Baixada Fluminense

The Baixada Fluminense (standard Portuguese pronunciation: [ˌbajˈʃadɐ flumiˈnẽjsi]; local pronounce: [ˌbɐ(j)ˈʃadɐ flumɪˈnẽ(j)si]) (literally "Fluminense Lowland") is a region in the Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Region or Greater Rio (in the state of Rio de Janeiro), in southeastern Brazil. It is located on Guanabara Bay, between Rio de Janeiro to the south and the Serra dos Órgãos range of hills to the north. It has an estimated population of 3,925,424, making it the second most populous region in the state, following only the city of Rio de Janeiro. The expression "Baixada Fluminense" has two definitions: one in the stricto sensu sense (the predominant definition of the term in this article), and another in the lato sensu sense. In the strict sense, the expression refers to the political, economic, and social region discussed above, defined by its relationship with the rest of the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro, especially with the metropolitan core. In this sense, the term denotes the area of direct expansion of the Rio de Janeiro metropolis beyond the administrative limits of the core municipality. This definition of "Baixada Fluminense" is the most common today. Among the various delimitations of this region, the most comprehensive includes the municipalities of Guapimirim, Magé, Duque de Caxias, Nova Iguaçu, São João de Meriti, Nilópolis, Belford Roxo, Mesquita, Queimados, Japeri, Paracambi, Seropédica and Itaguaí (to which Mangaratiba is sometimes added, as this municipality is also part of the immediate urban expansion area of the Rio de Janeiro metropolis, along the Itaguaí axis). In some official regional divisions of the state of Rio de Janeiro, certain municipalities considered part of the Baixada Fluminense in its broadest sense belong to other regions. For example, in the division of the state into tourist regions, Magé and Guapimirim are not included in the Baixada Fluminense but...