Recife ( ) is the 5th
largest Metropolitan area
in Brazil
with
3,768,902 inhabitants, the largest metropolitan area of the
North/Northeast Regions, the 4th largest metropolitan influence
area in Brazil, and the capital of the state of Pernambuco. The population of the city
proper was 1,561,659 in 2009.
Recife is located where the Beberibe River meets the Capibaribe River to flow into the Atlantic Ocean
. It is a major
port on
the Atlantic Ocean. The name Recife means "
reef" in
Portuguese,
in allusion to the coral reefs that are present by the city's
shores.
The many rivers, small
islands and over 50 bridges found in Recife city center
characterize its geography and gives it
the moniker of the "Brazilian Venice
."
The
Metropolitan Region of
Recife is the main
industrial zone of
the
State of Pernambuco; most relevant
products are those derived from
cane
(
sugar and
ethanol),
electronics, food, and others; thanks to the fiscal incentives of
government, many industrial enterprises were started in the 1970s
and 1980s. Recife has a tradition of being the most important
commercial center of the North/Northeastern
region of Brazil with more than 52,500 business enterprises in
Recife itself plus 32,500 in the Metro Area which will total more
than 85,000.
A
combination of a large supply of labor and
significant private investments turned
Recife into Brazil's second largest medical
center, (second only to São Paulo
); modern hospitals with state-of-the-art equipment
receive patients from several neighboring States. Like all
other cities in the
Northeast, Recife is developing its
tourist sector. The beach of
Porto de Galinhas, 60 kilometers (37
miles) south of the city, has been repeatedly awarded the title of
best beach in Brazil and has drawn many tourists. Recife's
infrastructure is among the most developed in
Brazil for
travellers and
business people, though there is wide room
for improvement.
The city is also a renowned educational center, and home to the
Federal University of
Pernambuco, the largest university in Pernambuco. Several
Brazilian historical figures, such as the poet and abolitionist
Castro Alves, moved to Recife to attain
their education.
Recife is
served by the Gilberto
Freyre/Guararapes International Airport
which connects Recife to several Brazilian
destinations as well as major international cities in Europe, the
United States and South
America. Also, together with Natal
these are the only Brazilian cities with direct
flights to the paradise islands of Fernando de Noronha
, World Heritage Site since 2001.
Geography
Sunset in Jaqueira.
Due to the city's proximity to the
equator,
Recife weather is generally warm. Recife has a number of islands,
rivers, waterways and bridges that crisscross the city.Recife is
located amidst
tropical forests
which are distinguished by high rainfall levels resulting in poor
soil quality as the rainfall washes away the nutrients.
There is an absence of
extreme temperatures and a cool breeze due to the trade winds from
the Atlantic
Ocean.
Vegetation
Recife has a tropical forest. Rainforests are characterized by high
rainfall, with definitions setting minimum normal annual rainfall
between and . The soil can be poor because high rainfall tends to
leach out soluble nutrients. There are several common
characteristics of tropical
rainforest
trees. The city of Recife is formed by three
islands (Recife, Santo Antônio, and Boa Vista).
Between the islands are the rivers Beberibe and Capibaribe.
Hydrography
Rivers
Beaches
Lakes
Large water supplier (Dams)
- Prata do Meio and Apipucos
Climate
Recife has a year-round
tropical
climate, with warm to hot temperatures and high relative
humidity throughout the year. However, these conditions are
relieved by a near absence of extreme temperatures and pleasant
trade winds blowing from the ocean. January is the warmest month,
with mean temperatures ranging from to , with sun; July experiences
the coolest temperatures, with mean temperatures ranging from to ,
with rain.
History
Recife in the morning.
The area around Recife was one of the first in Brazil to be settled
by the
Portuguese
Crown.In 1537,
John III of
Portugal divided Brazil into Hereditary Captaincies
(
Capitanias Hereditárias, in Portuguese); the Portuguese
realized that they had no human or financial resources to invest in
such a large and distant colony, and decided to assign this task to
private entrepreneurs, called
Donatários (this system had
already been successful in the settlement of the Portuguese
colonies in Africa).
Because of several problems (the most obvious being the lack of
support from the Portuguese metropolis), most Captaincies failed.
One of the
few to prosper was the Captaincy of Pernambuco, which was assigned
to Duarte Coelho Pereira (the man who founded Olinda
(which has
its historic town center considered a world heritage site by
Unesco and became famous for expressing his
enchantment with the beauty of the place, giving the name to the
city).
Pernambuco prospered from the
sugarcane
industry (
beet sugar was not industrially
produced in Europe until the beginning of the 19th century).
At the
time, in Europe, sugarcane plantations could be grown only in
Andalusia
and the Algarve; in the
1420s, sugarcane was carried to the Canary Islands
, Madeira
and the Azores; the sugar
from Brazil was very much appreciated in Europe. Duarte
Coelho found in Pernambuco plenty of fertile land and an excellent
climate for the cultivation of cane; all he needed was labor to
work the crops and to keep the "engenhos" (rustic wooden machinery)
moving.
At first, the Portuguese tried to use the indigenous peoples of
Brazil, but since Portugal was the country with the strongest black
slave market because of their previous expeditions to Africa, using
black slaves would not only be easier to handle, but it would be
cheaper as well; from the 16th to the 19th century, Pernambuco
received many slaves, making it one of the Brazilian States where
black culture has the most visible traces (in dance, music,
culinary, etc).
This mixture of Portuguese, (native) Indians and black slaves would
be enough to make Recife one of the most culturally diverse cities
in Brazil. The
Dutch added to the
mix.From 1580 to 1640, the kingdoms of Spain and Portugal were
unified under the rule of the former.
Spain was engaged in
a war against the Netherlands
, and determined that the Dutch, who were the main
distributors of Brazilian sugar in Europe, would be prohibited from
coming to Brazil.
The Dutch
decided to invade several sugar producing cities in Brazil,
including Salvador
and Natal. From 1630 to 1654, they took control of
Recife and Olinda.During this period, Recife became one of the most
cosmopolitan cities of the world. The first
Jewish community and the first
synagogue in the
Americas
was founded in the city.
The inhabitants fought on their own to expel the Dutch, being
helped by the involvement of the Dutch in the
First Anglo-Dutch War. This was known
as the
Insurreição Pernambucana (Pernambucan
Insurrection).
Most of the Jews fled to Amsterdam
; others fled to North
America, starting the first Jewish community of New Amsterdam (now known as New York City
).
During
the 18th century, riots spread throughout the city, in which the
rich farmers of Olinda and the
traders from Recife clashed. Recife had a clear advantage in relation
to Olinda: Olinda has no harbour, while
Recife's Harbor is one of the largest on the Atlantic Ocean. Recife's victory asserted the supremacy of
its
bourgeoisie over the decadent sugar
aristocrats of Olinda. This was a decisive factor for Recife's
growth.
