Niterói, residential and industrial city in southeastern Brazil, in Rio de Janeiro State, on Guanabara Bay, opposite the city of Rio de Janeiro (with which it is connected by the Presidente Costa e Silva Bridge). Manufactures include ships, steel, machinery, processed food, and textiles. Fluminense Federal University (1960) is here. The community was founded in 1671. Its name, adopted in 1836, is derived from a Native American term for “hidden water.” It was the capital of Rio de Janeiro State from 1835 to 1975, except for the period from 1894 to 1903. Population (1996 estimate) 450,364.
