Among the Brazilian capitals, Vitória currently maintains the second best human development index (HDI) (after Florianópolis) according to research from the Getulio Vargas Foundation.

Its substrate is divided between an area of folds and another of sedimentary deposits, which gives it a very rugged relief composed of hills, some of them derived from residual forms, gently undulating terrains and plains.

In this way, the plant cover of Espírito Santo is composed of tropical forests, mangroves, sandbanks and dune vegetation.

The municipality of Vitória is composed of 80 neighborhoods, which are divided into nine different administrative regions: The relief of the islands is an extension of the continent, whether granite, surrounded by the sea and native Brazilian restinga-mangue vegetation.

Vitória's highest point is Pico do Desejado, located in the Trindade Island, with 601m of altitude, eleven hundred kilometers away from the mainland coastline.

The city's climate is tropical, with average annual temperature of 23 °C (73 °F) and the occurrence of rainfall specially in the months from October to January.

The highest absolute maximum temperature ever recorded in the city is 39.6 °C (103.3 °F) (INMET) on February 25, 2006, and the minimum is less than 9 °C (48 °F), which resulted from the cold Falklands oceanic current.

Vitória shares the position of the Brazilian capital with the lowest rates of rainfall with Rio de Janeiro at approximately 918 millimetres (36.1 in) annually.

Vitória is also the city that presents the lowest temperature range in practically the whole state of Espírito Santo, as a result both of its oceanic climate and the protection that the mountains afford from major weather changes influenced by air masses.

Vila Velha, which was the capital of the Captaincy of Espírito Santo, found itself in constant attacks from the Tupi-Guarani-speaking and possibly some Macro-Jê-speaking indigenous peoples and the French and Dutch.

Vila Nova do Espírito Santo, as it was called, was founded on September 8, 1551, and later renamed Vitória in memory of the victory in a great battle led by the holder of the captaincy, Vasco Fernandes Coutinho, against Goytacaz Amerindians.

Until the last century, the limits of the current capital of Espírito Santo were Fort São João, where is currently located the Club de Regatas Saldanha da Gama, near the city center, and the hill where sits the actual Santa Casa de Misericórdia hospital, in Vila Rubim.

From 1894 on, many landfills were implemented in the lower parts of the city with the coffee cycle, changing the shape of the island and urbanising it.

Several new neighbourhoods were thus inhabited and public steps built to connect them with the higher ground and ancient houses were demolished.

Industry accounts for 30% of Vitória's economy, housing large companies in the extractive sectors, such as Petrobras.

[11] Eurico de Aguiar Salles Airport (Goiabeiras) is located on a land plot of just over 5.2 million square meters.

Since construction of its first step, finished in 1946, Vitória Airport has undergone several expansions and modernizations, but current demand has surpassed its capacity of 2.9 million passengers a year.

The Bay of Vitória is extremely narrow, with rocks and hills that complicate access by freighters and maritime cruisers to the docks.

Although originally created to export iron ore, in recent years, it has added silos for storing grains and soybean meal.

[12] Vitória is home to numerous colonial-period and imperial-period historic structures, many designated as federal, state, or municipal monuments.