Recife is now a large city whereas Olinda is a small
historical town. Recife is an historical city, distinguished
by the opulence of its colonial buildings, with its colonization
rooted in different nations; Portugal
, the Netherlands, France
, England
.
Demographics
According to the
Brazilian
Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) of 2009, there
were 3,768,902 people residing in the
Metropolitan Region of Recife. The
population density was . The last PNAD (National Research for
Sample of Domiciles) census revealed the following numbers:
1,958,358
Pardo (brown) people (52.9%),
1,428,972
White people (38.6%),
296,160
Black people (8.0%), 14,808
Asian or
Amerindian people (0.4%).
The
Metropolitan Region of
Recife is the 5th most populous of Brazil, after
São
Paulo, Rio de
Janeiro
, Belo
Horizonte
, Porto Alegre
and the 1st in the Northeast region. The
city is the 9th most populous of the country
with 1,561,659 inhabitants, and third largest
city in the
Northeast region,according with
IBGE 2009. The most populous
neighborhoods of Recife are
Boa Viagem (100,388), Casa Amarela
(69,134), and Várzea (64,512) (2008).
Population Increase of Recife
|
|
| Year |
Inhabitants |
| 1920 |
238,843 |
| 1940 |
348,424 |
| 1950 |
524,682 |
| 1960 |
788,336 |
| 1970 |
1,060,701 |
| 1980 |
1,203,899 |
| 1990 |
1,288,607 |
| 2000 |
1,422,905 |
| 2006 |
1,515,052 |
|
Religion
The
Patroness Saint of Recife is
Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Nossa Senhora do Carmo), dating
back one hundred years ago (1909). Every July 16, her day, she is
remembered by the Catholics in Recife, in her church.
Source: IBGE 2000.
Economy
Modern Recife.
Aerial view.
According to 1996 IPEA statistics, the
GDP was
estimated in R$ 8 billion (Brazilian Reais), discounting
agricultural activities. Manufacturing represented 17.4% and the
sector of the commerce and
service 82.53%. In 2006, IBGE estimates
indicate that the GDP just of the city had grown to R$ 18.3
billion.
Recife is
one of Brazil's prime
business centers, largely because it has one International Airport
and two International ports. One is
located in the town itself, and the other, the port of Suape, is
located about away. Just south of Recife is the
region's main
industrial area, where the following industries can
be found: brewing and canning, automotive electronics, tube
manufacturing, chocolate manufacturing, textiles, etc.
Recife has shared in the prosperity of
Northeastern Brazil that resulted
from development promoted after 1960 by
Sudene (Superintendência para o Desenvolvimento do
Nordeste), a
federal organization. Although its retail and wholesale
trade have grown in response to the region's increases in
population and wealth, the market area and the walkways of the
city's bridges are crowded with vendors selling small items.
The GDP for the city was R$ 18,318,451,000 (
2006), and the
per capita
income for the city was R$ 12,091.
Information technology industry
Digital Port on the far end.
Recife has an area dedicated to information technology called
"Porto Digital" (Digital Port) with more than 90 companies and
3,000 High Tech Jobs. It was founded in July 2000 and has since
attracted major investments.
Generating some R$10 billion (Brazilian
Reais) a year, it produces technology that is exported to Japan
, China
, among other
countries. Software manufacturing is the main activity in
the Porto Digital. The Porto Digital cluster comprises small and
median companies, but multinationals like
Motorola,
Samsung,
Dell and
Sun
Microsystems are also installed in Porto Digital.
IBM and
Microsoft transferred
their regional headquarters to Recife. Major developments in the
local cluster include web-based solutions as well as solutions in
outsourcing, biometry, information security, IT infrastructure,
mobility/wi-fi, distance education, and games. After six years of
activity,
Porto Digital has been
expanded with new installations around Recife, other
Brazilian states, and even foreign
countries.
Porto Digital's startups can count on a ready pool of talent,
courtesy of the
Federal
University of Pernambuco (UFPE), which boasts one of the best
computer-science departments in all of
Latin America. The school began teaching
programmers to use Sun Microsystems Inc.'s (SUNW) Java language in
1996, the year it was introduced. Professors at the school also
teamed up to launch Centro de Estudos e Sistemas Avançados do
Recife (C.E.S.A.R), a
business incubator
that has played a vital role in the birth of some 30
companies.
Medical pool
The
Metropolitan Region of
Recife has the 2nd largest medical pool of Brazil, after
São
Paulo. Together they make up 417
hospitals and clinics with 72,000 employees in the
Metro Area and more than 120,000 in the State of Pernambuco. The
medical pool offers a total of 8,990 beds and, according to the
Union of the Hospitals of Pernambuco, recorded in 2,000 an
invoicing of 220 millions of reais.
It is thanks to the pool that Pernambuco has access to more computed tomography devices than
countries like Canada
or France.
A large portion of the modern
hospitals
which are included in the pool is located between the
neighbourhoods of Derby and of the Ilha do Leite. The Hospital Real
Português de Beneficência Portuguesa em Pernambuco, or "Hospital
Português" (Portuguese Hospital) for short, is one of the most
renowned hospitals in the country.
Many people from neighbouring states go
to Recife for treatment, as it has the largest and best medical
facilities in the North-Northeast of Brazil.
Recife has three universities of
medicine,
2 public,
Federal
University of Pernambuco and
University of Pernambuco; and 1
private, Escola Pernambucana de Medicina FBV/IMIP (Medical School
of Pernambuco).
Logistic Center
Due to
its ports, airport, and geographic location in the northeastern
region of Brazil, Recife is
considered one the biggest logistics centers of Brazil.
Logistic
and Communications Economic sector employees 4% of the people in
Recife, 12,3% in Jaboatão dos Guararapes
and over 9% in the Metropolitan Area.
Those
numbers could increase by the end of 2010 with the conclusion of
the Transnordestina (main NE Trainline with 1,800/1,118 km/mi
of extension, which will cross 3 and connect 7 States (34
municipalities in Pernambuco alone) products with Suape port
(PE) and Pecem Port (CE)) with costs that are
estimated to be around 4.5 BR$.
Recife has historically benefited from its central location in the
Northeast region.
In a 200
miles (322 km) radius from Recife, it is possible to find four
state capitals, two internationals and three regionals airports, five internationals
ports, 12 million
people, 51% of the research centers of Northeast and 35% of the region
GDP. Similarly, in a 500 miles (805 km) radius it is
possible to find seven state capitals, five international and five
regionals airports, nine internationals ports and two
fluvial ports, almost 30 million people and 90% of
the
northeast region
GDP.
Convention Centers
The city at night.
Panoramic view.
