| |
Reviving
the Spirit of
Soccer & Samba
The decade 2010-20 belongs to Brazil,
one of the fastest developing countries
of the world. Brazil, the cradle
of football, will be hosting the
2014 World Cup soccer. In 2016,
Rio de Janeiro of Brazil, will host
the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. The
Brazilian authorities have begun
preparations on a massive scale
to please the world and to make
the country one of the most hospitable
places on Earth. In October last
year, when the International Olympic
Committee announced that the 2016
Olympics will be held in Rio de
Janeiro, an emotional Brazilian
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
dabbed his eyes with a handkerchief
several times during a news conference
held soon after. "Our hour
has arrived," he said. "It
has arrived." In Rio, jubilation
erupted at the world-famous Copacabana
beach, where thousands of people
gathered to hear the announcement.
Rio organizers promised to start
working immediately to make the
games a success. For Rio, a major
appeal was bringing the Olympics
to South America for the first time.
IOC President Jacques Rogge said
in the news conference afterward
that in addition to its excellent
bid, Rio had the "extra added
value of going for the first time
to a continent that's never had
the games.”
It is the first time the World Cup
is being held in South America since
Argentina hosted, and won, the 1978
tournament. Brazil have won the
tournament a record five times and
hosted the World Cup once before,
in 1950, when they lost 2-1 in the
final to Uruguay.
Brazil is setting aside around £550m
to update its stadiums, including
the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro which
hosted the 1950 World Cup final.
That money will be spent in several
areas as FIFA's inspection report
has identified 18 grounds with more
than 40,000 capacity that could
host games. These will be whittled
down to nine or 10 in time for the
big kick off in 2014.
FIFA President Joseph S Blatter
said he had been impressed by Brazil's
plans for 2014, despite the fact
they were the only bidders following
Colombia's withdrawal.
"There was an extraordinary
presentation by the delegation and
we witnessed that this World Cup
will have such a big social and
cultural impact in Brazil. This
is the country that has given to
the world the best football and
the best footballers, and they are
five-times world champions."
With Brazil hosting the games, football
fans from all over the world can
look forward to a month of carnival
style celebrations during the 2014
World Cup tournament with the added
bonus of a fanatical home support
for the boys in yellow as they search
for yet another World Cup title,
this time on home soil.
More than half of Rio's Olympic
venues are built, including state-of-the-art
facilities constructed for the 2007
Pan and Parapan American Games:
the magnificent Joao Havelange Stadium
(the proposed 2016 venue for athletics),
the Maria Lenk Aquatic Center, the
Rio Olympic Arena (which will host
gymnastics and wheelchair basketball),
the Rio Olympic Velodrome, the National
Equestrian Center and its close
neighbor, the National Shooting
Center. Rio will hold the games
from 5 -21 August 2016 and its theme
will be "Live your passion."
According to Rio's bid, the games
will be held in four zones with
varying socioeconomic characteristics:
• Barra, the heart of the
games, is an expanding area of Rio
that will require "considerable
infrastructure and accommodation
development." It will house
the Olympic and media villages and
some venues.
• Copacabana, a world-famous
beach and major tourist attraction,
will host outdoor sports in temporary
venues.
• Maracana the most densely
populated of the zones, will contain
an athletic stadium and the Maracana
Stadium, which will host the opening
and closing ceremonies. Major redevelopment
is planned for the zone.
• Deodoro has little infrastructure,
but the highest proportion of young
people. It will require construction
of Olympic venues. The city's bid
was helped by a strong economy and
guaranteed funding. Brazil's economy
is the 10th largest in the world
and predicted to be fifth by 2016.
The areas around it will be renovated,
with improved access and transportation
links. The entire neighborhood will
be reborn, the Rio committee said,
to host the final of the 2014 FIFA
World Cup.
Brazilian President Lula da Silva
was joined by soccer legend Pelé
as they advertised the benefits
of a Rio games. He said, "Among
the 10 major economies of the world,
Brazil was the only country that
had not received the Olympic and
Paralympic Games. For us, it will
hardly be our last Olympics. For
us, it will be an opportunity to
be equal. It will increase self-esteem
for Brazilians, will consolidate
recent conquests.”
