Portuguese 
Spanish 
Surrounded by mountains, Mendes combines small dimensions, railway heritage, and a history linked to the coffee cycle. Among historical tunnels, mountainous landscape, and traditional climate references, the municipality gathers elements that help explain its formation and its role in the interior of Rio de Janeiro.
Amid the mountains of the interior of Rio de Janeiro, Mendes occupies 95.324 km², gathers 17,502 inhabitants, and preserves a history directly related to the Brazilian railway expansion during the 19th century.
Among the main symbols of this past is the Tunnel 12, a 2,233-meter underground passage that, when completed, was presented as the largest railway tunnel in the world at that time.
Data available on the Cities and States portal, maintained by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, indicate that Mendes had exactly 17,502 residents in the 2022 Census, the most recent demographic survey conducted nationwide.
-
Japan will have a bullet train that levitates at 500 km/h and will cross 90% of the route through tunnels; the project promises trips in just 67 minutes but faces billion-dollar challenges and unprecedented environmental obstacles.
-
A ‘hanging’ road in SP with viaducts over 80 meters, 11 tunnels, 20 suspension bridges, and pillars fixed at a depth of 40 meters has been challenging the Serra do Mar for almost 50 years and still impresses engineers.
-
Few people know the ingredient that can make strawberry plants produce larger and healthier fruits with just 1 spoonful per plant, thanks to the gradual release of phosphorus and calcium that strengthen roots, stimulate flowering, and increase vigor.
-
23-year-old worker dies after being ‘pulled’ by machine at packaging factory during production line maintenance; accident involved an industrial extruder, mobilized forensic investigation, and left the victim without a chance for rescue.
The population estimate released for 2025 pointed to 18,048 inhabitants in the municipality, a number distributed over a territorial area of 95.324 km², reinforcing the compact profile of this small city in Rio de Janeiro.
Despite its small size, Mendes retains marks of a time when coffee production drove the Paraíba Valley and required faster means to transport goods to the main commercial centers.
In this scenario, the tracks advanced through the Serra do Mar to bring the production areas closer to Rio de Janeiro, overcoming slopes, uneven terrain, and other natural barriers encountered along the railway route.
Tunnel 12 marked railway engineering
Built between 1858 and 1865, Tunnel 12 became one of the most representative works of the expansion of the Dom Pedro II Railway, an enterprise created during the imperial period to expand railway connections.
With its 2,233 meters in length, the passage was considered the largest railway tunnel in the world when completed, according to the historical survey presented by the Portal Vale do Café about the formation of Mendes.
To understand the scale of the project, one must consider the technical limitations faced by workers in the 19th century, when modern equipment used today in large-scale underground excavations did not yet exist.
Under the mountain, the teams cleared the way to allow the circulation of the trains, reducing the obstacles caused by the mountainous terrain and creating a more efficient connection between the producing interior and the capital.
At that time, the main function of the structure was to enable the flow of coffee produced in the interior areas, a commodity that needed to reach Rio de Janeiro to be marketed and sent to other markets.
As the coffee activity was among the main economic drivers of Imperial Brazil, the expansion of the railways became decisive to reduce distances, speed up journeys, and increase the volume of products transported through the region.
Decades later, a new gallery was built parallel to the original passage, increasing the operational capacity of the line and keeping up with the growth of railway circulation in that strategic section of the Serra do Mar.
Opened in 1914, Tunnel 12 Bis is 2,245 meters long, a measure that exceeds the length of the previous structure, according to historical information gathered by the Portal Vale do Café.
With the operation of the second passage, the railway connection gained greater capacity and reinforced its importance for regional transport, especially at a time when the tracks played a central role in the economy.
Even today, the two galleries remain associated with the memory of Brazilian railway engineering and the development of localities that emerged or grew near the stations and train lines.
Railway influenced the growth of Mendes
Around the tracks, the urban core of Mendes began to take shape with the arrival of workers, merchants, and families attracted by the movement of passengers and the economic opportunities created by the railway.
Near the stations and crossing points, services aimed at travelers, commercial activities, and new residential areas emerged, establishing the foundations for the organized occupation of the municipal territory.
With the expansion of road transport and the decrease in the relevance of the old passenger lines, the railway ceased to play the same leading role it had achieved during the 19th and 20th centuries.
Even so, its presence remains recorded in the landscape, the built heritage, and the historical identity of a city that developed directly influenced by railway circulation and the coffee cycle.
This past helps differentiate Mendes from other small municipalities in Rio de Janeiro, as its growth cannot be understood solely by the territorial area or the current number of residents.
An important part of its formation is linked to an infrastructure created to serve one of the most relevant economic activities of Imperial Brazil and facilitate the movement of goods through the mountains.
Located in the Coffee Valley, Mendes is part of a region marked by ancient trade routes, rural properties, stations, and constructions related to the period when coffee cultivation boosted the economy of the Rio de Janeiro countryside.
Therefore, the tunnels represent more than just simple transport structures, as they also reveal how the economic interests of that period altered the terrain, urban occupation, and the mountainous landscape.
Mendes has a small territory and concentrated population
The 95.324 km² recorded by IBGE place Mendes among the municipalities with the smallest territorial extension in the State of Rio de Janeiro, although the city maintains a relatively concentrated population in its urban area.
In the 2022 Census, the demographic density reached 183.61 inhabitants per square kilometer, a result that reflects the distribution of 17,502 residents within a reduced territory surrounded by mountainous formations.
This compact scale directly affects the municipal routine, as it reduces the distances between residential areas, commercial establishments, and services used by the inhabitants during their daily activities.
Around the urban core, the vegetation and terrain form a typical mountainous interior landscape, a scene that can appear shrouded in mist during the wetter and colder periods.
Besides the railway heritage, Mendes gained regional prominence due to the expression “fourth best climate in the world”, a title traditionally associated with the city’s image in historical and tourist promotions.
However, no accessible international study was found that presents methodology, responsible institutions, and a global comparison capable of officially proving the position attributed to the municipality of Rio de Janeiro.
Thus, the classification should be understood as a traditional reference linked to local memory, rather than a position confirmed by any currently available international climate ranking.
The mountainous characteristics, green areas, and perception of milder temperatures help explain why this expression continues to be related to Mendes and remains present in the promotion of the municipality.
Railway heritage attracts historical interest
For visitors, one of the main attractions is the combination of railway heritage, mountainous landscape, and remnants of the coffee cycle that profoundly influenced the economic development of the interior of Rio de Janeiro.
By presenting this historical ensemble, Mendes offers a lesser-known perspective of the formation of Rio de Janeiro, far from the routes normally associated with beaches, large urban centers, and the capital’s tourist spots.
The small size of the territory contrasts with the historical dimension of the works opened under the mountain range, especially when considering the level of technical difficulty faced during the construction of the tunnels.
While the territorial data reveals a small city, the railway galleries show the scale of investments aimed at transporting coffee through the mountains and connecting it to 19th-century markets.
More than 160 years after the completion of Tunnel 12, the structure remains linked to the name of Mendes and occupies an important place in the memory of Brazilian railways.
How many other small towns still preserve constructions capable of revealing entire chapters of the country’s economic and engineering history?
