The Greater Natal is a metropolitan area

Metropolitan area

The term metropolitan area refers to a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories, sharing industry, infrastructure, and housing. A metropolitan area usually encompasses multiple jurisdictions and municipalities: neighborhoods, townships,...

 located in Rio Grande do Norte

Rio Grande do Norte

Rio Grande do Norte is one of the states of Brazil, located in the northeastern region of the country, occupying the northeasternmost tip of the South American continent. Because of its geographic position, Rio Grande do Norte has a strategic importance. The capital and largest city is Natal...

 state in Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

. It consists of nine municipalities, including the capital, Natal.

The metropolitan area of Natal is known as a historical, cultural and economic center of state, with a total population of 1,263 million inhabitants. The region was first officially defined on January 16, 1997. Only a few municipalities show a high level of agglomeration: Natal-Parnamirim

Parnamirim

Parnamirim is a city in Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. It is located at around . Augusto Severo International Airport, the airport serving the city of Natal, is located there....

 and Natal-São Gonçalo do Amarante

São Gonçalo do Amarante

There are parishes that have the name São Gonçalo do Amarante in Brazil:*São Gonçalo do Amarante, Rio Grande do Norte*São Gonçalo do Amarante, Ceará...

 are the clear examples.

The great challenge of the state government is still connect by bus all the cities in the metropolitan area. There is a plan called "Via Metropolitana" (Metropolitan Highway) to connect all cities.

Municipalities in Greater Natal

Municipality	Area (km²)	Population (2007)	GDP R$ Brazilian real The real is the present-day currency of Brazil. Its sign is R$ and its ISO code is BRL. It is subdivided into 100 centavos .... (2006)
Natal Natal, Rio Grande do Norte -History:The northeastern tip of South America, Cabo São Roque, to the north of Natal and the closest point to Europe from Latin America, was first visited by European navigators in 1501, in the 1501–1502 Portuguese expedition led by Amerigo Vespucci, who named the spot after the saint of the day...	170,298	774.230	7.508.466
Ceará-Mirim Ceará-Mirim Ceará-Mirim is a municipality in Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. The population is 70,012 and the area 739.686 km².- History :The area had been inhabited by indigenous people before the arrival of the Portuguese. In the seventeenth century the Society of Jesus settled here. The founding of the...	739,686	65.450	247.860
Extremoz (pt)	125,665	21.792	96.887
Macaíba (pt)	512,487	63.337	527.652
Monte Alegre (pt)	200,000	20.590	63.266
Nísia Floresta (pt)	306,051	22.906	95.767
Parnamirim Parnamirim Parnamirim is a city in Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. It is located at around . Augusto Severo International Airport, the airport serving the city of Natal, is located there....	120,202	172.751	1.269.568
São Gonçalo do Amarante (pt)	251,308	77.363	677.341
São José de Mipibu (pt)	293,877	36.990	172.328
Total	2.719,574	1.255.409	10.659.135