(also Pernambuco), a city in northeastern Brazil; capital of the state of Pernambuco located at the mouths of the Capibaribe and Beberibe rivers. Population, 1,046,400 (1970, including suburbs). Recife is situated partly on the mainland, partly on a peninsula, and on an island in a lagoon. The three sections are connected by bridges. The city is Brazil’s major port on the Atlantic Ocean and the economic center of the northeastern part of the country. A railroad and highway junction, Recife also has an airport. There are food (distilleries and sugar refineries), textile, machine-building (including shipbuilding), cement, chemical, leather, and tobacco industries. Recife exports sugar, cotton, leather, lumber, and fruit. There is a university in the city.
Recife was founded in the first half of the 16th century. The city is divided into several parts. The island is a commercial district. The Santo Antonio district, which was founded circa 1640, is the site of the governor’s palace and the classical-style Santa Isabel Theater (c. 1845, architect L. Vottier). The Boa Vista district on the mainland, which was founded in the late 17th century, is an area of impressive villas surrounded by gardens and parks. São José, which is located on the peninsula, is the poor district. Buildings from the 17th century, including some monasteries, have been restored. One of the most beautiful 17th-century structures is the church of S. Pedro dos Clerigos (1729; architects M. Ferreira e Jácome and N. Nazzoni).