Recife Metropolitan Area is the largest urban metropolitan area of the
Northeast/North regions and the
fifth in Brazil with 3,768,902 inhabitants in 2008.Is among with another large cities the first nine established metropolitan regions in
Brazil (created by federal supplementary law 14/73 of 8 June 1973). It has one important international
airport, two important internationals ports (
Suape and
Recife), one integrated
metro-bus service, many Universities, Hospitals, Museums, Theatres, Historic Monuments, Shopping centers, international Hotels and a large industrial Cluster. Its now passing through a time of economic euphoria in the early construction in the
Suape port of a
Petrobras refinery, a petrochemical pole and the largest ship builder in
South America. Its area of influence (4th largest in Brazil) covers the entire states of
Pernambuco,
Paraíba,
Alagoas in addition to the interior of the states of
Rio Grande do Norte,
Piauí,
Maranhão,
Ceará and
Bahia. Its main city is
Recife with 1.56 millions inhabitants, capital of
Pernambuco.