at a glance

situated at the entrance to baía de sepetiba and facing the island of ilha grande, it is accessible from the neighborhood of barra de guaratiba.

while the sandbank looks like a very long, very thin peninsula, it is in fact separated from the mainland by the canal do bacalhau, making it an actual island, hence the official name - ilha da marambaia (marambaia island). 

marambaia is jointly administrated by the brazilian navy and the army, as it is used by all branches of the brazilian armed forces for numerous purposes, such as for military training and arms experimentation - chiefly by the marine corps, the centro de adestramento da ilha da marambaia (cadim) has been operating here since 1981.