The urban hierarchy of Brazil places Brazil's cities into categories:

global cities A global city (also known as a power city, world city, alpha city, or world center) is a city that serves as a primary node in the global economic network. The concept originates from geography and urban studies, based on the thesis that glo ...

, national metropolises, regional metropolises, regional capitols (A, B and C), sub-regional centers (A and B) and zone centers (A, B and C).

Urban hierarchy

Global cities

Brazil's global cities possess areas of influence that surpass the country's borders. Brazil's global cities are the municipalities of

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

and

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

National metropolises

Brasília Brasília ( ; ) is the capital city, capital of Brazil and Federal District (Brazil), Federal District. Located in the Brazilian highlands in the country's Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region, it was founded by President Juscelino ...

and

are Brazil's national metropolises. They are the first level of territorial management, providing a focus for centers located in all parts of

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

Regional metropolises

Regional metropolises constitute the second level of territorial management, and influence the surrounding macro-region where they are located. Brazil's regional metropolises include

Curitiba Curitiba () is the capital and largest city in the state of Paraná (state), Paraná in Southern Brazil. The city's population was 1,773,718 , making it the List of cities in Brazil by population, eighth most populous city in Brazil and the larg ...

Salvador Salvador, meaning "salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to: * Salvador (name) Arts, entertainment, and media Music *Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music ** ''Salvador'' ( ...

Porto Alegre Porto Alegre (, ; , ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian Federative units of Brazil, state of Rio Grande do Sul. Its population of roughly 1.4 million inhabitants (2022) makes it the List of largest cities in Brazil, 11th-most p ...

Goiânia Goiânia ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian federative units of Brazil, state of Goiás. With a population of 1,536,097, it is the second-largest city in the Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West Region and the 10th-larges ...

Fortaleza Fortaleza ( ; ; ) is the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeastern Brazil. It is Brazil's 4th largest city—Fortaleza surpassed Salvador, Bahia, Salvador in 2022 census with a population of slightly over 2.4 mi ...

Recife Recife ( , ) is the Federative units of Brazil, state capital of Pernambuco, Brazil, on the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of South America. It is the largest urban area within both the North Region, Brazil, North and the Northeast R ...

Manaus Manaus () is the List of capitals of subdivisions of Brazil, capital and largest city of the States of Brazil, Brazilian state of Amazonas (Brazilian state), Amazonas. It is the List of largest cities in Brazil, seventh-largest city in Brazil, w ...

Belém Belém (; Portuguese for Bethlehem; initially called Nossa Senhora de Belém do Grão-Pará, in English Our Lady of Bethlehem of Great Pará), often called Belém of Pará, is the capital and largest city of the state of Pará in the north of B ...

and

Belo Horizonte Belo Horizonte is the List of largest cities in Brazil, sixth-largest city in Brazil, with a population of around 2.3 million, and the third largest metropolitan area, containing a population of 6 million. It is the List of cities in Sout ...

Regional capitals

The regional capitol is the third level of territorial management, and influences its state and its surrounding states. These are subdivided into: A regional capitols (cities such as

Natal NATAL or Natal may refer to: Places * Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil * Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa ** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843) ** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ( ...

Campinas Campinas (, ''Plains'' or ''Meadows'') is a Brazilian Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in São Paulo (state), São Paulo State, part of the country's Southeast Region, Brazil, Southeast Region. According to the 2020 estimate, the city's popul ...

Florianópolis Florianópolis () is the capital and second largest city of the state of Santa Catarina (state), Santa Catarina, in the South Region, Brazil, South region of Brazil. The city encompasses Santa Catarina Island and surrounding small islands, as we ...

and Vitória); B regional capitols (cities such as

Caxias do Sul Caxias do Sul () is a city in Rio Grande do Sul, Southern Brazil, situated in the state's mountainous Serra Gaúcha region. It was established by Italian Brazilian, Italian immigrants on June 20, 1890. Today it is the second Largest cities in R ...

Chapecó Chapecó () is a municipality in the state of Santa Catarina (state), Santa Catarina, in the Southern Region of Brazil. Being a major industrial, financial and educational center, it is a major producer of industrialized food products. Considered ...