According to the
International Congress and Convention Associations
(ICCA) Recife is the 6th Brazilian city with more International
events. Many events taking place during the year are:
- O Virtuosi, Festival International de Musica de Pernambuco
(International Music Festival);
- O
Mimo, Mostra International de Musica em Olinda
(International Music Show in Olinda);
- A feira da Musica Brasil/Porto Musical (Brasil Music
Port);
- A Fispal Recife, Feira Internacional da Alimentacao
(International Food Festival);
- A Aficons, Feira Internacional de Materiais, equipamentos e
servicos da construção (International Construction Workshop);
- Many Music Shows, Professionals and Cientifics Meetings,
etc;
- The Recife e Olinda Carnival, the
biggest of all events.
Due to its geographic location, tourism and city infrastructure
which includes large Conventions Centers:
- Centro de Convenções de Pernambuco (Pernambuco Convention Center)
The 3rd
largest convention center in Brazil with 2 large
theatres with 2,800 seats, 4 Auditory rooms with 1,600 seats, 17
business meetings rooms, VIP rooms, large cultural multi-purpose
lobby, more than 1,800 parking spots, in a total area of 75,000
square meters. It's considered one of the most developded in
South America and fit for any kind of
event.
- Centro de Convenções da UFPE (Federal University of
Pernambuco Convention Center)
Modern theatre with 1,931 seats and 2,071 square meters of
exposition area located in the University Campus.
- Many Hotels Conventions Rooms throughout the metro area.
Tourism and Recreation
Resort in Muro Alto beach RMR.
The city at night.
Golden chapel
The celebrations, holidays and other events are numerous during the
whole year. Thus the
New Year begins at the
beach, Praia de
Boa Viagem and in
Old Recife.
The carnival of Recife and Olinda (which has
its historic town center considered world heritage site by UNESCO
in 1982)
begins many weeks ahead in December with innumerable balls and
processions. In the city, the carnival festivities begin in
December, as locals begin preparing for the official
Carnival, which starts the week before Ash
Wednesday. The pre-Carnival parties usually consist of percussion
groups practicing in local clubs, city streets and squares, and
even Carnival balls. There are a variety of rhythms from different
cultures. Carnival officially starts with the
Galo da Madrugada, a party in
Downtown Recife attracting many people from
several
States of Brazil, and other
parts of the world.Recife got well Internationals established 3, 4
and 5 Stars Hotels as well
Pousadas
(traditional Bed & breakfast) and Apart-Hotels totaling more
than 11,500 bedrooms and this number goes to over than 30,000
Metropolitan Area. Most of
all with large experience in reception of Nationals and
Internationals tourists and a few ones with Sports complex, mini
Golfe, Spa, Panoramic Pools, etc.
Mercado de São
José (Market of Saint Joseph), a building worth
seeing, is of old iron construction with a very popular market
nearby. In the
Fort Cinco Pontes (Fort of Five
Points) is the state museum, (Museu do Estado de Pernambuco). At
the rectangular
Pátio de São Pedro are the
Cathedral São Pedro (Cathedral of Saint Peter) dating from the year
1782 and restored colonial houses, with numerous restaurants,
bistros and bars. In the Bairro Santo Antônio (Saint Anthony
Neighborhood), at the meeting place of the rivers Capibaribe and
Beberibe, is the
Praça da República (Square of the
Republic) with the Teatro Santa Isabel (Theatre of Saint Isabel),
with its neoclassic front - well worth seeing, the Law Courts, and
the Palácio da Justiça (Palace of the Justice).
Casa da
Cultura (House of Culture) is an old prison that has been
converted into a cultural space and shopping center.
Built
between 1835 and 1855, the Malakoff
Tower, a monument constructed in Tunisian
style, used to be an observatory and now is a cultural center and a
place for popular manifestations. It is located at Arsenal
da Marinha Square. It has been registered as a Historical Patrimony
and was named after a similar monument on Crimean peninsula, used
as a defense center for Sebastopol.
Nature has a special place in
Dois Irmãos Park, 387
hectares of
Atlantic Forest reserve
and 14 hectares of
botanical
gardens. There are also 800 wild animals, the Natural Science
Museum and various ecological trails. The
metropolitan area has also a giant
water park 20 km (12 mi) North of Recife, called
Veneza water park which has nearly one
million sq/ft of area, ten millions litters of water and lots of
water slides for the youngest.
Among Recife's main tourist attractions are:
- Churches , historical monuments, public markets including 17th
and 18th century constructions from Portuguese and Dutch colonizers;
- Francisco Brennand's atelier of ceramic art;
- Ricardo Brennand
Institute: cultural institute with museum, pinacotec and
library;
- Recife Antigo (Old Recife)
buildings;
- Boa Viagem beach (the inside
city's most important beach) and many beautiful beachs in the
metropolitan and state area;
- Casa da Cultura: souvenir shops in an ancient prison
building;
- The Carnival at locations such as
downtown and Recife Antigo;
- Olinda's historic
town center considered world heritage site by UNESCO;
- Shopping, Conventions Centers;
- News and Antiques/Olds Cinemas, Theatres and Art
galleries.
Shopping centers
Shopping Paço da Alfândega.
Shopping Center Recife, the first
Shopping Center in the
North/
Northeastern region, was
inaugurated in 1980 through the initiatives of two large groups of
entrepreneurs: Ancar and Ecisa. After twenty-three years and three
expansion projects, Shopping Center Recife has been
transformed into one of the largest in
Latin America, and the first
"mega-mall" in
Northeastern Brazil. With a total
area of nearly two million square feet, 70% of which is
constructed, the shopping center has 465 stores, 10 movie theaters,
8 restaurants, 4 food service courts with 57
fast food mini-restaurants, and 5 thousand parking
spaces in the parking garages. 90 thousand people per day circulate
in its establishments, with 32 million, 400 thousand consumers per
year passing through the facilities.
Shopping Center Tacaruna.
The first great
center for purchases in the North/West zone of the Recife Metropolitan Region was initiated on April
29, 1997, with the intention of improving the economies the cities
of Recife, Olinda, and
Paulista
. The JCPM Group created Shopping Center
Tacaruna, a mix of stores, services, and relaxation. There are 187
national and international commercial businesses, three anchor
stores, a food court, and 8 movie theaters. These numbers will be
growing since Tacaruna is currently undergoing an expansion
project.
Shopping Paço da Alfândega. The new center for
shopping is divided into four levels: services, fashion, dining,
and panoramic restaurants. Outside the building is Livraria Cultura
(cultural bookshop), the largest bookstore in Brazil, with 26,000
square feet. It also features the Convention and Business Center
for the Recife wharf area with two parking areas (800 spaces), a
garden, observatory, open air exhibition space, an area for fashion
shows, a mini-convention center, bookstore, auditorium (300 seats),
and 4 meeting rooms. Rather uniquely, the business hours are from
midday until midnight.
