Federal University of Rio de Janeiro

The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro is a public university on Cidade Universitária island in Brazil, with several locations around the city. It includes research institutes, hospitals, libraries, and facilities for different academic fields that host thousands of students and staff.

The institution opened in 1920 as the first federally created university in the country, formed by merging existing faculties. Over the decades it grew considerably, establishing its main campus on an artificial island built during the nineteen fifties.

The campus contains several buildings under heritage protection that showcase modernist Brazilian architecture from the mid-twentieth century. Students and visitors move between faculties spread across the island, experiencing a busy academic routine with cafés and open squares.

Visitors can walk or cycle through the island, with different faculties and institutes open to the public, though some areas require permission to enter. The main ways to move around the campus are buses and bicycles, which allow quick travel between buildings.

The campus hosts an ocean basin for testing in marine engineering, one of the largest of its kind in Latin America. The institution also operates a natural history museum displaying collections from different scientific expeditions, open to school groups.

Location: Rio de Janeiro

Location: Cidade Universitária

Inception: September 7, 1920

Elevation above the sea: 12 m

Address: Avenida Pedro Calmon, nº 550 - Cidade Universitária da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro - RJ, 21941-901

Website: https://ufrj.br/en

GPS coordinates: -22.86250,-43.22389

Latest update: December 13, 2025 16:49