Fortaleza
—  Municipality  —
The Municipality of Fortaleza
Flag Seal
Nickname(s): Fortal
Motto: "Fortitudine"
Fortaleza Location in Brazil
Coordinates: 3°46′25″S 38°34′29″W / 3.77361°S 38.57472°W / -3.77361; -38.57472
Country	Brazil
Region	Northeast
State	Ceará
Founded	April 13, 1726
Government
- Mayor	Luizianne Lins (PT)
Area
- Municipality	313.8 km2 (121.1 sq mi)
Elevation	21 m (68.9 ft)
Population (2009)
- Municipality	2 447 409 (5th)
- Density	7,587.68/km2 (19,611/sq mi)
- Metro	3,602,319
Time zone	BST (UTC-3)
Postal Code	60000-000
Area code(s)	+55 85
Website	Fortaleza, Ceará

Fortaleza (Portuguese pronunciation: [foʁtaˈlezɐ], Fortress) is the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeastern Brazil. With a population close to 2.5 million (metropolitan region over 3.4 million), Fortaleza is the 5th largest city in Brazil. It has an area of 313 square kilometres (121 sq mi) and one of the highest demographic densities in the country (8,001 per km²). To the north of the city lies the Atlantic Ocean; to the south are the municipalities of Pacatuba, Eusébio, Maracanaú and Itaitinga; to the east is the municipality of Aquiraz and the Atlantic Ocean; and to the west is the municipality of Caucaia. Residents of the city are known as Fortalezenses. The current mayor is Luizianne Lins a former academic at the local Federal University of Ceará and well known feminist. The city will be one of the host cities of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, for which Brazil is the host nation.

On Beira-mar Avenue, kiosks and restaurants offer regional seafood, Sushi, Brazilian dishes and many more varieties of food; there are also many bars which provide anything from beer to cocktails. At the handcraft fair (the feirinha), many stands show embroidery and leather work, as well as jewelry and regional food or artisinal cachaça. 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 indigenous woman depicted in a 19th century novel by José de Alencar, a famous Brazilian author born in Messejana (nowadays a district of Fortaleza). Mucuripe Beach holds the Lighthouse Museum. Opened in 1846, the old lighthouse was active for 111 years, until it was closed in 1957, and replaced by a newer one. Dragão do Mar Center of Art and Culture holds the Cearense Culture Memorial, the Contemporary Art Museum and Rubens de Azevedo Planetarium, as well as movies and theaters. Besides this, many old warehouses were refurbished and became bars and restaurants surrounding the central area of town. There are cuisine and show options in the evening. It is most certainly one of the trendiest places to be seen.

Nightlife includes bars, nightclubs and restaurants, open every day in the week, besides the characteristic comedy shows that have introduced nationally famous artists. An off-season carnival, Fortal, happens in Fortaleza in July. With a remodeled structure in 2008, the event has parking lots, bleachers, stalls and food court. The event lasts 4 days and around 1.5 million people enjoy the nationally famous axé music bands. Fortaleza also stages music festivals in Brazil, such as Ceará Music. This yearly event includes local artists and international pop rock stars for 3 days. Around 25 thousand people enjoy the fun and several concerts, electronic music tents, and fashion shows.

The Pinto Martins International Airport connects Fortaleza with major Brazilian cities and also operates international flights. The city is home to the Federal University of Ceará.

History

Fortaleza in 1910.

Passeio Público in 1919.

Fortaleza's history began on February 2, 1500, when Spaniard Vicente Pinzón landed in Mucuripe's cove and named the new land Santa Maria de la Consolación. Because of the Treaty of Tordesillas, the discovery was never officially sanctioned. Colonisation began when the Portuguese Pero Coelho de Souza constructed the Fortim de São Tiago in the estuary of Ceará River in 1603. Later, the Dutch occupied the Brazilian Northeast and founded the Fort Schoonenborch. When they were expelled from Ceará, the Portuguese renamed it to Fortaleza de Nossa Senhora da Assunção. In 1726, the town of the fort was raised to the condition of village. In 1799, the Province of Ceará was separated from the Province of Pernambuco and Fortaleza was chosen as its capital.