The two most important global sporting
events of the decade have put the
Brazilian tourism and hospitality
industry on its toes to promote
the country. This message is reaching
out to every corner of the globe.
Speaking to reporters in the eastern
city of Kolkata recently, Brazil's
Ambassador to India Marco Brandao
invited Indian companies to invest
in the hospitality sector ahead
of the World Cup in 2014 and Olympics
in 2016 both sporting events to
be held in his country.
The Federation of International
Football Associations (FIFA) has
selected 12 Brazilian cities to
host matches at the 2014 World Cup
finals. These are:
• Rio de Janeiro • Sao
Paulo • Manaus • Belo
Horizonte • Natal •
Fortaleza • Curitiba •
Salvador
• Brasilia • Cuiaba
• Recife • Porto Alegre.
Rio de Janeiro: Rio de Janeiro is
famous for its natural settings,
its carnival celebrations, samba,
Bossa Nova and hotel-lined tourist
beaches, such as Copacabana, Ipanema
and Leblon. Some of the most famous
landmarks in addition to the beaches
include the giant statue of Christ,
known as Christ the Redeemer ('Cristo
Redentor') atop Corcovado mountain,
named one of the New Seven Wonders
of the World; Sugarloaf mountain
(Pão de Açúcar)
with its cable car; the Sambódromo,
a giant permanent parade avenue
lined with grandstands which is
used during Carnival; and Maracanã
stadium, one of the world's largest
football stadiums. Rio de Janeiro
will host the 2016 Summer Olympics,
and will be the first South American
city to host the event.[6]
The city also boasts the largest
and second largest urban forests
in the world: Floresta da Tijuca,
or "Tijuca Forest."[7]
and (almost connected to the first)
the forest in Parque Estadual da
Pedra Branca, or White Stone State
Park.
Carnival: Carnival, or Carnaval,
from Latin "Carnevale",
is an annual celebration in the
Roman Catholic tradition that allows
merry-making and red meat consumption
before the more sober 40 days of
Lent penance which culminates with
Holy or Passion Week and Easter.
The tradition of Carnival parades
was probably influenced by the French
or German courts and the custom
was brought by the Portuguese or
Brazilian Imperial families who
had Bourbon and Austrian descents.
Up until the time of the marchinhas,
the revelry was more of a high class
and Caucasian-led event. The influence
of the African-Brazilian drums and
music was more noticeable from the
first half of the 20th century.
Rio de Janeiro has many Carnival
choices, including the famous samba
school (Escolas de Samba) parades
in the sambadrome exhibition center
and the popular blocos de carnaval,
street revelry, which parade in
almost every corner of the city.
In 1840, the first Carnaval was
celebrated with a masked ball. As
years passed, adorned floats and
costumed revelers became a tradition
amongst the celebrants. Carnaval
is known as a historic root of Brazilian
music.
Copacabana Beach: Every December
31, 2.5 million people gather at
Copacabana Beach to celebrate New
Year's in Rio de Janeiro. The crowd,
mostly dressed in white, celebrates
all night at the hundreds of different
shows and events along the beach.
It is the second largest celebration
only next to the Carnival. People
celebrate the New Year by sharing
chilled Champagne with total strangers.
It is considered good luck to shake
the Champagne bottle and spray around
at midnight. Chilled Champagne adds
to the spirit of the festivities.[Largest
New Years celebration in Brazil
takes place on Copacabana beach.
Entrance is free, peace is absolute,
and security is guaranteed. There
are four kilometers of fireworks
exploding in the sky. The people,
mostly dressed in white, coming
from the four corners of the world,
bid farewell to the year that is
ending and toast the arrival of
the new year. They boast one of
the largest fireworks displays in
the world lasting about 22 minutes
and illuminating the beauty of Copacabana
Beach in various colors.
Rio has an extensive nightlife scene.
Clubs like Baronneti, Hideaway,
Icy, Nuth, Zero Zero, The Week and
Catwalk are some of the country's
and world's best known and frequented
by celebrities such as Madonna,
Ronaldo, Calvin Klein, Mick Jagger,
and Naomi Campbell.
