Flanked on the west by the Capibaribe River and sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by a wall of coral reefs on its eastern side, this natural port became known as Povo dos Arrecifes (Village of the Reefs) and later as Recife.
Dabiskā osta, kuras rietumos plūda Kapibaribi upe un austrumos patvērumu no Atlantijas okeāna sniedza koraļļu rifi, kļuva pazīstama ar nosaukumu Povo dos Arrecifes (Rifu ciems), bet vēlāk tika pārdēvēta par Resifi.