During the 19th century, Fortaleza was consolidated as an urban center in Ceará, supported by the sprouting of cotton growing. With the increase of direct navigational communications with Europe the Customs of Fortaleza was created in 1812. In 1824, the city became agitated by the revolutionaries of Confederation of the Equator. Between the years of 1846 and 1877, the city went through a period of enrichment, economic and infrastructural improvement. This included the export of cotton and the development of diverse workmanships, such as the creation of the 2 secondary schools, the Ceará and Mucuripe Lighthouse in 1845, Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Fortaleza in 1861, Prainha Seminary in 1864, Public Library in 1867 and the Public transportation network in 1870, which began with the construction of Railroad of Baturité. In the decades of 1870 and 1880, was a period referred to as abolitionist and republican. Such movements caused the Emancipation of enslaved African-Brazilians in Ceará on March 25, 1884, four years before slavery was eradicated from the country as a whole. The literary movement "Spiritual Bakery" appeared in 1892 and pioneered the spreading of modern ideas in literature in Brazil. Other entities of the time included the Ceará Institute and Ceara's Academy of Letters established in 1887 and 1894 respectively.

Ferreira Square in 1920.

In the twentieth century, Fortaleza underwent significant urban changes, with improvements and the rural exodus to the city, with growth mostly happening towards the end of the decade of 1910, which helped promote the city to the title of seventh best city in population in Brazil. In 1954, the first university in the city was created, the UFC. Between 1950 and 1960, the city achieved an economic expansion in excess of 100% and outlying neighborhoods began to grow. Towards the end of the 1970s, Fortaleza began to emerge as the future industrial center of the Northeast with the implementation of the Industrial District of Fortaleza. During the political opening after the military regime, the people elected the city's first woman mayor, Maria Luíza Fontenele, and had the first city hall commanded by a left-wing party. At the end of the century, the administration of the city hall and the city underwent diverse structural changes with the opening of several avenues, hospitals, cultural spaces and it became one of the main tourist destinations in the Northeast and in Brazil.

Geography

View of the city.

Climate

Fortaleza has a typical tropical climate, specifically a tropical wet and dry climate, with high temperatures and high relative humidity throughout the year. However, these conditions are usually relieved by pleasant winds blowing from the ocean. Average temperatures are not much different throughout the year. December and January are the warmest months, with a high of 31 °C (88 °F) and low of 25 °C (77 °F). Rainy season goes from February to May (locally called "winter" due to the rain, not the temperature). with average annual temperature of 27 °C (81 °F). The relative humidity in the air in Fortaleza is 77% with average annual rainfall of 1,378.3 millimetres (54.26 in).

Generally, Fortaleza is characterized by its hotness. The city is a very hot one, making it appropriate for tanning sessions at the beach. The breeze during hot days is refreshing because wind speed in the city is generally typical of sea-side cities. The wind direction is from the sea towards the land, or from west towards east. This wind direction accompanied by ideal wind speed makes different wind activities like surfing and kite flying ideal activities in Fortaleza.

Fortaleza weather is unique in that there is usually rain during the first six months of the year, or from January to June. Expect that during this period, relative humidity is high, making Fortaleza climate extremely uncomfortable during several periods of the day. Fortaleza climate is usually very dry like summer during the months of August to December, when it is winter in other parts of the world, especially those in the northern hemisphere.

Vegetation

In Fortaleza there are some remaining areas of mangrove, in preserved areas. Some species of fruit trees are also found in many areas of Fortaleza, specially coconut and mango trees.

Cityscape

Fortaleza view from the Coco river's side

Demographics

Cocó Park.

View of Fortaleza's seaside.

Engenheiro Santana Junior Avenue.

Melkite in Fortaleza.

