Brazil
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
36.1km²
Area
47km
Coastline
25m
Highest point
450,000
People
26°C
Warmest sea
March
3km
To the mainland
When to go to Ilha do Governador
Best for the beach in January and from April to July.
The sea is warmest in March (26 °C) and coolest in August (21 °C). You can swim comfortably all year (21 °C or more).
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Island in Brazil
Ilha do Governador is an island in Brazil. It covers 36.1 km², with 47 km of coastline. Its highest point rises to 25 m. About 450,000 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 3 km away.
Getting there
- Rio de Janeiro Galeão – Tom Jobim International Airport (GIG)airport on the island, with scheduled flightsCar hire at GIG airport (Rio De Janeiro)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- FerriesPraça XV - Cocotá, Praia da Bica - Praça XV, Zumbi - Paquetá
- 3 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- January and from April to Julybest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
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On the island
What you find on Ilha do Governador.
- 9beachesPraia da Engenhoca, Praia da Bica, Praia Belo Jardim and 6 more
- 7viewpointsMureta Final da Praia da Bica, Mirante Ator Eduardo Galvão and 5 more
- 1lighthouses
- 4ferry terminalsCocotá, Ferry Terminal - Cocotá and 2 more
- 2marinasIate Clube Jardim Guanabara
- 25named peaksMorro do Dendê, Morro da Grota Funda, Morro da Bela Vista and 22 more
- 1campsites
- 7hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 50restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 17 m above the sea. 100 % of it is below 200 m.
- 93 %0–50 m
- 7 %50–200 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
5 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Freguesia19,437 people
- Cacuia11,013 people
- Moneró6,304 people
- Zumbi2,016 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 27 |
| Night low (°C) | 23 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
| Sea (°C) | 25 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 24 |
| Rain (mm) | 208 | 152 | 173 | 100 | 71 | 49 | 45 | 42 | 69 | 108 | 220 | 232 |
| Wet days | 22 | 16 | 20 | 14 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 15 | 20 | 22 |
| Sun h/day | 6.5 | 7.4 | 6.6 | 6.7 | 6.0 | 6.3 | 6.4 | 6.7 | 5.9 | 5.6 | 5.0 | 5.9 |
| Wind (km/h) | 12 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | −0.1 | −0.6 | −1.1 | −1.2 | −0.2 | +0.4 | +0.4 | +0.9 | +2.3 | +1.8 | +0.7 | +1.0 |
| 2021 | −0.9 | ±0.0 | +1.1 | +0.5 | +0.4 | +0.5 | ±0.0 | +0.4 | +0.4 | −0.3 | −0.1 | +0.7 |
| 2022 | −0.5 | +0.9 | −0.5 | ±0.0 | +0.4 | −0.3 | +0.1 | +0.5 | +0.1 | +1.1 | +1.7 | ±0.0 |
| 2023 | −0.3 | +1.1 | +0.2 | −0.3 | +0.2 | +0.1 | −0.2 | +0.7 | +1.5 | +1.7 | +2.3 | +0.3 |
| 2024 | +0.5 | +1.2 | +0.1 | −1.3 | +0.3 | +0.8 | +0.2 | +1.2 | +1.4 | +0.4 | −1.2 | −0.7 |
| 2025 | +0.1 | ±0.0 | −1.2 | −0.5 | −0.4 | −1.0 | −0.6 | +0.2 | −0.3 | −1.6 | −0.9 | +0.6 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
About these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q1658442) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
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