Macaé () is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro, 180 km northeast of the state capital. It is the birthplace of the 13th president of Brazil, Washington Luís. Location Macaé is generally considered to be the centre of the offshore petroleum industry in Brazil and it is often referred to as "Cidade do Petróleo" ("City of Petroleum"). The Brazilian state-controlled oil company Petrobras has many facilities within the town. Macaé is one of the fastest-growing cities in Brazil, with a growth of 600% within the last 10 years. Benedito Lacerda Airport is served by scheduled flights and concentrates operations to off-shore platforms. Its population was estimated as 261,501 in 2020 and its municipality covers an area of 1,216 km². Other economic activities in the city include tourism and fishing. These two sectors were very important for the city's revenues before the 1980s. The city has a growing reputation for high-quality technical education and training. The municipality contains part of the Central Rio de Janeiro Atlantic Forest Mosaic of conservation units, created in 2006. It also holds part of the União Biological Reserve, home to a population of endangered golden lion tamarin. Although the city has some tourist potential, the lack of investments in this area makes its growth to be very small. Its most famous beaches are Cavaleiros and Pecado. The interior of the municipality has small rural towns such as Sana and Frade. Demography In 2009 the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) estimated the population of Macaé as 194,413 inhabitants. The National Department of Transit (Denatran) census in 2003 recorded a fleet of 36,821 vehicles. According to the Electoral Regional Court (TRE-RJ), the number of voters registered in Macaé was 97,184 in 2004, divided in two electoral zones and 268 sections. In the last elections, 84,054 (200.49%) people voted. The city has an expatriate community (mainly English speakers) of around 1000 people - many of whom are connected directly or indirectly to the oil and gas industry. Economy Since the 1970s, when Petrobras chose Macaé to site its headquarters in the Campos Basin, the city has had a population boom. More than four thousand companies have set up offices in the city and its population has tripled since. High-quality hotels have been constructed and a wide variety of service industries have recently sprouted up. The city has the biggest tax generation of