According to the IBGE of 2008, there were 3,529,000 people residing in the Metropolitan Region of Fortaleza. The population density was 7,587.68 inhabitants per square kilometre (19,652.0 /sq mi) (in the urban area). The last PNAD (National Research for Sample of Domiciles) census revealed the following percentage: 2,163,000 Brown (Multiracial) people (61.30%), 1,194,000 White people (33.84%), 138,000 Black people (3.91%), 21,000 Asian people (0.60%), 9,000 Amerindian people (0.25%).

According to an autosomal DNA genetic study from 2011, both "whites" and "pardos" from Fortaleza have a predominantly degree of European ancestry (>70%), with minor but important African and Native American contributions. Since "whites" and "pardos" make-up the majority of the population of Fortaleza, it follows that European ancestry accounts for most of the heritage of the population, followed by minor African and Native American contributions.

One of the main causes of the city's population growth throughout history was the period of droughts in the hinterland and the consequent escape to the capital city, known as rural exodus, as well as the search for better conditions of job and income. The city's population in the times of Colonial Brazil was estimated in 200 inhabitants, when Fortaleza was only an administrative unit, a village. The first discrepant point of the population growth of Fortaleza happened between 1865 and 1872 when the construction of the Railroad of Baturité was initiated. As a result of the demand for labour force, the population of the city swelled along with the economy. In 1877 another period of droughts made a great amount of homeless people migrate to Fortaleza and its outskirts. Migrations happened again during the droughts of 1888, 1900, 1915, 1932 and 1942. In these three last periods, concentration camps were set up in the hinterland to prevent the arrival of retirantes in the capital, however some surrounding districts like Pirambu and others, most of which with high demographic rates, began having their population grown due to migrations of peasants seduced by the promises of modernity in the greatest city of Ceará.

In 1922, Fortaleza reached its first hundred thousand inhabitants with the annexation of the cities of Messejana and Parangaba, now important districts of the city. Parangaba itself had more than 20,000 inhabitants, probably because a railroad station was built there before Fortaleza could have one, which made it receive a great number of retirantes from the dry hinterlands.

During the years of 1964–1985 several changes took place in Fortaleza which made the city a central region for industries. Governor Virgílio Távora (1963–1966) initiated the implantation of Industrial District of Fortaleza (DIF I). One decade later, the city already had about a million inhabitants, Metropolitan areas were created Brazil (1973), making the city one of them. In 1983 DIF I started to integrate the territory of the new city of Maracanaú, which, just some years ago, was made again part of the Greater Fortaleza (the city's Metropolitan area).

In the 1980s, Fortaleza exceeded Recife in population terms, becoming the second most populous city in Northeastern Brazil, with 1,308,919 inhabitants. Throughout the last decades of the 20th century the city "swelled" increasingly until its population exceeded two million inhabitants (in 2000). With a current population estimated in 2,458,545 inhabitants, Fortaleza is the 5th most populated city in Brazil, after São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, and Brasília.

Religion

Source: IBGE 2000.

Economy

Shopping mall in Fortaleza

Cocó Park.

Porto das Dunas beach in Fortaleza

The Fortaleza's GDP is R$ 28 billion, arising from its diversified commerce and tourism. Downtown Fortaleza, or the Centro, is where most commercial activities happen. Avenida Monsenhor Tabosa, near Iracema Beach, is another commercial district. Among the largest shopping malls are Iguatemi, North Shopping, Aldeota, and Del Paseo.

The manufacturing industry produces footwear, textiles, leather-derived items, and the extraction of minerals enhances the local economy. Presently, Fortaleza offers wide and diversified options of spaces, which allows different kinds of events to be promoted, ranging from small business meetings to national and international congresses and fairs that receive thousands of people. The biggest and best equipped space for events available in the State of Ceará is the Convention Center in Fortaleza. Besides this one, many hotels, business centers and other establishments also offer adequate spaces for different types of gatherings. TAF Airlines has its headquarters in Fortaleza.

The GDP for the city was R$ 28,350,622,000 (2008).

The per capita income for the city was R$ 11,461 (2008).

Education

State University of Ceará in Fortaleza.

UECE campus.