Porto Velho Porto Velho (, ''Old Port'') is the capital (political), capital of the Brazilian States of Brazil, state of Rondônia, in the upper Amazon River basin. The population is 460,434 people (as of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, ...

and

Campina Grande Campina Grande is the second most populous Brazilian city in the State of Paraíba after João Pessoa, Paraíba, João Pessoa, the capital. It is considered to be the most important city of the Northeastern Brazilian subregion called ''agreste''. ...

) and C regional capitols (cities such as Campos,

Caruaru Caruaru is a Brazilian Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the States of Brazil, state of Pernambuco. The most populous city in the interior of the state, Caruaru is located in the microzone of Agreste and because of its cultural importance ...

Governador Valadares Governador Valadares is a Brazilian municipality in the countryside of Minas Gerais. In 2020, its population was 281,046 inhabitants, thus being the ninth most populated city in the state. It is an economical axis of the middle valley of the Doce ...

and

Mossoró Mossoró () is a Municipalities of Brazil, Brazilian municipality in the interior of the States of Brazil, state of Rio Grande do Norte, recognized as the capital of the Brazilian semi-arid region. Covering an area of approximately , it is the la ...

Sub-regional centers

Sub-regional centers possess influence over cities that are within close proximity, and nearby towns and rural areas as well. These are subdivided into: A sub-regional centers (cities such as

Alfenas Alfenas is a municipality in the southern part of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. In 2020 its population was 80,494 and the area of the municipality is 849 km2. The elevation is 888m. It is served by highways MG 179, BR 491 and BR 36 ...

Anápolis Anápolis ( , ) is a Brazilian city in the state of Goiás. It is located between two capitals, the federal capital Brasília and state capital Goiânia. It is the third most populous city in the state, with 398,869 inhabitants according to the ...

, São Mateus and

Umuarama Umuarama is a municipality in the state of Paraná in Brazil. Its population was 112,500 inhabitants in 2020. Umuarama is one of the most important cities in Paraná, one of the three states of southern Brazil. The city elevation is 430 m (1,300 ...

) and B sub-regional centers (

Afogados da Ingazeira Afogados da Ingazeira is a Brazilian municipality in the state of Pernambuco. The estimated population in 2020 according to the IBGE was 37,404, and the total area is . It has a population density of 97 inhabitants per square kilometer. In 2000, ...

Cacoal Cacoal is a municipality in the Brazilian state of Rondônia. It has an area of . It has a Tropical savanna climate. As of 2020 the estimated population was 85,893. It is the fourth-largest city in Rondônia state. The city is served by Capital ...

Caratinga Caratinga is a Municipalities of Brazil, Brazilian municipality located in the countryside of the States of Brazil, state of Minas Gerais in the Southeast Region, Brazil, Southeast Region of Brazil. Situated in the Vale do Rio Doce (mesoregion), V ...

and

Tefé Tefé, known in early accounts as Teffé, is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the state of Amazonas (Brazilian state), Amazonas, northern Brazil. History As early as 1620 the Portuguese Carmelites could already boast of converts amo ...

Zone centers

The zone centers are the cities or towns that have an important regional influence, but limited to the immediate surrounding area, and exercising elementary management functions. These are subdivided into two levels: A zone centers (cities such as

Tabatinga Tabatinga, originally Forte de São Francisco Xavier de Tabatinga, is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the Tres Fronteras, Três Fronteiras area of Western Amazonas. It is in the Brazilian States of Brazil, state of Amazonas (Brazilia ...

, Lagoa Vermelha, Lins and

Três de Maio Três de Maio (''English: "Third of May"'') is a Brazilian Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the States of Brazil, state of Rio Grande do Sul. It is located at . It has an area of 422,2 km2. It is located 343 m over sea level. As of ...

) and B zone centers (towns such as Afonso Cláudio,

Eirunepé Eirunepé is a Brazilian municipality in the southwest part of the state of Amazonas, about 1,150 kilometers a straight line from Manaus and 2,417 kilometers by river, one of the cities furthest from its state capital. It is the fourt ...

, São Bento and Taió).

References

External links

*
IBGE mostra a nova dinâmica da rede urbana brasileira
* {{in lang, pt}
SUBSÍDIOS À CARACTERIZAÇÃO E TENDÊNCIAS DA REDE URBANA DO BRASIL
Urban planning Urban geography Demographics of Brazil