Case Study 4: Rio de Janeiro in Brazil

'A case study of rural to urban migration: patterns, reasons and

impacts.'


Rio de Janeiro (on the south-east coast of Brazil) has 11.8
million people.
it has high levels of natural increase due to many economic
migrants from rural areas expecting the glamorous 'bright
lights' and high wages of the city but disappointed. Therefore
many large favelas have grown
e.g. Rochina which is the largest favela on a hillside with over
100,000 people living in it.
Physical factors (it is surrounded by hills) make it very difficult
for Rio to grow increasing the effect of the overpopulation
65% of urban growth in Brazil is due to migration
Reasons for the national migration occurring in Brazil: low
unreliable rainfall in some rural areas causing drought and
poverty difficult for farmers to produce food continuing their
subsistence way of life as life in the city is easier, lack of piped
water or sanitation in rural areas, and better job prospects
(economic and environmental push factors).
Social push factors include better services in the city e.g.
education for children, more health services and better
transport links.
Impacts on the city: Social impacts include lack of amenities
such as toilets or waste collection in the favelas as they are self-
built. This leads to urban pollution. Overpopulation is
another social impact leading to over-crowding in schools and
pushing people into crime. Traffic congestion is another
social problem.
Impacts on the rural areas: Positive economic impacts
include money being sent back home from city migrants
helping the rural economy. Less people also means less
pressure on services and more land increasing quality of life
and food supplies.
Negative impacts on rural areas: social impacts include a
'brain drain' leaving the difficult work to the elderly as the
young leave. imbalance in the population structure created.