Sao Paulo: São Paulo is South
America's largest city. The industrial
growth and cultural variety of the
city have made this place home to
several well-cultured and well-educated
people of the country. The liveliness
of the local inhabitants would definitely
add more color to your travel experience
here. The popular tourist attractions
here include Niemeyer's Edifício
Copan, the baroque Teatro Municipal,
the Patío do Colégio
and the Museu de Arte de Sáo
Paulo (MASP) etc.
Manaus: Manaus is the capital of
the state of Amazonas. It is situated
at the confluence of the Negro and
Solimões rivers. It is the
most populous city of Amazonas and
is a popular ecotourist destination.
Manaus is a cosmopolitan city, and,
because of its location next to
the Amazon rain forest, it attracts
a substantial number of Brazilian
and foreign tourists, who can find
plenty of boat and land trips into
the surrounding jungle. A great
diversity of wildlife can be found
even in the surroundings of Manaus.
It is also home to one of the most
endangered primates in Brazil, the
Pied tamarin.
Tour boats leave Manaus to see the
Meeting of the Waters, where the
black waters of the Negro River
meet the brown waters of the Solimoes
River, flowing side by side without
mixing for about 9 km. Visitors
can also explore river banks and
"igarapes", swim and canoe
in placid lakes or simply walk in
the lush forest or stay at hotels
in the jungle.
About 18 km from downtown is Ponta
Negra beach, a neighbourhood that
has a beachfront and popular nightlife
area. A luxurious hotel is located
at the west end of Ponta Negra;
its small but very interesting zoo
and orchid greenhouse as well as
preserved woods and beach are open
for public visits.
The Mercado Adolpho Lisboa, founded
in 1882, is the city's oldest marketplace,
trading in fruit, vegetables, and
especially fish. It is a copy of
the Les Halles market of Paris.
Other interesting historical sites
include the customs building, of
mixed styles and medieval inspiration;
the Rio Negro Palace cultural center;
and the Justice Palace, right next
to the Amazonas Opera House.
Manaus has also many large parks
with native forest preservation
areas, such as the Bosque da Ciência
and Parque do Mindú. The
largest urban forest in the world
is located within Federal University
of Amazonas, which was founded in
January 17, 1909 and is the oldest
federal university of Brazil.
The city has a busy cultural calendar
throughout the year, including the
Opera, Theater, Jazz and Cinema
festivals, as well as Boi Manaus
(usually held around Manaus' anniversary
on the 24th of October), which is
a great celebration of Northern
Brazilian culture through Boi-Bumbá
music.
Belo Horizonte: Belo Horizonte or
Beautiful Horizon is the capital
of the state of Minas Gerais and
is located in the southeastern region
of Brazil. It is the third-largest
metropolitan area in the country.
The city features a mixture of contemporary
and classical buildings, and hosts
several modern Brazilian architectural
icons, most notably the Pampulha
Complex. In planning the city, Aarão
Reis and Francisco Bicalho sought
inspiration in the urban planning
of Washington D.C.[2] The city has
employed notable programs in urban
revitalization and food security,
for which is has been awarded international
accolades.
The city is built on several hills
and completely surrounded by mountains.
There are several large parks in
the immediate surroundings of Belo
Horizonte. The "Parque das
Mangabeiras", located six kilometres
south-east from the city centre
in the hills of the Serra do Curral,
affords a view over the city. It
has an area of 580 acres, of which
220 acres is native forest. The
"Mata do Jambeiro" nature
reserve extends over 912 hectares
(2,250 acres), with vegetation typical
of the Atlantic forest. More than
one hundred species of bird inhabit
the reserve, as well as ten different
species of mammal.
Belo Horizonte has several significant
cultural landmarks, many of them
situated in the Pampulha district,
where there are notable examples
of Brazilian contemporary architecture.
These include one of the largest
soccer stadiums in the world, the
Mineirão stadium, and the
São Francisco de Assis Church,
widely known as Igreja da Pampulha,
designed by Brazilian Modernist
architect Oscar Niemeyer. In Pampulha
there is also the Universidade Federal
de Minas Gerais campus, whose buildings
themselves are important contributions
to the city's architecture. Other
notable Pampulha buildings include
the Mesbla and Niemeyer buildings,
in addition to the headquarters
of corporations such as Usiminas,
Seculus, and Telemig Celular.
