after witnessing the incredible spectacle of the rio de janeiro carnival in 1953, three friends from rio's northern neighborhood, cacuia, decided that their neighborhood should be represented in the parade - and so, união de ilha do governador was born.

historically, one of the himbler samba schools to participate at the rio carnival, ilha do governador has had marginal success in the competitions - they are best known for creating some of the catchiest songs of the carnival, most notably in 1989, with their theme song 'fiesta profana', which is still sung across the country.