located on the western shore of the guanabara bay, between the harbor to the south and the governor's island to the north, the 'ilha do fundão', or 'deep water island' in english, is an important part of the geography of rio de janeiro, as it holds the renowned federal university of rio de janeiro.

the ample installations are known as 'cidade universitária da universidade federal do rio de janeiro', or 'academic city of the federal university of rio de janeiro.

in the colonial times the area now occupied by the current fundão island was in fact a small archipelago of smaller rocks.