Recife, city and seaport in northeastern Brazil, capital of the state of Pernambuco, on the Atlantic Ocean, near the easternmost tip of South America. The city, one of the largest in Brazil, is divided by waterways into separate districts. Major districts include São José, a commercial and financial district on a peninsula; Boa Vista, a business and residential district on the mainland; and Santo Antônio, a governmental district on Antônio Vaz Island.
Because of its many waterways, Recife is sometimes called the Venice of America. Its principal industries are importing and exporting, sugar refining, cotton milling, ironworking, pineapple canning, tomato preserving, and the manufacturing of cement, asbestos, paper, roofing, and leather goods. Located in the city are the Federal University of Pernambuco (1946), the Catholic University of Pernambuco (1951), and the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (1954). Recife was settled about 1535, captured by the English in 1595, and occupied by the Dutch from 1630 to 1654. Population (1996 estimate) 1,346,045.