Plaza Shopping Casa Forte was inaugurated in
November 1998. Fashion and charm mark the style here, conquering
the people of the city. It receives 12 thousand people daily,
coming principally from the neighborhoods of Casa Forte,
Espinheiro, Graças, Aflitos and Poço da Panela. The Plaza has a
structure composed of more than 140 stores, kiosks, a food court,
and area for relaxation.
Boa Viagem Beach.
Itamaracá Beach RMR.
Beaches
Recife Beaches
- Boa Viagem, Pina and Brasilia Teimosa
Jaboatão Beaches
- Piedade, Candeias and Barra de Jangada
Olinda
Beaches
South Beaches
- Gaibu, Calhetas, Itapuama, Pedra
Xaréu, Cabo, Enseada dos Corais (Cabo de Santo Agostinho
RMR) 30/50 km S
- Porto De Galinhas, Muro Alto,
Maracaipe, Serrambi, Toquinho, Gamboa (Ipojuca
RMR) 50/75 km S
- Barra de Sirinhaém, Carneiros, Barreiros, Tamandaré, San José
da Coroa Grande (anothers cities) 75/110 km S
- Maragogi
(Alagoas state) (
S
North Beaches
- Pau Amarelo, Janga and Maria Farinha' ( with one of
the largest water park in Brazil - Veneza water park (Paulista RMR)
18/29 km N
- Itamaracá, Gavéa, Jaguaribe
(Itamaracá
RMR) 30/45 km N
- Catuama, Carne de Vaca, Ponta de Pedras (anothers cities)
45/80 km N
- Fernando de Noronha 545 km NE - 1 flight hour
Porto de Galinhas, Ipojuca,
Pernambuco ( to the south). The most popular nearby tourist
destination. High end hotels and restaurants compete with more
popular options and lie within the budget of any traveller.
Diplomatic Missions
Recife has a large number of
Diplomatic missions, listed below by
alphabetical order:
1 - General Consulate,2 -
Consulate,3 - Honorary Consulate,4 -
Embassy,5 - Honorary consulate & commercial
office,
6
- Olinda
Education
Portuguese is the official
national language, and thus the primary language taught in schools.
But
English and
Spanish are part of the official
high school curriculum. There are also
international schools, such as the
American School of Recife and the
ABA Maple
Bear Canadian School.
Educational institutions
Recife is the most important
educational centre of the state.
Recife is home to several higher education institutions (83),
notably several public-owned universities:
- Federal University
of Pernambuco; UFPE (federal, free);
- Universidade
Católica de Pernambuco; UNICAP (private, ran by the Catholic
Church, paid);
- University of
Pernambuco; UPE (state-owned, free);
- Universidade
Federal Rural de Pernambuco; UFRPE (federal, oriented to
agriculture, free);
- Faculdade Integrada
do Recife; FIR (private, paid);
- Faculdade Marista do Recife; FMR (private, ran by the
Marist congregation, paid)
- Faculdade Maurício de Nassau; FMN (private, paid)
- Centro Federal
de Educação Tecnológica de Pernambuco; CEFET-PE (technological
college, federal, free);
- Faculdade
de Tecnologia de Pernambuco; FATEC-PE (technological college,
state-owned, free).
- and many others.
Culture
Recife is one of the most cultural sites in Brazil, and is the home
of several artists, musicians and writers. It is also home to the
frevo, a regional dance and music, typical in
the carnival, and the
Mangue Beat, a
type of Brazilian rock with mixture of
Maracatu, Ciranda,
Rap
and other music styles. During carnival, downtown Recife holds one
of the most authentic and democratic celebrations: every year more
than one and a half million people open the festivities of the
Brazilian Carnival at the Galo da Madrugada. Just Recife and Olinda
together got 25 museums, 38 art galleries, 2 Orchestra houses, 15
theatres, 1 opera house and more than 40 cinemas.
Museums
The Museum of Pernambuco State (Museu do Estado de
Pernambuco)Housed in a 19th century mansion in Recife,
capital of Pernambuco state, the
"
Museu do Estado de
Pernambuco (MEPE)" dates back to 1929. From Masters who
portrayed the Colonial period, as well as the Dutch invasion (1630)
to 20th and 21st century, the museum comprises over 12 thousand art
pieces. Periodically the museum hosts the "Salão de Arte
Contemporânea de
Pernambuco" when
emerging artists are selected to represent the new run of local
professionals who will help to maintain and shape the new profile
of the local art scenery.
Kahal Zur
Israel Synagogue
Kahal Zur Israel, the historic
Recife
synagogue in the Recife Antigo, is
the oldest one in the Americas, dating back to the 17th Century.
Reopened recently, Kahal is part of the Pernambuco historic
patrimony. It was founded by Jews who were once expelled from
Portugal and settled in the Netherlands. Some of those Jews
immigrated to "
New Holland" when the
Dutch invaded the Northeastern portion of Brazilian lands occupied
by the Portuguese. When the Portuguese, helped by
Portuguese-Brazilians, reconquered the land, Recife
Portuguese-Brazilian
Jews moved further north
with the
Dutch, whose trips Jews
patronized, where "
New Amsterdam" was
founded on Manhattan island. Thus, the first New York City
synagogue was created by the founders of the first synagogue in the
New World, in lower Manhattan. It later moved to the Upper West
Side, where it is still called "The Portuguese and Spanish
Synagogue."
Francisco Brennand
Ceramic ShopFrancisco
Brennand, one of the most important names in contemporary
sculptures in Brazil, displays his ceramic works in enormous open
sheds, between monuments and gardens. It is set in an old brick
factory that belonged to the sculptor's family.
Museum of the Northeastern ManThe broad collection
describes Pernambuco's culture starting from three main themes: the
sugar-cane production cycle, the northeastern man's life style and
the folkloric and religious manifestations.
Gilberto Freyre FoundationThis farmhouse, from the
18th century, was
Gilberto Freyre's
old residence. Artworks, arts and crafts, book collections and
objects that belonged to the Pernambuco writer and sociologist are
displayed here.
Ricardo Brennand Institute.
Ricardo Brennand InstituteSet up in a building
that reproduces medieval style, it has a collection of pieces from
the Dutch domination period in Recife, as well as daggers and
armor.
Recife City MuseumSet up in a room in Cinco Pontas
Fort, it houses pictures, reproductions of old paintings and
objects that describe Recife since the period of Dutch rule.
Recife Cinema Festival
Also knows as
Recife Audiovisual Festival or
Cine-PE, its a competitive film and audiovisual festival
host in Recife. Its dedicated to the Brazilian and
state production of
feature &
short
films; as
videos and
documentaries as well. Founded in 1997 by the
couple Alfredo & Sandra Bertini, which are the directors since
then. Between 1997 and 2008 has participating 1806 films (between
competitive applications and National & International
invitations) of all types and
genres for a
public of over 250,000 people.
