Copacabana
Neighborhood
Aerial view of Copacabana beach.jpg
Copacabana is located in Rio de Janeiro
Copacabana
Copacabana
Location in Rio de Janeiro
Coordinates: 22°58′1″S 43°10′50″WCoordinates: 22°58′1″S 43°10′50″W
Country Brazil
State Rio de Janeiro (RJ)
Municipality/City Rio de Janeiro
Zone South Zone
Copacabana Beach in 1971
A view of the Copacabana beach from Sugarloaf
The Portuguese pavement wave pattern at Copacabana beach
Map of Copacabana
Copacabana at dusk
The Copacabana Palace Hotel
Fireworks during the celebrations of the New Year
Copacabana sea waters
Copacabana Beach during World Youth Day 2013.
Copacabana (local and standard Portuguese pronunciation: [kɔpakɐˈbɐ̃nɐ] or [kɔpɐkaˈbɐ̃nɐ], rarely [kɔpakaˈbɐ̃nɐ] and [kopɐkaˈbɐ̃nɐ] in other Brazilian dialects) is a bairro (neighbourhood) located in the South Zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is known for its 4 km balneario beach, which is one of the most famous in the world.[1]
Contents
1 History
2 Characteristics
3 Copacabana Beach
4 Copacabana promenade
5 Living standard
6 The neighbourhood
7 Transportation
8 Notable events
9 New Year's Eve in Copacabana
9.1 History
10 References
11 External links
History
The district was originally called Sacopenapã (translated from the Tupi language, it means "the way of the socós (a kind of bird)") until the mid-18th century. It was renamed after the construction of a chapel holding a replica of the Virgen de Copacabana, the patron saint of Bolivia.[2]
Characteristics
Copacabana begins at Princesa Isabel Avenue and ends at Posto Seis (lifeguard watchtower Six). Beyond Copacabana, there are two small beaches: one, inside Fort Copacabana and other, right after it: Diabo ("Devil") Beach. Arpoador beach, where surfers used to go after its perfect waves, comes in the sequence, followed by the famous borough of Ipanema. The area will be one of the four "Olympic Zones" during the 2016 Summer Olympics.
According to Riotur, the Tourism Secretariat of Rio de Janeiro, there are 63 hotels and 10 hostels in Copacabana.[3]
Copacabana Beach
Copacabana beach, located at the Atlantic shore, stretches from Posto Dois (lifeguard watchtower Two) to Posto Seis (lifeguard watchtower Six). Leme is at Posto Um (lifeguard watchtower One). There are historic forts at both ends of Copacabana beach; Fort Copacabana, built in 1914, is at the south end by Posto Seis and Fort Duque de Caxias, built in 1779, at the north end. One curiosity is that the lifeguard watchtower of Posto Seis never existed.[4]
Hotels, restaurants, bars, night clubs and residential buildings dot the promenade.
Copacabana Beach plays host to millions of revellers during the annual New Year's Eve celebrations and, in most years, has been the official venue of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.
The beach is one of the many areas that suffers from the city's poor waste treatment. In its waters, 'fecal coliform bacteria sometimes spike at 16 times the Brazilian government’s “satisfactory” level.' [5]