city of Niterói), whereas the Baixada is highly dependent on the capital. Municipalities in the East Metropolitan Region tend to interact more with each other than those in the Baixada, while municipalities in the Baixada generally maintain a stronger connection with the center of the capital than those in the East Metropolitan Region. This can be observed in commuting patterns within the metropolitan area and in the destinations of urban public transport lines available in these two regions. Internal connections between the seven municipalities of Greater Niterói are made via intermunicipal bus and van lines. Transport between these municipalities and the city of Rio de Janeiro is carried out directly (departing from each of the seven municipalities) by road transport (buses and vans), and from Niterói by ferries. Intermunicipal bus lines (departing from the thirteen municipalities of the Baixada Fluminense) and vans also connect the Baixada to the Central Region of Rio. As for circulation within the Baixada Fluminense, although there are bus lines connecting all municipalities to each other, there are no intermunicipal vans operating these same routes. ==History==

, which runs through the municipality of Duque de Caxias|alt= ;Pre-conquest Around the year 1000, the region was invaded by Tupi peoples from the Amazon rainforest, who expelled the earlier inhabitants—speakers of languages of the Macro-Jê linguistic stock—into the interior of the continent, where they would form the so-called Indians Puris. In the 16th century, the first Europeans arrived in the region. They encountered the Tupi group known as the Tupinambá (also called Tamoios). ;16th century The region played a fundamental historical role in the formation of the present-day state of Rio de Janeiro, from the time of the arrival of Portuguese expeditions led by Amerigo Vespucci in Arraial do Cabo in 1503 (the first to reach the current state territory) and that of Estácio de Sá in Rio de Janeiro. The region came to be occupied by the French in the 16th century, forming an area of Brazilwood exploitation from the region of the present-day city of Rio de Janeiro to Cabo Frio. This city was essential for the founding and consolidation of the city of Rio de Janeiro, as it was the first point of arrival for European invaders on the coast of the present-day state: as soon as privateer ships were sighted, cannon shots were fired in Cabo Frio and, when the sound reached Rio de Janeiro, the city was warned that invaders were approaching. With the victory of the Portuguese and their Temiminó allies over the Tupinambá and their French allies, the Baixada Fluminense was divided by the Portuguese into sesmarias, where sugarcane was cultivated and sugar was produced using labor from enslaved people. ;18th century Until the 19th century, the region was known as the Baixada da Guanabara. It experienced some development during the 18th century, when it was an important corridor for transporting gold mined in the neighboring state of Minas Gerais. ;19th century In the 19th century was one of the first regions to develop coffee plantations. Another major economic boost occurred with the construction of railways in the region, such as the Mauá Railway (the first railway in Brazil) in Magé and the Dom Pedro II Railway (now the Central do Brasil Railway), during the Second Reign (1840–1889). This reduced the importance of traditional river routes and pathways in the region, but led to the emergence of new towns and settlements around railway stations, such as Maxambomba (now Nova Iguaçu), Belém (now Japeri), among others, which today form the main cities of the region. At the time, citrus cultivation in the region also experienced significant growth. ;20th century In the early 20th century the area began to receive drainage works to reduce serious public health problems, notably outbreaks of malaria that afflicted the region. The area also experienced a large influx of people arriving from other parts of the country, mainly from Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais and Northeastern Brazil, There was also immigration from other countries, most of them came from Portugal. This people came in search of better living conditions in the then federal capital, the city of Rio de Janeiro, as well as This movement, however, occurred in a less official and more "natural" way than might be imagined. People were attracted by the large number of vacant lands and the ease of transportation provided by the railways (such as the EFCB with its branches and the Rio d'Ouro line) Such migratory movements, however, have been a constant in the region's history, whether due to the movement of muleteers along the roads that connected Rio and the lowlands to the mountain regions before the inauguration of the railway line, or in the post-abolition period, when a large number of former enslaved people and/or their descendants used the same railway line toward Rio in search of better opportunities. Many of these migrants ended up settling in the Baixada or in the North Zone of Rio de Janeiro. In the second half of the 20th century, the region acquired a reputation for poverty, crime and inadequate social services. However, this was the case in all its places; even though there are favelas in the region and a problem with violence, there are great neighborhoods in all the cities in the region, most of its inhabitants don't live in a favela, and probably haven't even visited one. Large marsh drainage projects were undertaken in order to improve sanitary conditions, Successful even in most cities. ==Economy==

The Baixada Fluminense region, especially Duque de Caxias and Nova Iguaçu, concentrates large industries, notably in the petrochemical (ARLANXEO), energy, and logistics and wholesale sectors, housing companies such as Shell, Petrobras, White Martins, Sadia, Volkswagen Trucks, Bayer, Coca-Cola, and Niely, in addition to strong distribution and commercial hubs, with the presence of large shopping and logistics centers driving the region's economic growth. ==Culture==

The Baixada Fluminense is culturally diverse. The influx of migrants—whether freed slaves from the Sul Fluminense or those coming from the Northeast Region of Brazil—favored the preservation and renewal of various festivals and celebrations, such as the Folia de Reis have terreiros in the region, especially in Nova Iguaçu, as well as Mejitó Marcia de Sàkpáta in São João de Meriti and Mãe Meninazinha d'Oxum in Belford Roxo. ==Education==

The Baixada Fluminense region offers diverse options for technical and higher education, notably federal institutions such as IFRJ and CEFET (with campuses in Duque de Caxias, Nilópolis, Nova Iguaçu, and Itaguaí, And the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro In Seropédica, And hundreds of schools at the preschool, secondary, and high school levels. ==References==