The main
trophy given by the organization
between an specialized and independent
judge is designated of
Calunga (which
is a puppet used by
maracatu dancers), for
the diverses
film categories represented.
Also,
another important trophy is the Gilberto
Freyre, addressed for the feature
film that best express the appreciation of Brazilian identity through the concept of racial diversity,
that characterizes the Brazilian ethnic formation and
culture. Another prizes are gaven by independent private
partners, usually in money, and distributed by the diverses
categories.
Its held usually between end of April/May, in the
Conventions
Center of Recife (CECON). Also includes seminaries, workshops,
meetings, musicals, arts exhibition; which brings many
Cinema professionals and/or lovers making this
festival one of the most
important in the Brazilian film market.
Recife and consequently
Pernambuco has a tradition in the Brazilian film
making history.
In the pioneer times of the Brazilian cinema emerged the Regional
movements. One of those, was designated Ciclo de Recife
(
Recife cycle), between 1922-1931. Despite
adverse conditions, during this cycle was realized in Recife 13
feature films (usually about drama
& Romance) and 7 realistic films (usually ordered by
authorities to show their public works). Despite pervasive
influence of
U.S. and
European cinemas in the
silent film times, the
Recife
cycle was one of the most important, regional and
produtive of them. One of the most important movie was
Aitaré da Praia, which is recognized
for pioneering the rise of regional themes (1925). Anothers large
successful films was
Retribuição (1923) and
A Filha do
Advogado (1926). Another important phase of the
Pernambuco/Recife film history was in the 1970s with a movement
called
Super 8, often used for home
videos and documentaries realized by students,
curious and aspirant film makers, due to the utilization of
8 mm film, proportionated by the new technology released by
Kodak.
Multiplex Recife, Multiplex Tacaruna, Multiplex Boa Vista, Cine
Rosa e Silva, CineBox Guararapes, Cinema do Parque, Multiplex Casa
Forte, Cinema da Fundação, Cinema Apolo, Cinema Arcoíris and UCI
Kinoplex.
Cuisine
Recife
cuisine is the cuisine of its region,
Pernambuco and the Northeast, and the
culinary influences of the area can be traced to a dynamic
assortment of cultures: the
Portuguese,
Dutch,
Spanish,
Moors,
Africans and
Indigenous. Many dishes come
with a delicious
coconut sauce,
palm oil (dendê) and feature corn,
manioc roots,
yam,
fresh seafood (shirimp, crab, lobster cooked with exotic sauces)
and native fruits. Grilled meats are also big here, especially
goat and
beef dishes.
The typical regional main dishes include
caldeirada
(seafood stew with octopus cooked with various spices and coconut
milk, could be served with
white beans or
farofa),
feijoada
Pernambucana (made it with brown beans instead black),
sarapatel, buchada (goat stew), dobradinha (beans
stew), roast goat,
mão de vaca (hand
cow stew),
Rabada (ox tail stew with manioc flour),
cozido Pernambucano (beef stew),
chambaril,
galinha de cabidela (chicken in a blood sauce),
peixada Pernambucana (fish stew), macaxeira com
charque (cassava with beef jerky),
quiabada
(
okras with beef), feijão com arroz (
rice and beans),
guaiamuns (giant
crabs) and one of the most traditional
dish, is
Carne-de-sol (Sun
beef), which consists of beef dried in the sun and usually served
with green beans. For dessert, it has
bolo de rolo (cake
roll), cake Souza Leão, cartola (top hat cake) which consists in
fried long banana with cheese topped with cinnamon and sugar. The
diversity continuos for the breakfast as one person can find
cuscus of sweet corn or manioc, yams and
cassava with charque (corned beef or beef jerky), sweet potato,
goiabada,fried long banana ,
mugunzá, regional fruits, bread,
tapioca,
rice pudding,
porridge, yogurt,
queijo coalho, corn
bread, hominy and
pamonha. To accompany this
meal, is often used coffee with/or milk and
juices from regional fruits such as from
cashew,
pineapple,
mangoes,
acerola,
guava,
passion fruit,
umbu,
hog plum,
pitanga,
jackfruit,
orange,
avocado and the regional most famous
caldo-de-cana and
água-de-coco juices.
According
with Abrasel (Brazilian Association of Bars &
Restaurants) Recife has over than 1.7 thousands bars and
restaurants which served regional (partially listed above),
Brazilian (such as Rodízio, moqueca, bobó
de camarão, açaí)and
International dishes from all over the world; which has made it the
first gastronomic pole of the Northeast and the third one
in the whole country after São Paulo and Rio.
Festa Junina (Saint John Festival)
Maracatu dancers.
Festa Junina was introduced to Northeastern
Brazil by the
Portuguese for whom St John's day (also celebrated as Midsummer Day in several European countries), on the 24th of June, is one of
the oldest and most popular celebrations of the year.
Differently from what happens on the European
Midsummer Day. The festivities in Brazil do not
take place during the
summer
solstice but during the tropical
winter solstice. The festivities
traditionally begin after the 12th of June, on the eve of St
Anthony's day, and last until the 29th, which is Saint Peter's day.
During these fifteen days, there are
bonfires,
fireworks, and
folk dancing in the streets. Typical foods and beverages are
served. It should be noted that, like during Carnival, these
festivities involve costumes-wearing (in this case, peasant
costumes), dancing, drinking, and visual spectacles (fireworks
display and folk dancing). Like what happens on
Midsummer and St John's Day in Europe, bonfires
are a central part of these festivities in Brazil.
Carnaval/Carnival
Galo da Madrugada
The
four-day period before Lent leading up to Ash Wednesday is carnival time in Brazil. Rich
and poor alike forget their cares as they party in the streets.
Pernambuco has large Carnival
celebrations with more than 3000 shows in the street historic
center performed for over than 430 local groups, including the
Frevo, typical
Pernambuco music. Another famous carnival
music style from Pernambuco is Maracatu.
The
cities of Recife and Olinda hold the
most authentic and democratic carnaval celebrations in Brazil. The
largest carnival in Brazil is Galo da Madrugada, which takes place
in
Downtown Recife on Carnival
Saturday. Another famous event is the "Noite dos Tambores
Silenciosos." Carnival Recife's joyous Carnival is nationally
known, attracting thousands of people every year. The party starts
a week before the official date, with electric trios "shaking" the
Boa Viagem Neighborhood. On
Friday, people take to the streets to dance to the sound of
frevo and to dance with maracatu, ciranda,
caboclinhos, afoxé, reggae and manguebeat groups. There are still
many other entertainment poles spread out around the city,
featuring local and national artists. One of the highlights is
Saturday when more than one and a half million people follow the
Galo da Madrugada group. From
Sunday to Monday, there is the Night of the Silent Drums, on the
Pátio do Terço, where
Maracatus honor
slaves that died in
prisons.
