is the most preserved of the Baía de Guanabara. Itaboraí has one of the fastest-growing economies of the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro since mid-2000s, related to the chemistry and petroleum industries, and the related civil construction, housing and services to accommodate the new wave of workers, but the infrastructure was not prepared for this, what resulted in the symptoms of overgrowth the city now sees.

The municipality contains part of the 19508 ha Bacia do Rio Macacu Environmental Protection Area,