at a glance

rio comprido is a neighborhood in the north zone of rio de janeiro, surrounded by cosme velho, santa teresa, estacio and catumbi. the area was named after the large river that begins in the floresta da tijuca and runs into guanabara bay - the river was once used for recreational activities such as fishing and water sports which continued to be popular for a number of years, however, the steady rise of pollution has led to a point where water quality is no longer considered safe for these activities.

rio comprido was once called rio iguazu, crossing the region known as catumbi pequeno, granting access to the valley between the two hills morro de santa teresa and santos rodrigues - the first main street to be built in the area was called estrada do catumbi, nowadays called rua itapiru, a long street that stretched past a number of large farms and homesteads.