Have you ever heard of an island made by people? Right here in Rio de Janeiro, Fundão Island stands as a testament to human ingenuity. Originally an archipelago of eight smaller islands—Baiacu, Bom Jesus, Cabras, Catalão, Fundão, Pindaí do Ferreira, Pindaí do França, and Sapucaia—this place underwent a dramatic transformation. Between 1949 and 1952, under President Getúlio Vargas, a massive landfill project connected these islands, creating the single, larger Fundão Island. Now, this man-made marvel houses the main campus of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ).
Fundão Island isn’t just any university campus. It’s a sprawling mini-city teeming with life. Over 90,000 people circulate daily among its 40 buildings, which house 26 faculties. Beyond the academic structures, Fundão Island boasts libraries, state-of-the-art laboratories, a university hospital, and even museums. Students and faculty can enjoy on-campus restaurants, athletic fields, a running track, and an Olympic-sized swimming pool. The island has also become a hub for research and innovation, with various companies and research centers operating within the university’s technological park.
But Fundão Island holds more than just modern structures. It also safeguards pieces of Rio’s colonial past. The Igreja do Bom Jesus da Coluna, a church built in the early 18th century, stands as a testament to the island’s rich history. Near the student housing, the old seaplane hangar, built in the 1920s, once housed Italian aircraft. It later served as a bomb storage facility for the Air Force. The UFRJ reclaimed the hangar in 2005, and today it hosts exhibitions and events, connecting the past with the present.
Nature also finds a home on Fundão Island. The Parque do Catalão, a 17-hectare reserve of Atlantic Forest, thrives within the former Ilha do Catalão. This vibrant ecosystem shelters 120 different tree species and provides a habitat for 180 recorded bird species. Mangroves and a lagoon, replenished by the high tide, further enrich the island’s biodiversity.
Fundão Island even has a connection to motorsports history. Between 1964 and 1965, the island hosted street circuit races. A young Emerson Fittipaldi won a race here in his debut, driving a Renault 1093, foreshadowing his future Formula 1 triumphs. Fundão Island, a place born from the sea and shaped by human hands, stands as a unique blend of nature, history, academia, and innovation.