The Greater Natal (lit. ''Grande Natal'', officially ''Natal Metropolitan Region'', lit. ''Região Metropolitana de Natal'') is a

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually ...

located in

Rio Grande do Norte Rio Grande do Norte (, , ) is one of the states of Brazil. It is located in the northeastern region of the country, forming the northeasternmost tip of the South American continent. The name literally translates as "Great Northern River", re ...

state in

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. It consists of nine municipalities, including the capital, Natal. The metropolitan area of Natal is known as a historical, cultural and economic center of state, with a total population of 1,263 million inhabitants. The region was first officially defined on January 16, 1997. Only a few municipalities show a high level of agglomeration — namely, Natal- Parnamirim and Natal- São Gonçalo do Amarante. The state government's greatest challenge is connecting all the cities in the metropolitan area by bus. There is a plan called "Via Metropolitana" (Metropolitan Highway) to connect all cities.

Municipalities in Greater Natal

References

Populated places in Rio Grande do Norte Metropolitan areas of Brazil Geography of Rio Grande do Norte {{RioGrandedoNorte-geo-stub