Volta Redonda | |
|---|---|
| Municipality of Volta Redonda | |
 Oscar Cardoso square | |
 Flag  Seal | |
| Nickname: Cidade do Aço ("City of Steel") | |
| Motto: Flumen Fulmini Flexit ("The River Bent Before the Lightning") | |
 | |
| Coordinates: 22°31′22″S 44°06′14″W / 22.52278°S 44.10389°W | |
| Country |  Brazil |
| Region | Southeast |
| State |  Rio de Janeiro |
| Founded | July 17, 1954 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Antônio Francisco Neto (Progressistas) (2021–2024) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 182.483 km2 (70.457 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 390 m (1,280 ft) |
| Population (2020[1]) | |
| • Total | 273,988 |
| • Density | 1,500/km2 (3,900/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC-3 (UTC-3) |
22°31′22″S 44°06′14″W / 22.52278°S 44.10389°W
Volta Redonda (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈvɔwtɐ ʁeˈdõdɐ]) is the name of a municipality in the Rio de Janeiro state of Brazil with an area of 182.81 km2, located from 350m to 707m above the sea level (22°31'23" S, 44°06'15" W) and with a population of 273,988 inhabitants (estimated in 2020). The area around the city has nearly 700,000 km2. Its name (which is Portuguese for Round Turn) is due to the round shape of a curve in the Paraíba do Sul river around which the city was built.
Situated in Volta Redonda is Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional (CSN), Brazil's second largest steel producer. Today its economy, despite still being based on industry, is quite diverse, and largely focused on the areas of services and trade. Due to this, Volta Redonda is worldly known as Cidade do Aço (which is Portuguese for Steel City).
The city borders with the municipalities of Barra Mansa (north, northwest, west and southwest), Barra do Piraí (northeast), Pinheiral, Piraí (south and east), and Rio Claro (south) and is 130 km from the city of Rio de Janeiro.
Along with the municipalities of Barra Mansa and Pinheiral, it is a conurbation of over 500,000 inhabitants, according to the IBGE estimates for 2008, and the state's largest urban spot outside the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro.
Economical center of the South Fluminense region, Volta Redonda is a strategic area, close to major hub cities in other regional states, such as Juiz de Fora (190 kilometers) and Sao Jose dos Campos (220 kilometers).
In addition, Volta Redonda has the highest rate of offending drivers in the world, a record certified by Guinness World Records.