Recife (Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: [ʁeˈsifi] ⓘ) is the state capital of Pernambuco, Brazil, on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America.

Together with the urban presence of the Beberibe and Capibaribe rivers and their tributaries, the many additional unique, small islands—and more than 50 bridges linking them throughout the city—create a distinct maritime or "riviera" atmosphere, leading to Recife being known as the "Venice of Brazil".

The Metropolitan Region of Recife is the main industrial zone of the State of Pernambuco, major products are those derived from cane (sugar and ethanol), motor vehicles, ships, oil platforms, electronics, software, and others.

[10] A combination of a large supply of labor and significant private investments turned Recife into Brazil's second largest medical hub (the first being São Paulo);[11] modern hospitals with state-of-the-art equipment receive patients from several neighbouring States.

Recife and Natal are the only Brazilian cities with direct flights to the islands of Fernando de Noronha, a World Heritage Site.

The first documented reference to the settlement with its "arrecife dos navios" (reef of the ships) was in the royal Charter Act of March 12, 1537, establishing Olinda, 6 kilometres (3.7 miles) to the north, as a village, with its port where the Beberibe River meets the sea.

Olinda (and Igarassu before it) had been settled in 1536 by Captain General Duarte Coelho, a Portuguese nobleman, proprietor and administrator of the captaincy of Pernambuco.

[22] The Recife metropolitan area is the 5th most populous of Brazil, after São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte and Porto Alegre, and the first in the Northeast region.

[36] The Patroness Saint of Recife[37] is Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Nossa Senhora do Carmo), dating back one hundred and eight years ago (1909).

Generating some R$10 billion (Brazilian Reais) a year,[40] it produces technology that is exported to the United States, India, Japan, and China, among other countries.

[41] The Porto Digital cluster comprises small and medium companies, but multinationals from across the world, like Accenture, Motorola, Samsung, Dell and Sun Microsystems also have operations there.

[42] Porto Digital's startups can count on a ready pool of talent, courtesy of the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), which boasts one of the best computer-science departments in all of Latin America.

Professors at the school also teamed up to launch the Centro de Estudos e Sistemas Avançados do Recife (C.E.S.A.R), a business incubator that has played a vital role in the birth of some 30 companies.

Other shopping centers include: The Metropolitan Region of Recife has the third largest medical pool in Brazil, after São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

The medical pool offers a total of 8,990 beds and, according to the Union of the Hospitals of Pernambuco, recorded in the year 2000 an invoicing of R$220 million (Brazilian Reals).

Many events taking place during the year include: Because of its geographic location, tourism and city infrastructure, Recife's convention centers are of a high standard.

The carnival of Recife and Olinda (which has its historic town centre considered a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982)[54] begins many weeks ahead in December with innumerable balls and parades.

Recife has many quality 3, 4 and 5-Star International Hotels as well as Pousadas (traditional Bed & breakfast) and Apart-Hotels, totalling more than 11,500 bedrooms and this number increases to over 30,000 when the metropolitan area is considered.

Built between 1835 and 1855, the Malakoff Tower, a monument constructed in Tunisian / Arabic style, used to be an observatory and now is a cultural centre and a place for popular gatherings.

Among Recife's main tourist attractions are: Architectural Digest featured Rua do Bom Jesus as of the 31 most beautiful streets in the world in 2019, noting its history and the Kahal Zur Israel synagogue.

The Festival de São João, held annually in June, celebrates traditional culture and music that originated in the region.

The four-day period before the Christian liturgical preparatory season Lent leading up to Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday is carnival time in Brazil.

[64] When the Portuguese reconquered the land, these Sephardic Jews moved further north with the Dutch, and helped found "New Amsterdam" (now New York City) on Manhattan island in the United States.

Ricardo Brennand Institute: Set up in a reproduction of a medieval-style castle, there is a collection of pieces from the period of Dutch rule in Recife, as well as daggers and armor from medieval Europe.

Also, the city has traditions in another sports as: Basketball, Hockey, Golf, Tenis, Table tennis, Volleyball, beach volley, Handball, Surf, Skateboard, Bodysurf, Swimning pool and Futsal.

The sports complex 'City'[83] was constructed with a new stadium with 45,000 seats, 9,000 flats, 6,000 car parking spaces, 1 hospital, 1 technical school, 1 shopping centre, 1 integrated metro/bus station and improvement of federal roads, all with an estimated cost of R$1.6 billion.

It was begun by a women's organisation and offered after-school activities with the goal of discouraging children and adolescents from working in sex tourism.

Surfing has been outlawed since 1995 on the urban beaches (Pina, Boa Viagem, Piedade, and Candeias) because of the risk the sport poses to its practitioners due to shark attacks.

[92][93] Other facts contribute to the appearance of sharks in the area of Boa Viagem Beach: the marine currents direct the animals for that stretch of 20 kilometers.

Based on its findings, local human rights lawyers are considering a symbolic legal challenge to the State of Pernambuco, with the aim of securing compensation for the victims of attacks.