"
Frevo" was born from the confluence of
European and
Afro-Brazilian cultures, as probably did all the other
musical genres consolidated in Brazil. Historians from Pernambuco
say that, before the term appeared in Recife's 'Jornal Pequeno', it
was already heard and danced in a symbiosis of polkas, 'modinhas',
'dobrados' e 'maxixes' e 'jogos pastoris' (stick and rope
formations) along the streets of
Pernambuco's capital. The
music band (civilian
or military) of the time helped giving the sound the defining
character we have come to know as the
Frevo, a
musical mass defined by the brasses. About the Street-
Frevo, conductor Guerra Peixe said once that "it is
the only popular genre that does not admit the 'play-by-ear
composer'. He was referring to the technical hardship of this kind
of
music, and stressing the role of conductors
who led the 'frevistical' troupes.
Transportation
International Airport
Guararapes International
Airport, also known as Gilberto
Freyre International Airport, is the airport serving Recife,
has been open in its newest structure since July 2004 and is 52,000
square meters in area. It has the longest runway in the
Northeast region, at 3,305
meters. Its extension permits operations with jumbo jets, such as
the Boeing 747-400, which can carry 290 passengers and 62 tons of
cargo or
Airbus A330/340. Guararapes had
its capacity expanded from 1.5 million to 5 million passengers a
year, which was almost reached in 2008 with more than 4.6 million
passengers (there are also plans to increase to 7.2 m).
Current
domestic destinations include most major cities in Brazil,and the
state cities of Fernando de Noronha and Petrolina
; there are also international flights to Paris
, France, Lisbon
, Portugal, Buenos
Aires
, Argentina
, Miami
and
Atlanta
in the United States
. The main Airlines operating in Recife Airport include TAM Airlines,
Gol Transportes Aéreos,
TAP Portugal, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, Livingston Energy Flight, Blue Panorama Airlines, Webjet, TRIP
Linhas Aéreas, OceanAir, Flex Linhas Aéreas and Azul Brazilian Airlines.
There is a pipeline running underneath carrying kerosene to fuel
the airplanes, the safest way to do this because it does away with
the need for tank trucks in the maneuvering area.
The shopping and leisure area was also totally remodeled, using the
"Aeroshopping" concept, which transforms an airport into a center
for business, comfort and high-quality products and services. The
commercial spaces will be occupied in stages and the final total
will be 142 shops. The parking structure has been ready since
December 2002. There are three levels with total capacity for 2080
vehicles, over four times the previous 500 spots. There is space
for events and exhibitions on the fourth level. It is located
1 km (0.6 mi) from
Boa
Viagem beach, 9 km (5.5 mi) from the city center and
19 km (11 mi) from the Suape Port.
Ports
Suape port, is located in the city of Ipojuca, inside the metropolitan region. Suape
serves ships 365 days a year without any restrictions with regard
to tidal schedules. To assist in the docking operation of the
ships, the port offers a monitoring system and laser ship docking
system that enables effective, secure control and upholds the same
technical standards as the most important ports across the globe.
The port moves over 8.4 million tons of cargo a year. The liquid
granary (petroleum by-products, chemical products,
ethanol, vegetable oils, etc.) constitutes more than
80% of the movement. The port can serve ships of up to 170,000 tpb
and operational
draft of 14.50 m. With
27 km² of
backport, the internal and
external ports offer the necessary conditions for serving large
ships. The access canal has 5,000 m of extension, 300 m in width
and 16.5 m in length. More than 95 Companies from almost all
Industries are already installed in Suape which includes a
Petrobras Refinary, the largest Ship Builder in South American and
a large Petrochemical Company as many others.
Tancredo Neves Metro Station.
Port of Recife, is
located in the city of Recife. Road access to Port of Recife is
accomplished, mainly, through the federal highways BR-232 (linking
the interior of the state) and BR-101 (linking to other States to
the north and the south of the State of Pernambuco). The main
producing and consuming centers of the interior of the state and of
the rest of the
Northeast,
are linked to
Port by paved highways.
Three
trunks of the Railways of Companhia Ferroviária do Nordeste (CFN),
Northeastern Railway Company, serve the main areas of production in
the state, tying the Port of Recife respectively: to the capitals of the states placed to the
north of Pernambuco (north log); to the
cities of the interior of the State (log
west); and to the cities of Maceió
and
Aracaju
(south log).
There are two access channels to the
Port, both of natural characteristics. The main
one, South Channel, has 260 m of width and 3.4 km
(2.11 mi) of extension approximately, with a depth of 10.5 m.
The other, denominated North Channel, has little width, about
1.00 km (0.6 mi) of length, and a depth of 6.5 m, and it
is used only by small size vessels. The International Airport of
Guararapes is 14 km (8.6 mi) away from the Port.
Metro
Since 1998, building of the
Metro
expansion has been in progress.
When ready, Recife
Metro will become the second largest in Brazil,after São Paulo. It already reaches from Recife central
station to Jaboatão, Timbi (Camaragibe) and Mall (Shopping
Recife).
This system also integrates with several bus lines connected to the
bus/
metro
integration
terminals, such as Barro
and Joana Bezerra stations. It is possible to ride the metro and
the connected bus line by purchasing one ticket only. Since March
of
2009,
Recife
Metro has finished one more phase of expansion. The system now
has 28 stations (11 integrated with buses) and is 39.5 kilometers
long.
Fleet
According to
Detran-PE
(Transportation State Bureau Administrator) in 2009, the city of
Recife has a total fleet of over 464 thousand
motor vehicles on its streets. 54,335 cargo
vehicles, 318,520 passenger vehicles, 72,719 motorbikes, 14,142
others and 4,855 buses (split between private and public). These
buses transport almost two million passengers daily in the
metropolitan area, distributed
between 17 local bus companies.
Highways
Transport Map of Recife.
Recife metropolitan area is
crossed by 3 main Federal highways:
- BR-101 North - Paraíba
and Rio Grande do
Norte;
- BR-101 South - Alagoas, Bahia, Minas Gerais
, Rio de
Janeiro, São
Paulo, Paraná
and Rio Grande do
Sul;
- BR-232 West - Gravatá
, Caruaru
, Belo
Jardim
, Arcoverde
, Salgueiro
and Parnamirim;
- BR-408 NW - Carpina
, Timbaúba
and Campina Grande
;
- Numerous state highways (PE-xxx):
001/007/009/015/020/022/027/028/035/037/038/041/042/045/060/096.
Neighborhoods
Marco Zero in the city.
