Zona Central, Rio de Janeiro

About

Zona Central (Central Region) is a geographical area that is the historical, administrative, commercial, and financial centre of the city of Rio de Janeiro and of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is one of the four zones of the municipality and is administered by a subprefecture, the subprefecture of Centro and Centro Histórico. The subprefecture administers the administrative regions of Portuária, Centro, Rio Comprido, São Cristóvão, Ilha de Paquetá and Santa Teresa, and includes all their neighborhoods, which are: Gamboa, Centro, Lapa, Saúde, Cidade Nova, Santa Teresa, Estácio, Catumbi, Santo Cristo, Paquetá and Glória. Other neighborhoods are also included in the subprefecture, although they belong to the North Zone, such as: Caju, Benfica, Vasco da Gama, São Cristóvão, Mangueira, Rio Comprido and Praça da Bandeira. The limits of the Central Zone are: Catete, Flamengo and Laranjeiras in the South Zone; Alto da Boa Vista, Cidade Universitária, Maracanã, Praça da Bandeira, Vila Isabel, Caju and Tijuca in the North Zone. Since 2009, the region has been undergoing revitalization by the public authorities through programs such as Choque de Ordem, Porto Maravilha and Morar Carioca. In 2023, the neighborhood of Glória, which previously formed part of the city's South Zone, became one of the neighborhoods of the Central Zone through a decree signed by the municipal government.

It has been undergoing a major revitalisation since it was rediscovered by locals in the 1990s.