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.

Educational institutions

Higher education in Fortaleza is provided by a significant number of public and private institutions. Fortaleza is home to some of the most important universities and research centres in the northeast region of Brazil.

• Universidade Federal do Ceará (UFC), (public, federal, free of charge);
• Universidade Estadual do Ceará (UECE), (public, state-owned, free of charge);
• Centro Federal de Educação Tecnológica do Ceará (CEFET-CE), (public, federal, free of charge);
• Universidade de Fortaleza (UNIFOR), (main private university);
• Universidade do Vale do Acaraú (Uva), (private);
• Universidade Regional do Cariri (URCA);
• Faculdade Farias Brito (FFB);
• Faculdade Integrada do Ceará (FIC);
• Faculdade 7 de Setembro (FA7);
• Faculdades do Nordeste (FANOR);
• Faculdade Latino-Americana de Educação (FLATED);
• Faculdade Ateneu (FATE);
• Associação Educacional Cearense (AEC);
• and many others.

Culture

João Felipe Station in Fortaleza.

Ancuri Music School in Fortaleza.

Since the end of the 19th century, the city has been home to various cultural institutions. The Instituto do Ceará (Ceará Institute) was established in 1887, and conducts research in history, geography and anthropology. The Academia Cearense de Letras (Cearense Academy of Letters) was the first institution of the sort in the country, established on August 15, 1894. In 1892, Fortaleza was the site of a cultural movement of literary expression called "Spiritual Bakery". There are many other cultural centers, such as the Banco do Nordeste Cultural Centre and the Dragão do Mar Center of Art and Culture. The folklore of Fortaleza is rich and diverse, and has roots in a mixture of beliefs originating from white colonisers and native groups. Minor, but also considered important, are Syrian-Lebanese and African traditions.

Some of the cultural manifestations are:

• Bumba-meu-boi or Boi-Ceará: songs and dances of a religious cult to the ox, with Portuguese roots.
• Torém: dance originated by the tremembés.
• Violeiros, cantadores and emboladores: musical manifestations expressing social criticism, has typical northeast origins.
• Maracatu: Dance and music, the Fortaleza maractu is of the Baque Virado or Nação lines and is celebrated during carnivals.
• Dança do coco: originated by Afro-Brazilians. On the beach it is just for men and in the hinterland it is danced in pairs.

Carnaval/Carnival

Fortaleza Carnival season is not known to be very attractive, differently from other northeastern cities like Salvador or Recife. Through the streets of Fortaleza, the Carnaval brings the samba together with festivities as a celebration of Fortaleza's past and diverse culture. It is particularly notable for its unique style of maracatu known as maracatu cearense.

Throughout the streets of the city during the carnival season, tourists can see dancing and singing, accompanied by processions of brass bands. There are also displays and shows placed on open trucks as part of a parade travelling across the city. In areas like Avenida Beira-mar, the residents organize sessions of dancing in the streets.

Landmarks

View of Fortaleza's Mucuripe lighthouse.

Fortaleza is the home of numerous landmarks. They include:

• Teatro José de Alencar;
• Farol do Mucuripe;
• Fortaleza's Cathedral;
• Estátua de Iracema;
• Forte Nan de Praire Statue;
• Forte de Nossa Senhora da Assunção;
• Palácio da Luz;
• Castelão football stadium (to be remodeled for the World Cup 2014).

Cuisine

Baião-de-dois is a typical food in Fortaleza and Ceará.

Straw sheds at Praia do Futuro beach

Brazilian cuisine includes feijoada, churrasco, rice and beans. There are some dishes that are typical of the Northeast of Brazil, such as macaxeira, tapioca, carne de sol, but the typical food fo Ceará is Baião-de-dois(one kind rizotto form rice, beans en cheese). The best restaurants in Fortaleza in 2005, as ranked by Veja magazine, were:

• Best restaurant in Fortaleza: Boi Preto;
• Best Regional Food: Colher de Pau;
• Best Italian restaurant: Pulcinella;
• Best French restaurant: Lautrec;
• Best Japanese restaurant: Kingyo;
• Best Pizza: Vignoli;
• Best Beef: Murano;
• Best Fish and Seafood: Alfredo;
• Best Feijoada: Mucuripe Grill.

