at a glance

Located in the Southeast of Ilha do Governador, zumbi is an affluent bairro (neighborhood), part of zona norte (north zone) of rio de janeiro - zumbi shares the island with fourteen other bairros, and is nestled between the neighborhoods pitangueiras, cacuia and ribeira.

the bairro's name is believed to come from the indigenous tupi language, zumbi being a variation of tumby, roughly translated it refers to the shape of a woman's hips, due to the topography of the nearby beach - despite common beliefs, it is unlikely that the neighborhood has any connection to the portuguese word zumbi (zombie) or the historical figuer of zumbi dos palmares.

the bairro is one of the oldest on the ilha do governador and also one of the smallest official neighborhoods in the city of rio. it is located between the rio jequiá (jequiá river) and the baía guanabara (guanabara bay), on what used to be a narrow strip of land, that was home to a primarily fishing community in its earliest days.