In downtown Belo Horizonte, are
located the neo-Gothic Boa Viagem
Cathedral, the church of São
José, the Praça da
Estação (Station Square),
which is an old train station that
now is also the Museum of Arts and
Workmanship, the Municipal Park,
the famous Sete de Setembro Square,
where an Obelisk built in 1922 marks
the one hundred years of Brazilian
independence from Portugal.
Near downtown, in the Lourdes neighborhood,
the Lourdes Basilica is located,
which is an example of Gothic Revival
style. The Nossa Senhora de Fátima
Church, in Santo Agostinho neighborhood,
is situated in Carlos Chagas Square.
Both churches are referred to as
the Assembléia Church and
the Assembléia Square because
of their proximity to the state's
legislative assembly.
Natal: This is the capital city
of The State of Rio Grande do Norte.
It is considered the sunniest region
of Brazil. It is situated 2500 km
from de Brasília and 2750
km from Rio de Janeiro.
Natal is well known because of its
beautiful beaches with white sand,
blue sea, dunes, coconut trees and
natural pools which are formed by
coral reeves. The littoral of Rio
Grande do Norte covers 399 km of
quiet beaches, some of them, ideal
for surfing.
In the eight-kilometer avenue "Via
Costeira", which surrounds
the sea, there are various hotels,
bars and restaurants. Near to this
avenue, the famous beach of Ponta
Negra concentrates bars and restaurants
too. In Natal, the trips to the
dunes, called "buggy",
are very popular. It is interesting
to visit Dunas de Genipabu Park
Ecologic Redinha (small town of
fisherman). Bahias Protegidas de
Tibau do Sul Morro do Careca, Beach
of Pipa.
Beach, dunes and lagoon of Genipabu:
It is located in Extremos city-
in the great Natal. It occupies
an area of 1.881 hectares, is the
most famous landscape (in the postcards)
of the state; it is possible to
have the most radical buggy rides.
Finally, the visitor will enjoy
the wonderful view to the lagoon
of Genipabu with its exuberant vegetation
and blue waters.
Lagoon of Pitangui: It has dark
and not very deep waters, ideal
for swimming, riding aquatic bikes
and fall by an aerial cable. It
provides lifeguards, bars and restaurants.
Beach of Maracajau: The Maracajau
beach is a fishers´ village
that conserves yet its traditions
and forms part of the protected
area known as APA dos Corais of
Maracajau. The local is a natural
aquarium of 13 square Km, excellent
place for diving into warm and clear
waters among the corals; it stands
out by its richness and colorful
fauna and flora.
Dunes and lagoon of Jacuma: The
local forms part of dunes complex
of the state coast and have low
vegetation. In the middle, there
is a lagoon where the visitors will
enjoy a delightful bath and fall
into the water using an aerial cable.
Fortaleza: Fortaleza is the state
capital of Ceará, located
in Northeastern Brazil. To the north
of the city lies the Atlantic Ocean;
to the south are the cities of Pacatuba,
Eusébio, Maracanaú
and Itaitinga; to the east is the
county of Aquiraz and the Atlantic
Ocean; and to the west is the city
of Caucaia.
Of the urban beaches in Fortaleza,
Praia do Futuro is the most frequented
and is characterized by restaurants
along the beach, each one with its
own musical style and decoration.
The statue of Iracema refers to
the legend of the Indian which was
depicted in a novel by José
de Alencar, a famous Brazilian author
who originated from Fortaleza.
Curitiba: Curitiba, standing some
3,000 feet above sea level on the
plateau of Serra do Mar, is the
capital of the progressive state
of Parana. Since the late 1800's,
Curitiba's bracing climate and picturesque
location have attracted immigrants
of Slav, German, and Italian origin.
Curitiba grew rapidly after 1950
and it is known for the sensible
manner in which it became a major
city without losing a comfortable
life-style. The city derives its
economic prosperity from its role
as commercial and processing center
for the expanding agricultural and
ranch areas in the interior of the
state. The population of this environmentally
conscious capital has about 1,500,000
inhabitants.