Tourism and recreation

Iracema Statue in Messejana lagoon.

Beach Park near Fortaleza.

The warm climate, warm ocean waters and the sandy beaches attract tourists. In recent years, many of the old hotels have been replaced by European-owned international resorts. Nightlife is full of festivities with bars, restaurants and shows as the primary attraction. The city is known for having the "wildest Monday nights in the world". Some of the best bars and clubs are found near Dragão do Mar Center of Art and Culture. The Praia de Iracema (Iracema's beach), the first urban nuclei of the city and former touristic attraction, is currently known as a prostitution hotspot of the city. It includes the Ponte dos Ingleses (Bridge of the Englishmen) which is an ideal location for watching the sunset and spotting dolphins.

Fortaleza's urban beaches have warm waters. The scenery is complemented by the jangadas (small rafts used by many of Ceará's fishermen) for catching seafood for the Ceará cuisine. The Praia do Futuro (Beach of the Future) is a popular location with many beachside restaurants, built in the local style using carnauba straw and called "Barracas de Praia" (Beach Huts).

Scuba diving is possible in the area of Pedra da Risca do Meio State Marine Park, a marine protected area located about 10 nautical miles from the shoreline of Fortaleza.

Urban beaches in Fortaleza

Fortaleza has about 25 kilometres (16 mi) of urban beaches. From North to South, the urban beaches of Fortaleza are Iracema, Meireles, Mucuripe and Praia do Futuro. Each beach has its own peculiarities. "Iracema" is the bohemian beach, with bars and nightclubs. "Meireles" is where locals and tourists go to stroll, and is also the area with the highest number of hotels in Fortaleza. "Mucuripe" is the place of jangadas. Still used by fishermen to go into high seas, jangadas can be seen along the way during the afternoon and evenings, and returning from the sea in the morning; part of the catch of the day is sold in an old style fish market. Also, the boat trips leave from this area. "Praia do Futuro" is about 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) long, and is the preferred one for bathing and surfing. Praia do Futuro was made famous by its barracas (rustic restaurants built on the beach sand).

Transportation

International Airport

Pinto Martins International Airport (FOR).

The passenger terminal at Fortaleza International Airport is totally air conditioned and has four levels. The basement level has parking for 1,000 cars along with automatic teller machines and a stop for regular city buses serving the airport. The ground level has 31 check-in counters, airline offices, car rental agencies, special tourist information, a juvenile court bureau to facilitate travel of minors, a Civil Aviation Department (DAC) office, information counter, passenger arrival area and access to two taxi stops. The second level contains shops, the food court and domestic and international boarding lounges. The top floor has a beer garden and panoramic deck overlooking the maneuvering apron and with a view of the Fortaleza skyline.

The apron has 152,857 square meters and can accommodate 14 aircraft at once in pre-established positions ("boxes"). The scheduled airlines operating out of Fortaleza are Cabo Verde Airlines (code-sharing with TAP), TAM, Varig, Gol, Azul Airlines, Webjet, Air Italy, Livingston, OceanAir, TAP and Delta Air Lines. The airport also frequently receives domestic and international charter flights. The passenger terminal, opened in 1998, was designed to have a useful life of 50 years. The former terminal, called the General Aviation Terminal, is now used for general aviation and the fire brigade. The control tower is located alongside. Construction of a cargo terminal is the next big step planned by Infraero. The new terminal will have roughly 8,000 square meters, boosting the cargo storage and handling capacity fourfold. Plans then call for this terminal to be integrated with highway and railroad links, making it a truly intermodal system.

Roads

Santos Dumont avenue.

View of Fortaleza's BR116 entrance.

