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Revision as of 06:20, 8 March 2004 by Redux (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Niterói is a city in Brazil, in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The population is circa 700,000.
The city was founded on November 22, 1573 by a Tupi indian named Araribóia (who later received the Christian name of Martim Affonso de Souza).
During the period (1834 - 1975) when Rio de Janeiro was devided in two states: Rio de Janeiro and State of Guanabara (Federal District), where the national capital was, Niterói served as the capital of Rio de Janeiro State (between 1834-1894 and 1903-1975; during the period comprised between 1894 and 1903, the city of Petrópolis was the state capital) , which in 1975 was remerged with the State of Guanabara (correspondent to the city of Rio de Janeiro).
Anciently spelled Nichteroy, the name means "hidden waters" in the Tupi language and was officially changed to "Niterói" on March 6, 1835. It is within 5km of the Rio de Janeiro city, to which it is linked by the Rio-Niterói Bridge. Quality of life in Niterói is one of the best among Brazilian cities. The Niterói Modern Art Museum, the city's landmark, was designed by the famous Brazilian modernist architect Oscar Niemeyer.