The city has 6 Regions Political Administrative
RPA, which
contains all 94 neighborhoods:
- Aflitos , Afogados , Água Fria,
- Alto do Mandu , Alto José Bonifácio,
- Alto José do Pinho , Alto Santa Terezinha,
- Apipucos , Areias , Arruda , Barro,
- Beberibe , Boa Viagem , Boa
Vista,
- Bomba do Hemetério , Bongi ,
- Brasília Teimosa ,Brejo da Guabiraba ,
- Brejo de Beberibe ,Cabanga ,Caçote ,
- Cajueiro , Campina do Barreto ,
- Campo Grande , Casa Amarela ,
- Casa Forte ,Caxangá,Cidade Universitária ,
- Coelhos , Coqueiral , Cordeiro ,
- Córrego do Jenipapo ,Curado , Derby ,
- Dois Irmãos ,Dois Unidos ,Encruzilhada ,
- Engenho do Meio ,Espinheiro ,Estância ,
- Fundão , Graças , Guabiraba ,
- Hipódromo ,Ibura ,Ibura de Cima (Cohab),
- Ilha do Leite , Ilha do Retiro ,
- Ilha Joana Bezerra ,Imbiribeira ,Ipsep ,
- Iputinga , Jaqueira , Jardim São Paulo ,
- Jiquiá , Jordão , Jordão Baixo ,
- Linha do Tiro ,Macaxeira , Madalena ,
- Mangabeira , Mangueira , Monteiro ,
- Morro da Conceição , Mustardinha ,
- Nova Descoberta , Passarinho ,
- Paissandu , Parnamirim , Pau Ferro ,
- Peixinhos , Pina , Poço ,
- Ponto de Parada , Porto da Madeira ,
- Prado , Bairro do Recife (Recife
Antigo) ,
- Rosarinho , San Martin , Sancho ,
- Santana , Santo Amaro , Santo Antônio ,
- São José , Sítio dos Pintos ,
- Soledade , Tamarineira , Tejipió ,
- Torre , Torreão , Torrões ,
- Totó , Várzea ,
- Vasco da Gama , Zumbi .
Sports
Soccer in
Pernambuco began in 1902, when English and Dutch sailors
landed in Recife and played a game of soccer on the beach.
The new game aroused the interest of the people of Pernambuco, and
they soon started playing.
Recife provides visitors and residents with various sporting
activities. There are several soccer clubs based in Recife, such as
Sport (38 times state champion
and once national champion(87) and Brazil's Cup champion (08)),
Santa Cruz FC (24 times
state champion), and
Náutico (22 times state
champion). The
Campeonato
Pernambucano (Pernambuco's State Championship) is divided into
Taça Tabocas e Guararapes and Taça Confederação do Equador. They
both have the same format: standard round-robin, in which all teams
play each other once. A round-robin tournament or all-play-all
tournament is a type of group tournament
in which each participant plays every other participant an equal
number of times. If a team wins both Taça Tabocas e Guararapes and
Taça Confederação do Equador, it is crowned the
state champion. If
not, a home-and-away playoff with the
winners is disputed, and the winner is declared the
state champion.
Also, the city has traditions in another sports as:Basketball,
Hockey, Golf, Tenis, Table tenis, Volleyball, beach volley,
Handball, Surf, Bodysurf, Swimning pool and Futsal.Provided by
clubs such as:Nautico, Sport, Santa Cruz, Portuguese Club of
Recife, Caxanga Golf & Country Club, Mauricio de Nassau
University, School of Tenis Recife as others.
2014 FIFA World Cup
Recife is
one of the 12 cities to host games for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, for which Brazil is the host
nation. The other 11 cities are:
The
Metropolitan Recife project
consists of a new Sports City to be built in São Lourenço
da Mata
in an intersection area near to Recife, Jaboatão dos
Guararapes and Camaragibe
. The new Sports complex is 19 km
(11 mi) west of Recife city center and 19 km (11 mi)
from the Airport.The sports complex 'City' will have a new Stadium
with 45,000 seats, 9,000 Flats, 6,000 car parking spaces, 1
Hospital, 1 Technical school, 1 Shopping center, 1 integrated
metro/bus station and improvement of federal roads: all with an
estimated cost of R$ 1.6 billion. Further expenses will be
necessary in the metro area for remodelling of roads and airport
expansion.
This is the second time Recife has been chosen to be one of the
host cities of the
FIFA World Cup.
In
1950, Recife hosted just one
game in the Brazil World Cup between Chile
and the
United
States (5x2). At this time, it was the only city which
represented the Northeast
of Brazil.
Social exclusion
Violence
Marco Zero in Old Recife.
View of the city.
Recife's
reputation for safety is not one of the best of the country which
placed the city as 9th most violent city in Brazil, and 2nd as
capital, after only Maceió. As
one of the largest Recife
metropolitan
area (5th) of the country with large urban concentrations of
unskilled people in the peripheral suburbs. Which combined with
high unemployment rates, social exclusion, and poverty, generates
violence.
PESP plan
The State Governor Eduardo Campos introduced the PESP plan
(Security state Plan - Plano Estadual de Seguranca Publica) on
second of May 2009, which will try to reduce homicides by 12% each
year until they reach half of the previous rate. The plan is based
on the fact that 60% of the murders are committed by people related
to criminal activities and reaches from the prevention stage until
the correctional stage.
Carnival Security plan
Considered to be the
world's largest
Carnival celebration, as recorded by the
Guinness Book of World
Records, Recife, and neighboring Olinda are at the heart of
over than 1.5 million person strong celebration. ISS servers
managed 50 Pelco Spectra PTZ
cameras to
capture all activity within the city's celebratory areas. Continued
deployment of this
project at Recife, will
continue towards a short term goal of over 1000
cameras blanketing the
city.
Immediate
statistics during the Carnival
period indicate a reduction in
violent
crime of over 30%.
The
system remains fully operational and will
be the vanguard of an ever-growing surveillance framework
implemented by the forward-thinking government of Recife.
ISS servers also manage security and surveillance throughout Brazil, including
the national presidential compound, the
Palácio da
Alvorada
in Brasília
, as well as several of the largest ports in the country, including the 2nd largest port,
Terminal Portuário de Itajaí Ltda, in Itajaí
, Santa Catarina
. Governor Eduardo Campos was on hand to
celebrate the inauguration of this milestone event in the
city's move toward greater
security and
safety.
Logistics for the project were handled by
Anixter International, a
U.S. company. Integration was
conducted by Aragão Engenharia & Networks.
Sex tourism
Recife in the evening.
There has been a growing number of foreign tourists who come to
Brazil looking for sex, mostly
Germans,
Italians, and other
Europeans. These tourists come to Recife not for the
culture and beaches, but for sex, often with minors. Brazil has a
supply of young girls desperate to escape poverty, and the demand
from foreign men is rising all the time. In Recife, where a growing
population of children sleep on park benches or fall drugged or
drunk on the curbs outside bars catering to a brisk trade in
sex tourism, many girls who live on the
streets have begun slashing themselves with razor blades, often on
their forearms. Recife's secretary for tourism, Romeo Batista, says
the long-term antidote to the sex trade lies in better social
policies so that Brazilian girls have less need for foreign men and
money. Several countries worldwide have their own legislation that
prosecutes tourists in their homeland if they engage in illicit
sexual conduct in a foreign country with children.
