at a glance

benfica is a neighborhood located in the north zone (zona norte) of rio. bordering bairros (neighborhoods) are caju, vasco da gama and são cristóvão, as well as, mangueira, são francisco xavier and, rocha, jacaré and manguinhos.

the neighborhood's name is possibly a trade name such as smith or carpenter, its meaning however is not clear. the bairro may have been named in honor of the portuguese soccer championship team sport lisboa e benfica or, it may have been named for a town in portugal.

 the area where the neighborhood is situated was originally wetlands, covering an area from baía de guanabara (guanabara bay) to the area near praia pequena (little beach).