Guanabara, Former Brazilian state territory in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Guanabara was a Brazilian state comprising solely the city of Rio de Janeiro, existing between 1960 and 1975. This administrative unit covered the entire urban area of the former capital and formed the only federal entity without separate municipalities within its borders.
When Brazil transferred its capital to Brasília in 1960, the former Federal District became the state of Guanabara. Fifteen years later, the merger with the neighboring state of Rio de Janeiro created a combined entity with Rio as its capital.
During its existence, Guanabara developed its own administrative structure handling municipal responsibilities such as urban planning and commercial licensing within Rio de Janeiro.
The administrative structure allowed direct governance of the city without an intermediate municipal level, streamlining urban decisions. This organization concentrated all governmental responsibilities at a single level across the entire territory.
The name derives from Guanabara Bay, along whose shores the city extends and which has shaped the geographic identity of this coastal area for centuries. This designation linked the political entity to its natural landmark.
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