Under the
PROTECT Act of April
2003, it is a crime, prosecutable in the United States, for a
U.S. citizen or permanent resident alien, to engage in illicit
sexual conduct in a foreign country with a person under the age of
18, whether or not the U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident
alien intended to engage in such illicit sexual conduct prior to
going abroad. The Sexual Offences Act 2003 enables
British citizens and residents who
commit sexual offences against children overseas to be prosecuted
in the United Kingdom.Germany works with a similar law since
1993.Complaints concerning foreigners who are suspected of
committing child sex tourism offences should be directed to the
nearest consulate or embassy.
Recuperation program
UNICEF is an international development
agency, which supports locally initiated projects with an emphasis
on children. Recife offered an environment to utilize its rich
cultural heritage to develop programs aimed at its most serious
issues. One of the most hands-on projects was a radio program named
"Jovens Comunicadores" (Communicating Youth). It trained a group of
eighteen adolescents to produce a weekly radio program focusing on
child labour. The program is recorded
and sent to community radio stations, most of which are broadcast
in the sugar cane area where many children work. Jovens
Comunicadores advocates and lobbies against exploitation, all
produced and edited by teens. As a radio program, it also plays
regional music, giving a boost to
local culture.
"Criança Feliz" (Happy Child) had the same objective, eliminating
child exploitation, but used a different approach. It was begun by
a women's organization and offered after-school activities with the
goal of discouraging children and adolescents from working in sex
tourism. Besides giving classes and training in computers, English,
art, and karate, it also offered psychological services and
group therapy. These combined services
sought to equip children not only with skills but also a positive
self image and respect to not fall into
prostitution. As all the kids came from very
poor backgrounds, the financial pull of prostitution is very high.
Criança Feliz worked at educating them about the high costs in the
long term. This was a very interesting project, since it was
actually a house with groups of kids divided into participating in
different activities.
Shark attacks
In recent years, the number of
shark
attacks on the beaches of Recife has increased. This was
addressed on the
National
Geographic Channel series
Hunter Hunted in the episode
"Shark Invasion."
Surfing has been outlawed
since 1995 on the urban beaches (Pina,
Boa Viagem, Piedade, and Candeias)
because of the risk the sport poses to its practitioners due to
shark attacks. It's strongly recommended you
do not climb over and swim behind the reefs because of strong,
unpredictable currents and the possible presence of bull sharks.
Several
beaches have messages alerting people of the
danger of finding sharks, although this is
very rare as in most parts of Brazil.
Before the 1990s, there were virtually no attacks reported here.
But since 1992, there have been 47 shark attacks along a 20-km
(12.5-mile) stretch of
coast. Sixteen of them
were fatal. In 2004, there were seven reported attacks. Two of the
victims died.
However, in absolute term,
there are more shark attacks in the U.S.
State of Florida and Australia than in
Brazil. Since mid-1992, 50 encounters involving humans and
sharks, 19 of them fatal, have been recorded along the short strip
of coast.
By comparison, a relatively modest 18
unprovoked shark attacks were reported along the 1,926 kilometers
(1,197 miles) of Florida coast in 2005, according to the International Shark Attack
File compiled by the American Elasmobranch Society
and the Florida Museum of Natural
History
. At the same rate per kilometer per year as
Recife, Florida would suffer nearly 350 attacks a year.
A state-funded investigation has focused on the long-term
ecological effect of a new
port, to the south of Recife. Port of Suape
opened for business in 1984, and today handles more than four
million tonnes of cargo per year.
To facilitate its initial construction,
two freshwater estuaries, which had discharged into the Atlantic Ocean, were sealed off. Based on that finding,
local
human rights lawyers
are considering a symbolic legal challenge to the
State of Pernambuco, with the aim of securing
compensation for the victims of attacks.
Via CEMIT,
Pernambuco state officials
have attempted to reduce the risk of shark attacks through
educational campaign, oversight and
research. A CEMIT
patrol
boat has captured 14
sharks found too close to the coast for comfort over
two years. Other
public policies include the posting of warning signs every
350 meters (1,150 feet) along the
beach and
the prohibition of
surfing in threatened
areas.Nevertheless, when the beach has low waves, natives and
tourists protected by the natural reefs do go swimming.
Human development
Recife on the far end.
The human development of Recife varies greatly by locality,
reflecting the city's spatial segregation and vast socioeconomic
inequalities. There are neighborhoods that had very high
Human Development Indexes in 2000
(equal to or greater than the indexes of some
Scandinavian countries), but also those in the
lower range (in line with, for example,
North
Africa).
Neighborhoods and localities champions:
- Boa Viagem/Pina (0.964) - (Greater than - 0.961)
- Graças/Aflitos (0.953) - (Equal to , - 0.953)
- Derby/Espinheiro (0.953) - (Equal to , - 0.953)
Neighborhoods and localities in last place:
- Joana Bezerra Island/São José/Zeis Coque (0.689) - (Equal
to - 0.689)
Notable people
- Maria Heloísa Aalling
(1991-), fashion model
- Francisco Brennand, Sculptor,
painter and ceramist. (1927-)
- Gilberto Freyre, poet and
writer.
- Antônio Maria, composer.
- Alceu Valença, composer.
- Bruno Garcia, actor.
- Carlos Pena Filho,
Writer.
- Chico Science, composer.
- Nelson Ferreira, composer and
musician
- Fred Zero Quatro,
composer.
- Hermilo Borba Filho, writer
and playwright
- João Cabral de Melo
Neto, poet and writer.
- Josué de Castro, humanist
and writer
- Juninho Pernambucano,
footballer. (1975-)
- Joaquim Nabuco, writer,
journalist and diplomat.
- Lenine, composer.
- Manuel Bandeira, poet and
writer.
- Naná Vasconcelos,
composer.
- Nelson Rodrigues, poet and
writer.
- Otto, composer.
- Paulo Freire, educator, poet and
writer.
- Rivaldo, footballer.
- Robyn Regehr, professional ice
hockey player.
- Vavá, footballer.
- Braulio Estima, Jiu-Jitsu world
champion.
- Sidney Silva, professional mixed
martial artist.
- Junior Assuncao, professional
mixed martial artist.
- Guilherme Berenguer,
actor.
- Marco Nanini, an important
Brazilian actor.
- Emanuela de Paula, one of the
best Brazilian international models.
- Romero Britto, Sculptor and
painter. (1963-)
Sister cities
Recife's
sister cities are:
References
External links
Official
Education
Photos
Tourism
Videos
, Jiquiá,
Tejipió, Jordão and Pina.
.jpg/180px-Kahal_Zur_Israel_(exterior_1).jpg)
, Natal
from the
North;
and
Brasília
and Porto
Alegre
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