São João de Meriti () is a Brazilian

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Its historical name was São João do Rio Meriti. Its population was 440,962 inhabitants in 2022. It is located in the region of Baixada Fluminense, having 34.996 km² (13.451 square miles). The city is known as "Americas' Anthill", because its population density is one of the highest in the continent (13,185/km² or 34,815/sq mi).

History

The place we know today as ''São João de Meriti'', cut by the rivers Sarapuí, Meriti and Pavuna, was known before as ''Freguesia de Meriti''. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Meriti had many farms and chapels, being an important producer of

corn Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout Poaceae, grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago ...

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava, manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America, from Brazil, Paraguay and parts of the Andes. Although ...

beans A bean is the seed of some plants in the legume family (Fabaceae) used as a vegetable for human consumption or animal feed. The seeds are often preserved through drying (a ''pulse''), but fresh beans are also sold. Dried beans are tradition ...

and

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...

. In 1833, the São João de Meriti village incorporated the Maxabomba village, now City of Nova Iguaçú. In 1947, São João de Meriti was elevated to the status of municipality. It is considered a

commuter town A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

. It has some commercial centers such as its downtown, Vilar dos Teles (ex-capital of jeans), Coelho da Rocha, São Mateus and Shopping Grande Rio mall. Many poor districts surround these commercial centers and others lack proper sanitation, like Jardim Paraíso, close to Vilar dos Teles. Some districts like Vila Rosali are populated by the

middle class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. C ...

. Recently, the city has become an important cultural centre, being home to IPAHB and SESC. São João de Meriti is the hometown of the writer Lasana Lukata, volleyball player André Nascimento, actor Paulinho Gogó and the young André Mercury, nationally known for his performance on the Brazilian

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Ídolos, when he sang his own song ''Casa da Colina'' (House on the Hill, in English), probably inspired by the homonym film. Meriti was also the hometown of João Cândido, the Black Admiral, one of the most prominent fighters in the defense of black people's rights. The footballer Bira was born here as well.

Transport

São João de Meriti benefits from connecting other municipalities in Baixada Fluminense to Rio de Janeiro. The vast majority of buses leaving other cities in the Metropolitan Region for the capital pass through São João de Meriti, via Via Light and Rodovia Presidente Dutra, as well as passing through the city center and neighborhoods such as Vilar dos Teles and Coelho da Rocha. There are numerous bus lines to neighborhoods in most municipalities in Baixada Fluminense and the capital (North Zone, Center and West Zone), as well as to the city of

Niterói Niterói () is a List of municipalities in Rio de Janeiro, municipality in the state of Rio de Janeiro (state), Rio de Janeiro, in the Southeast Region, Brazil, southeast region of Brazil. It lies across Guanabara Bay, facing the city of Rio de ...

. The city is crossed by two railways: the Supervia Belford Roxo branch line (a remnant of the old Estrada de Ferro Rio d'Ouro), a suburban train branch line that connects the city to the neighboring city of Belford Roxo, and the Auxiliary Line of the old Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil, connecting the city to the city of Japeri, but currently focused on cargo transportation and with part of the line granted to MRS Logística. Both lines merge into one connecting the city with the capital of Rio de Janeiro.

Territorial organization

São João de Meriti is administratively divided into 21 ''bairros'' (neighborhoods) and 3 ''distritos'' (districts).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sao Joao de Meriti Municipalities in Rio de Janeiro (state)