Jacarepaguá, with a land area of 29.27 square miles, is a neighborhood situated in the West Zone of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In 2010, it had a population of 157,326. The name comes from the indigenous name of the location, "shallow pond of caymans", yakaré + upá + guá, by the time of the Portuguese colonization.
Jacarepaguá is located in the West Zone of Rio in the Baixada de Jacarepaguá, between Maciço da Tijuca and the Serra da Pedra Branca. The upper middle class Barra da Tijuca separates the suburb from the sea.
Jacarepaguá is divided into the following sub-areas, which nowadays are already considered different neighborhoods:
Anil
Curicica
Cidade de Deus
Freguesia
Gardênia Azul
Pechincha
Praça Seca
Rio das Pedras
Tanque
Taquara
Vila Valqueire
The suburb is known for large open areas where events and shows, such as the last Rock in Rio, take place.
The bairro contains the Camorim center of the 12,500 hectares Pedra Branca State Park, created in 1974.
It is one of the greenest areas of Rio, with plenty of nature in some of the sub-areas, especially in Vargem Grande and Vargem Pequena.