it was inside this prison on ilha grande that the comando vermelho, one of the biggest criminal organizations in the history rio de janeiro was born, as beautifully documented in the movie 'quase due irmăos' (almost two brothers).
in 1994 the prison was destroyed by the government of rio de janeiro with the convicts mostly transferred to two maximum security prisons in rio de janeiro capital - the presence of the prison, in a way, protected the area surrounding it, creating an unspoiled ecological sanctuary, and the site is where rio de janeiro university's centre of biological sciences now stands.
during the 20th century, fishing became the most important economical activity on ilha grande, and over time more than 30 fish salting factories were installed by japanese immigrants who came over from săo paulo.
entertainment
