Copacabana

Copacabana is perhaps the best known neighborhood in Rio. Copacabana is in the south of the city and has around 150,000 inhabitants of all social classes and with a crescent shaped beach called Princesinha Sea due to its poetic aura.

It is a Bohemian district, known for its glamor and wealth, Copacabana has led to many songs, books, paintings and photographs, using the Brazilian tourist reference. The district borders with Lagoa, Ipanema, Botafogo and rudder.

Copacabana is one of the most well known beach areas in the world, in this cosmopolitan, democratic and vigorous city, attracting huge numbers of tourists and locals, making it especially crowded during Christmas Eve and at Carnival time.

At the end of the year, the traditional burning of fireworks that can be seen and it attracts a crowd of people, tourists or not. The edge is still the place for various events such as national and international shows for the rest of the year.

There are two possibilities for the name etimologica Copacabana. The first argues that the term comes from the Quechua language and means place or bright blue sea.  Other sources suggest the term as originating in the Aymara language and means “view of the lake” (Kota kahuana). In Bolivia, Copacabana is the name given to a city on the shores of Lake Titicaca, based on an ancient Inca site of worship homonym.

According to legend, Our Lady had appeared for a young fisherman, who in her honor carved the image of the saint who was known as Our Lady of Copacabana.  Many Spanish vessels left the port of Peru and Bolivia and took copies of the image.

Copacabana

In the 1970s, SURSAN was conducted by means of national dredges (the vessel STER) and Holland de Dredging (CBD).  It increased the area of sand from the beach and its main objectives were to extend the tracks of the Atlantic Avenue and the passage of ocean interceptor (tubing that carries all the sewage from the South Zone to the emissary from Ipanema).

This extension of the beach was about 70 meters in width along its entire length of 4 kilometers.   Subsequently, it was built on the edge of a cycle and some kiosks for public service.  Studies in physical models of hydraulic extension were performed at LNEC, in Lisbon.
The district is bordered with Lagoa, Ipanema, Botafogo and rudder.
Has 101 blocks, 79 streets, boulevards 6, 7 and 4 sleepers slopes, and 5 favelas (Peacock-Pavãozinho, Cantagalo, the kids and Ladeira Tabajaras – all located on slopes of hills) in an area of 7.84 square kilometers.

Praia de Copacabana

On weekends, the strip of sand is also full of people from various regions of Rio and national and foreign tourists who use the good transport infrastructure of the neighborhood to bathe in the sun and waves. The sidewalk (with its famous black and white waves in standard ocean-wide), flanked by bicycle is a great option for runners and cyclists.

Economy

The neighborhood is full of good restaurants, bars, cafes, hotels, cinemas, banks, churches, synagogues (Jewish community traditionally held in Rio), shopping, theaters and exhibitions of art on weekends. The trade is very diverse, with chic shops and expensive mixed profiles of the other most popular and camels.  It is the district with the largest number of elderly and retired people in Rio de Janeiro.

The district now offers three subway stations, and various municipal bus lines.

Demographics

From the 1960s, growing fame attracted more residents than the area could cope with comfortably.  It became a microcosm Brazilian, uniting families of different classes in a piece of land squeezed between the sea and mountains. The population of Copacabana, however, is for the most part, middle-class.   Currently, the district has the largest population concentration in the city, with around 150,000 inhabitants. It also houses the largest number of elderly in the municipality, with 16.7% of the population over 60 years.

Culture

The most famous building in the district is the Copacabana Palace, one of the most luxurious hotels in the country.  Opened in 1923, the main building is distinguished by its elegance and magnificence.  The architectural project was designed by French architect Joseph Twist, which was inspired in the Hotel Negresco in Nice and the Carlton Hotel in Cannes. In its rooms, they have hosted many national and international celebrities.

Music
Several Brazilian and foreign music starts pay homage to several authors such as Copacabana Billy Blanco, Tom Jobim, Braguinha and many others.  Copacabana is considered the birthplace of the bossa-nova and reporting Ruy Castro in his book “Enough of Saudade.”

The following huge  musical events have been held:
Live Earth benefit concert in 2007 (700,000 thousand)
Rod Stewart in 1994 (3.5 million)
Rolling Stones concert in 2006 (1.5 million people)