GEOGRAPHY CASE STUDIES
PAPER 2- HUMAN
ORLA SULLIVAN
, URBAN ISSUES AND CHALLENGES
Case Study 1:
MAJOR CITY IN AN LIC/NEE – Rio de Janeiro
LOCATION: Rio de Janeiro is located on Brazil’s south coast at 23°N and 43°W bordering the South Atlan c Ocean in
South-East Brazil. Brazil is the largest country in South America, bordering 10 other countries including Argen na
IMPORTANCE OF RIO:
Stunning natural beaches & scenery mean it has one of the highest tourism rates in the southern hemisphere
Rio’s hos ng of the Olympic Games in 2016 created numerous new job opportuni es
The Christ the Redeemer statue is one of the 7 wonders of the world
One factory here produces 5% of Brazil’s total GDP genera ng thousands of job opportuni es
Rio is an important interna onal hub with its 5 ports and 3 airports making it major centre for regional,
na onal & interna onal industry and business
Industrial, administra ve, commercial & tourism centre a rac ng migrants from Brazil & South America
OPPORTUNITIES IN RIO:
Growth of urban industrial areas has led to improvements in roads, transport, services & the environment
Rio provides >6% of Brazil’s total employment
Opportuni es in mul ple sectors including: agriculture, fishing, industry, construc on, service, ports, oil
refinement & petrochemicals, tourism, steel, retail & distribu on, and manufacturing
Airport connec ons encourage high profile businesses to locate to Rio
The 2016 Olympics meant hundreds of thousands of athletes, tourists, and officials flocked to Rio with
thousands of jobs created by the 15000 new hotel rooms, boos ng the economy by 82%
Urban e-health has been used in the Santa Marta favela and involves using portable technology to evaluate
and monitor the health of residents. This has resulted in less cardiovascular hospitalisa ons as well as
employment opportuni es for nurses and healthy residents = working residents = money for the economy
Authori es have pushed to relocate people to new areas such as Barra da Tijuca in an a empt to reduce
overcrowding which causes disease, food shortages & infrastructure overloads (e.g. sewage/rain systems)
Schools of Tomorrow programme involves supplying 119 schools across Rio with 7 hours of educa on daily, 3
meals daily, a climate-controlled atmosphere, & science sport and art facili es to encourage children to stay
in school improving job prospects and allowing their parents to work in the mean me.
CHALLENGES IN RIO:
Brazil was hit by a large economic recession in 2015, increasing unemployment rates
The informal economy is a common source of income meaning taxes are not paid to the government
Healthcare – Life expectancy of 63 as a result of poor healthcare services (esp for elderly/pregnant/the west)
& only 55% have a family clinic.
Educa on – Only compulsory aged 6-14 and only 50% con nue past 14 with some deciding to turn to crime.
A shortage of schools, teachers, money & training only further compounds this.
Water Supply – 12% have no running water access and 37% only have running water through leaky pipes,
fraud, and illegal means (pipe tapping). Major drought in 2015 made things worse.
Electricity – Energy shortage means blackouts are frequent and the growing popula on & Olympic demand
worsened this. Many people in poor areas illegally tap into mains supply which is risky and unsafe.
Crime – 3000 people die on favela streets annually (10/day) which are run by armed drug gangs with
frequent police a acks and shoo ngs meaning police are hated more than traffickers in favelas. Rio has a big
drug problem with the 2nd highest use of cocaine.
Unemployment – Unemployment rates are as high as 20% with the average income <£75 a month.
Housing – Limited Road access due to steep slopes and illegally built houses. Houses are o en poorly
constructed with basic materials and steep slopes cause landslides.
PAPER 2- HUMAN
ORLA SULLIVAN
, URBAN ISSUES AND CHALLENGES
Case Study 1:
MAJOR CITY IN AN LIC/NEE – Rio de Janeiro
LOCATION: Rio de Janeiro is located on Brazil’s south coast at 23°N and 43°W bordering the South Atlan c Ocean in
South-East Brazil. Brazil is the largest country in South America, bordering 10 other countries including Argen na
IMPORTANCE OF RIO:
Stunning natural beaches & scenery mean it has one of the highest tourism rates in the southern hemisphere
Rio’s hos ng of the Olympic Games in 2016 created numerous new job opportuni es
The Christ the Redeemer statue is one of the 7 wonders of the world
One factory here produces 5% of Brazil’s total GDP genera ng thousands of job opportuni es
Rio is an important interna onal hub with its 5 ports and 3 airports making it major centre for regional,
na onal & interna onal industry and business
Industrial, administra ve, commercial & tourism centre a rac ng migrants from Brazil & South America
OPPORTUNITIES IN RIO:
Growth of urban industrial areas has led to improvements in roads, transport, services & the environment
Rio provides >6% of Brazil’s total employment
Opportuni es in mul ple sectors including: agriculture, fishing, industry, construc on, service, ports, oil
refinement & petrochemicals, tourism, steel, retail & distribu on, and manufacturing
Airport connec ons encourage high profile businesses to locate to Rio
The 2016 Olympics meant hundreds of thousands of athletes, tourists, and officials flocked to Rio with
thousands of jobs created by the 15000 new hotel rooms, boos ng the economy by 82%
Urban e-health has been used in the Santa Marta favela and involves using portable technology to evaluate
and monitor the health of residents. This has resulted in less cardiovascular hospitalisa ons as well as
employment opportuni es for nurses and healthy residents = working residents = money for the economy
Authori es have pushed to relocate people to new areas such as Barra da Tijuca in an a empt to reduce
overcrowding which causes disease, food shortages & infrastructure overloads (e.g. sewage/rain systems)
Schools of Tomorrow programme involves supplying 119 schools across Rio with 7 hours of educa on daily, 3
meals daily, a climate-controlled atmosphere, & science sport and art facili es to encourage children to stay
in school improving job prospects and allowing their parents to work in the mean me.
CHALLENGES IN RIO:
Brazil was hit by a large economic recession in 2015, increasing unemployment rates
The informal economy is a common source of income meaning taxes are not paid to the government
Healthcare – Life expectancy of 63 as a result of poor healthcare services (esp for elderly/pregnant/the west)
& only 55% have a family clinic.
Educa on – Only compulsory aged 6-14 and only 50% con nue past 14 with some deciding to turn to crime.
A shortage of schools, teachers, money & training only further compounds this.
Water Supply – 12% have no running water access and 37% only have running water through leaky pipes,
fraud, and illegal means (pipe tapping). Major drought in 2015 made things worse.
Electricity – Energy shortage means blackouts are frequent and the growing popula on & Olympic demand
worsened this. Many people in poor areas illegally tap into mains supply which is risky and unsafe.
Crime – 3000 people die on favela streets annually (10/day) which are run by armed drug gangs with
frequent police a acks and shoo ngs meaning police are hated more than traffickers in favelas. Rio has a big
drug problem with the 2nd highest use of cocaine.
Unemployment – Unemployment rates are as high as 20% with the average income <£75 a month.
Housing – Limited Road access due to steep slopes and illegally built houses. Houses are o en poorly
constructed with basic materials and steep slopes cause landslides.
