Camaragibe

Camaragibe is a city in the Northeast region of Brazil, in the state of Pernambuco, and it lies within Greater Recife, the fifth-largest metropolitan area in the country. It sits about 16 kilometres from the state capital and is bordered by Paulista, Sao Lourenco da Mata, Paudalho and Recife, with the Capibaribe and Beberibe rivers running through its territory. The land was first used as a timber reserve and then for sugar planting; in the sixteenth century the local engenho was counted among the richest in the region, until it was burned during the Dutch invasion of 1645. Camaragibe was long part of the larger municipality of Sao Lourenco da Mata and was raised to the category of city on 13 May 1982. Since then its population has grown so quickly that the city is described as one of the most densely populated urban areas in the world. Its economy rests mainly on commerce and general industry, and it is also a terminal stop on the metropolitan train line, with bus connections to local routes.