Economy

Atlântico Sul Shipyard, the biggest shipyard on the Southern Hemisphere, located in Industrial Port Complex of Suape. Agamenon Magalhães Avenue.

According to 2008 IBGE statistics, the GDP was at R$ 22,452,492,000. And the GDP per capita was at R$ 14,485.

Recife is one of Brazil's prime business centers, largely because it has one International Airport and two International ports. One is located in the town itself, and the other, the port of Suape, is located about 40 kilometres (25 mi) away. Just south of Recife is the region's main industrial area, where the following industries can be found: brewing and canning, automotive electronics, tube manufacturing, chocolate manufacturing, textiles, etc.

Recife has shared in the prosperity of Northeastern Brazil that resulted from development promoted after 1960 by Sudene (Superintendência para o Desenvolvimento do Nordeste), a federal organization. Although its retail and wholesale trade have grown in response to the region's increases in population and wealth, the market area and the walkways of the city's bridges are crowded with vendors selling small items.

Information technology industry Digital Port on the far end.

Recife has an area dedicated to information technology called "Porto Digital" (Digital Port) with more than 90 companies and 3,000 High Tech Jobs. It was founded in July 2000 and has since attracted major investments. Generating some R$10 billion (Brazilian Reais) a year, it produces technology that is exported to Japan, China, among other countries. Software manufacturing is the main activity in the Porto Digital. The Porto Digital cluster comprises small and medium companies, but multinationals like Accenture, Motorola, Samsung, Dell and Sun Microsystems are also installed in Porto Digital. IBM and Microsoft transferred their regional headquarters to Recife.

Porto Digital's startups can count on a ready pool of talent, courtesy of the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), which boasts one of the best computer-science departments in all of Latin America. The school began teaching programmers to use Sun Microsystems Inc.'s (SUNW) Java language in 1996, the year it was introduced. Professors at the school also teamed up to launch Centro de Estudos e Sistemas Avançados do Recife (C.E.S.A.R), a business incubator that has played a vital role in the birth of some 30 companies.

Medical facilities Memorial of Medicine in Derby district. Recife has the 2nd largest medical pool in Brazil, after São Paulo.

The Metropolitan Region of Recife has the 2nd largest medical pool in Brazil, after São Paulo. Together they make up 417 hospitals and clinics with 72,000 employees in the Metro Area and more than 120,000 in the State of Pernambuco. The medical pool offers a total of 8,990 beds and, according to the Union of the Hospitals of Pernambuco, recorded in the year 2000 an invoicing of R$220 million (Brazilian Reals). It is thanks to the pool that Pernambuco has access to more computed tomography devices than more developed countries such as Canada or France.

A large portion of the modern hospitals included in the pool are located between the neighbourhoods of Derby and of the Ilha do Leite. The Hospital Real Português de Beneficência Portuguesa em Pernambuco, or "Hospital Português" (Portuguese Hospital) for short, is one of the most renowned hospitals in the country. Many people from neighbouring states go to Recife for treatment, as it has the largest and best medical facilities in the North–Northeast of Brazil. Recife has three universities for medicine, 2 public, Federal University of Pernambuco and University of Pernambuco; and 1 private, Escola Pernambucana de Medicina FBV/IMIP (Medical School of Pernambuco).

Logistics center Typical white taxi of Recife. Pedestrian separation structure in Recife. Bicycle path in Recife.

Due to its ports, airport, and geographic location in the northeastern region of Brazil, Recife is considered one of the biggest logistics centers in Brazil. Logistic and Communications Economic sector employees 4% of the people in Recife, 12,3% in Jaboatão dos Guararapes and over 9% in the Metropolitan Area. These numbers could increase by the end of 2010 with the conclusion of the Transnordestina (main NE Trainline with a 1,800/1,118 km/mi extension, which will cross 3 and connect 7 States (34 municipalities in Pernambuco alone) products with Suape port (PE) and Pecem Port (CE)) with costs that are estimated to be around 4.5 BR$.

Recife has historically benefited from its central location in the Northeast region. In a 200-mile (320 km) radius from Recife, it is possible to find four state capitals, two internationals and three regional airports, five international ports, 12 million people, 51% of the research centres of Northeast and 35% of the region's GDP. Similarly, in a 500-mile (800 km) radius there are seven state capitals, five international and five regional airports, nine international ports and two fluvial ports.

Convention centres

Many events taking place during the year include:

O Virtuosi, Festival International de Musica de Pernambuco (International Music Festival); O Mimo, Mostra International de Musica em Olinda (International Music Show in Olinda); A feira da Musica Brasil/Porto Musical (Brasil Music Port); A Fispal Recife, Feira Internacional da Alimentacao (International Food Festival); Recife and Olinda Carnival.

And because of its geographic location, tourism and city infrastructure, Recife's Convention Centres are of a high standard:

Centro de Convenções de Pernambuco (Pernambuco Convention Centre)

The 3rd largest convention centre in Brazil.

Centro de Convenções da UFPE (Federal University of Pernambuco Convention Centre)

Modern theatre with 1,931 seats and 2,071 square metres of exposition area located in the University Campus.