Curitiba, perhaps the best planned
city in Brazil and an international
model for sustainable development,
is more than simply the result of
a few successful projects. The city's
achievements are the result of strategic,
integrated urban planning. This
overarching strategy informs all
aspects of urban planning, including
social, economic and environmental
programs.
Curitiba is referred to as the ecological
capital of Brazil, with a network
of 28 parks and wooded areas. In
1970, there was less than 1 square
meter of green space per person;
now there are 52 square meters for
each person. Residents planted 1.5
million trees along city streets.
Builders get tax breaks if their
projects include green space. Flood
waters diverted into new lakes in
parks solved the problem of dangerous
flooding, while also protecting
valley floors and riverbanks, acting
as a barrier to illegal occupation,
and providing aesthetic and recreational
value to the thousands of people
who use city parks.
Salvador: Salvador da Bahia is a
city on the northeast coast of Brazil
and the capital of the Northeastern
Brazilian state of Bahia. Salvador
is also known as Brazil's capital
of happiness due to its easygoing
population and countless popular
outdoor parties, including its street
carnival. The first colonial capital
of Brazil, the city is one of the
oldest in the country and in the
New World.
The city of Salvador is notable
in Brazil for its cuisine, music
and architecture, and its metropolitan
area is the wealthiest in Brazil's
Northeast, its poorest region. The
historical center of Salvador, frequently
called the Pelourinho, is renowned
for its Portuguese colonial architecture
with historical monuments dating
from the 17th through the 19th centuries
and has been declared a World Heritage
Site by UNESCO in 1985.
Salvador is located on a small,
roughly triangular peninsula that
separates Todos os Santos Bay from
the open waters of the Atlantic
Ocean. The bay, which gets its name
from having been discovered on All
Saints' Day forms a natural harbor.
Salvador is a major export port,
lying at the heart of the Recôncavo
Baiano, a rich agricultural and
industrial region encompassing the
northern portion of coastal Bahia.
The local terrain is diverse ranging
from flat to rolling to hills and
low mountains.
Brasilia: Brasilia, the capital
of Brazil, is one of the world's
well-planned cities. It officially
became the capital in 1960. Brazilian
architect Oscar Niemeyer designed
the major official buildings. The
city, which was otherwise dry, yellow
and barren, was changed into an
attractive one in a span of just
three years, from 1957 to 1960.
Cuiaba: Cuiabá is the capital
city of the Brazilian state of Mato
Grosso. It is located in the exact
centre of South America and is in
conurbation with the neighbouring
town of Várzea Grande.
The name is of obscure Indian origin,
reportedly meaning "arrow-fishing"
and alludes to the Bororo custom
of using arrows to fish. Another
version says that there was an Indian
group called Ykuiapá. Others
say that a Portuguese man was taking
a bath in the river using a kind
of plate made with half coconut
(named cuia), and the stream took
it, and the man said: Cuia ba (something
like "the cuia is gone").
The largest pole of tourism, economy,
agro industry, trade and culture
of the State.
The new Marechal Rondon International
Airport connects Cuiabá with
many Brazilian cities and also operates
some international flights.
The city is home to the Federal
University of Mato Grosso.
Recife: Recife (Portuguese pronunciation:
[?e'sifi] (listen)) is the 5th [1]
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[2]
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 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 parades. 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 is 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.
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.[31] The metropolitan area
has also a giant water park 20 km
North of Recife, called Veneza water
park which has nearly one million
sq/ft of area, ten millions litres
of water and lots of water slides
for the youngsters.
Porto Alegre: Porto Alegre, the
largest city in southern Brazil,
is the capital of the state of Rio
Grande do Sul, land of the Gauchos,
and churrasco. The city, located
on the Guaiba River, was founded
in 1742 by immigrants from the Azores.
Since the 19th century the city
has received numerous from other
parts of the world, particularly
Germany, Poland, and Italy. Located
at the junction of five rivers,
it has become an important alluvial
port as well as one of the chief
industrial and commercial centers
in Brazil. With the advent of the
Mercosul accord it should grow and
prosper. Products of the rich agricultural
and pastoral hinterland, such as
soybeans, leather, canned beef,
and rice, are exported from Porto
Alegre to destinations as far away
as Africa and Japan. It has a population
of about 1,500,000 inhabitants.
|