Fortaleza's road traffic is becoming increasingly worse in the recent years. Traffic jams have become standard during the rush hours. The system of traffic monitoring is known by the acronym CTAFOR which stands for "Controle de Tráfego em Área de Fortaleza" (Traffic Control of the Fortaleza Area). Streets in Fortaleza have poor pavement in most areas. One should drive carefully in order to avoid Fortaleza's many potholes. Many serious accidents have happened due to very poor state of the main streets.

Distances

• Natal: 533 kilometres (331 mi);
• Teresina: 634 kilometres (394 mi);
• João Pessoa: 688 kilometres (428 mi);
• Recife: 799 kilometres (496 mi);
• São Luís: 1,070 kilometres (660 mi);
• Salvador: 1,403 kilometres (872 mi);
• Rio de Janeiro: 2,838 kilometres (1,763 mi);
• São Paulo: 3,144 kilometres (1,954 mi);
• Brasília: 2,200 kilometres (1,400 mi).

Urban Train

Map of the Fortaleza metro.

The city's railroad system is part of the Brazilian Company of Urban Trains (CBTU) and links Fortaleza to three other cities. It is used mainly by people from distant metropolitan areas (e.g., Maracanaú), since it is rather old and poorly maintained, and does not meet the demands of inner city commuters. Therefore, a new underground system known as MetroFor has been engineered by the state government, which is expected to begin operation in 2012.

Port

The Fortaleza harbor is an artificial port located in the Mucuripe inlet. The quay is 1,054 metres (3,458 ft) wide. It contains an exclusive-mooring platform for oil-producing. Its warehouse area is 6,000 square metres (65,000 sq ft) wide and offers more than 100,000 square metres (1,100,000 sq ft) for container placing. It also contains two wheat mills and is interconnected to the railway system by an extensive maneuver area.

Fortaleza harbor

Neighborhoods

Regions and Neighborhoods of Fortaleza.

Neighborhoods of Fortaleza.

Metropolitan Region of Fortaleza.

President Castelo Branco Mausoleum.

Náutico's Beach seashore.

José de Alencar's birth house in the bairro of Messejana

Santos Dumont Avenue.

Sunset in Fortaleza.

Baobab tree in Martyrs Square.

South Atlantic Ocean and Fortaleza.

Prainha seminary.

Dom Luis Avenue at night.

Meireles Neighborhood.

List of neighborhoods in Fortaleza:

• Aerolândia
• Aeroporto
• Alagadiço
• Alagadiço Novo
• Aldeota
• Alto da Balança
• Álvaro Weyne
• Amadeu Furtado
• Ancuri
• Antônio Bezerra
• Autran Nunes
• Barra do Ceará
• Barroso
• Bela Vista
• Benfica
• Bom Futuro
• Bom Jardim
• Bom Sucesso
• Cais do Porto
• Cajazeiras
• Cambeba
• Canindezinho
• Carlito Pamplona
• Castelão
• Centro
• Cidade 2000
• Cidade dos Funcionários
• Coaçu
• Cocó
• Conjunto Ceará
• Conjunto Cearazinho
• Conjunto Esperança
• Conjunto Palmeiras
• Couto Fernandes
• Cristo Redentor
• Curió
• Damas
• Demócrito Rocha
• Dendê
• Dionísio Torres
• Dias Macedo
• Dom Lustosa
• Dunas
• Édson Queiroz
• Eng Luciano Cavalcante
• Farias Brito
• Fátima
• Floresta
• Genibaú
• Granja Lisboa
• Granja Portugal
• Guajeru
• Guararapes
• Henrique Jorge
• Itaoca
• Itaperi
• Jacarecanga
• Jangurussu
• Jardim América
• Jardim Cearense
• Jardim das Oliveiras
• Jardim Guanabara
• Jardim Iracema
• João XXIII
• Joaquim Távora
• Jóquei Clube
• José Bonifácio
• Lagoa Redonda
• Manuel Sátiro
• Maraponga
• Mata Galinha
• Meireles
• Messejana
• Mondubim
• Monte Castelo
• Montese
• Moura Brasil
• Mucuripe
• Padre Andrade
• Panamericano (Fortaleza)
• Papicu
• Parangaba
• Parque Araxá
• Parque Dois Irmãos
• Parque Iracema
• Parque Manibaú
• Parquelândia
• Parreão
• Passaré
• Paupina
• Pedras
• Pici
• Pirambu
• Praia de Iracema
• Praia do Futuro
• Prefeito José Válter
• Presidente Kennedy
• Presidente Vargas
• Quintino Cunha
• Rodolfo Teófilo
• Sabiaguaba
• Salinas
• Santa Rosa
• São Gerardo
• São João do Tauapé
• São José
• Sapiranga
• Serrinha
• Siqueira
• Varjota
• Vicente Pinzón
• Vila Elery
• Vila Pery
• Vila União
• Vila Velha

