at a glance

During this period, Copacabana was still in the early phases of development, and Ilha do Governador was considered the popular and pleasant local for the middle classes. Similarly, while in previous decades holidaying was centered on the appreciation of public gardens and French architecture, idyllic beach recreations and natural splendor were becoming fashionable, placing the island firmly on the vacationer's map. In 1977, the famous Aeroporto Internacional do Galeão, or 'Galeão International Airport', was opened.

In 1981, Governor Chagas Freitas decreed that Ilha do Governador's status as neighborhood be revoked and replaced by its fourteen current official districts which are as follow -bancários, cacuia, cocotá, freguesia da ilha,  galeão, jardim carioca, jardim guanabara, moneró, pitangueiras, portuguesa, praia da bandeira, ribeira, tauá, and zumbi.