Sports

The most popular sport in Fortaleza, like the rest of Brazil, is football (soccer). The main games of the Ceará State Championship are played in Fortaleza. There are several association football (soccer) clubs in Fortaleza. The most important ones are Ceará SC, Fortaleza EC and Ferroviário AC. Ceará was promoted to the Brazilian Série A in 2010, meanwhile Fortaleza was relegated to the Brazilian Série C, while Ferroviário plays no national league this season. Fortaleza is one of the host cities of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, for which Brazil is the host nation.

Beside Soccer, Fortaleza is also home to nautical sports. Strong winds make Praia do Futuro beach an excellent place for this kind of practice. Fortaleza commonly hosts world competitions of surfing, windsurfing and kitesurfing. Additionally, Fortaleza is a natural brewer of high-level athletes in combat sports, as evidenced by several Fortalezans' recent success in mixed martial arts. Only a 30 minutes drive from Fortaleza there is the center of kitesurfing, Cumbuco. Great wind from June till February.

Notable people

• José de Alencar, famous Brazilian writer from the 19th century
• Alberto Nepomuceno, famous Brazilian composer from the 19th century
• Rachel de Queiroz, first female writer in Academia Brasileira de Letras
• André Diamant, international chess grandmaster
• Casimiro Montenegro Filho, founder of ITA
• Maurício Peixoto, mathematician, one of the founders of IMPA
• Gilberto Camara, current director of INPE
• Hélder Câmara, Roman Catholic Archbishop nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize
• Karim Aïnouz, film director
• Ed Lincoln, musician and composer
• Mário Jardel, professional footballer
• Shelda Bede, beach volleyball player and olympic medalist
• Marcus Aurelio, mixed martial arts professional
• Wilson Gouveia, mixed martial arts professional
• Thiago Alves, mixed martial arts professional
• Hermes Franca, mixed martial arts professional
• Jorge Gurgel, mixed martial arts professional
• Castelo Branco, former military dictator of Brazil (1964-1967)

Social problems

Main article: Crime in Brazil and Social issues in Brazil

Fortaleza is one of the least violent cities in Brazil. It is far less violent than other major Brazilian cities like Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Shootouts between police and criminals - as those seen in Rio de Janeiro - are very rare in Fortaleza. Organized crime is virtually nonexistent, except for a few small gangs with very little power. There are no "forbidden zones" controlled by gangs like in Rio, where police can not enter. Crime in Fortaleza boils down to isolated robbery and homicides. Violence is higher in some peripheric neighborhoods such as Pirambu and Bom Jardim. Tourists are recommended not to wear any kind of expensive materials (watches, etc.) if visiting some of those neighborhoods, which, after all, are not considered places of interest, and are not normally visited by tourists.

In November 2007, the Police department of the state of Ceara introduced the program "Ronda do Quarteirão", a new police division that uses modern Hilux SW4 SUV's to patrol the streets and prevent the occurrence of crimes.

About one-eighth of the inhabitants of the city live in slums,^{[according to whom?]} the so-called favelas.

Sister cities

Fortaleza's sister cities are:

Gallery

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Coordinates: 3°46′25″S 38°34′29″W / 3.7737°S 38.5748°W / -3.7737; -38.5748

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