Recife

 

(rəsē'fĭ) [Port.,=reef], city (1991 pop. 1,298,229), capital of Pernambuco state, NE Brazil, a port on the Atlantic Ocean. It is also called Pernambuco by foreigners. The chief urban center of NE Brazil, it lies partly on the mainland and partly on an island. Dissected by waterways, it is often called the Brazilian Venice. Its fine natural harbor, enclosed by a coral reef, has modern facilities. Recife exports great quantities of the hinterland's products, including sugar, cotton, and coffee. The majority of the labor force is employed in the service sector; tourism expanded greatly in the late 1990s. The city is a transportation center, with an international airport and good railroad and highway facilities. Founded by the Portuguese in 1548 as the port for nearby Olinda, Recife was settled by fishermen and sailors. The city was plundered by the British in 1595 and was occupied by the Dutch (1630–54), prospering under Maurice of Nassau. After the Dutch occupation, Recife replaced Olinda as capital of the Pernambuco captaincy. During World War II, an Allied air base was there. The city has three universities and several research centers and museums; it has long been famed for its intellectual groups and political ferment. In addition to its modern buildings, Recife has a 17th-century cathedral, a Dutch fort, an elaborate government palace, and the ruins of what is believed to be the first synagogue in the New World, which flourished during the Dutch period.

Recife
Boa Viagem Beach
Flag Seal
Nickname: Veneza Brasileira (Brazilian Venice) and Mauricéia/Mauritzstad (after the Dutch colonization)
Motto: Ut luceat omnibus" Latin: "That it may shine on all" (Matthew 5:15)
Location in Brazil
Country	Brazil
Region	Northeast
State	Pernambuco
Founded	March 12, 1537
Incorporated (as village)	1709
Incorporated (as city)	1823
Government
- Mayor	João Paulo Lima e Silva (PT)
Area
- City	km²  ( sq mi)
- Metro	km² ( sq mi)
Elevation	m ( ft)
Population (2001)
- City
- Density	/km² (/sq mi)
- Metro
- Metro Density	/km² (/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-3 (UTC-3)
HDI (2000) 0.797 – medium
Website: http://www.recife.pe.gov.br

Recife ( pronunciation? IPA: [he'sifi]) (Portuguese for reef), 2005 population 1.515.052 (3.646.204 in the metropolitan area) is the second largest city in the Northeastern Region of Brazil, the largest metropolitan area and one of the most important cultural, economic, political and science-minded city in this Region. It is the fifth largest metropolitan area in Brazil and the capital of Pernambuco. Recife is also where the Beberibe River meets the Capibaribe River to flow into the Atlantic Ocean. It is a major port on the Atlantic Ocean. Recife is served by Guararapes International Airport.

Surrounded by rivers and crossed by bridges, Recife is full of islands and mangroves that magnify its geography. It is known as the Brazilian Venice, thanks to its fluvial resemblance with the European city, and is considered one of Brazil's cultural capitals.

Recife is the birthplace of poets and writers Manuel Bandeira, João Cabral de Melo Neto, Gilberto Freyre, Paulo Freire, Nelson Rodrigues, Carlos Pena Filho, Saulo Moreira and Sebastião Uchoa Leite,; and of such composers as Chico Science, Lenine, Fred Zero Quatro, Otto, Pochyua Andrade, Don Tronxo, Valença Brothers, Antônio Nóbrega, Naná Vasconcelos, Jorge du Peixe, Paulo Diniz, Fernando Lobo and Antônio Maria. Canadian ice hockey player Robyn Regehr and footballers Vavá, Rivaldo and Juninho Pernambucano were also born in Recife.

History

The area around Recife was one of the first in Brazil to be settled by the Portuguese Crown. In 1534, 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 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 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 in the crops and to keep the "engenhos" (rustic wooden machinery) moving.

At first, the Portuguese tried to use the indigenous peoples of Brazil, but they soon realized that the indigenous culture was not compatible with the work in the engenhos. The solution was to import black slaves from Africa; 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).

Alone, this mixture of Portuguese, 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 of the Americas was founded in the city.^[1] 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 larger ones on the Atlantic. 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.

Geography

Climate

Recife has a typical tropical climate, with warm to hot temperatures and high relative humidity all 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 maxima of 30°C and minima of 25°C and more sun; July experiences the coolest temperatures, with mean maxima of 27°C and minima of 22°C and more rain.

Climate chart for Recife
J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
53   30 25	84   30 25	160   30 24	221   29 24	267   28 23	277   28 23	254   27 22	152   27 22	64   28 23	25   29 24	25   29 24	28   29 25
temperatures in °C • precipitation totals in mm source: BBC Weather

Vegetation

Recife has a Tropical forest. Rainforests are characterized by high rainfall, with definitions setting minimum normal annual rainfall between 2,000 mm (about 78 inches or 2 meters) and 1700 mm (about 67 inches). The soil can be poor because high rainfall tends to leach out soluble nutrients. There are several common characteristics of tropical rainforest trees. Tropical rainforest species frequently possess one or more attributes not commonly seen in trees of higher latitudes or trees in drier conditions on the same latitude.

Demographics

According to the IBGE of 2005, there were 1.515.053 people residing in the city and 3.646.204 people in Metropolitan Area. The population density was 6.422 inh./km². The last PNAD (National Research for Sample of Domiciles) census revealed the following numbers: 1.283.463 million White people (35.2%), 2.074.690 million Pardo (Brown) people (56.9%), 258 thousand Black people (7.1%), 29 thousand Asian or Amerindian people (0.8%).^[2]

The majority of the Whites of the city is of Portuguese descent. The Pardos are a mixture of Europeans with the Blacks and Amerindians, varying of clear to dark, being able to have a yellowish or brown skin. The Blacks are of African descent.

Source: PNAD.

Curiosity

Vehicles: 354.254 (jun./2006); Daily Newspapers: 4 (jun./2006); Foundation day: 12/03/1537. Recife is know as "Brazilian Venice" because of its numerous bridges and waterways.

Medical pool

The Metropolitan area of Recife has the 2nd largest medical pool of Brazil, after São Paulo. Together they make up 417 hospitals and clinics. The medical pool offers a total of 8,2 thousand beds and, according to the Union of the Hospitals of Pernambuco, recorded in 2000 an invoicing of 220 millions of real. It is thanks to the pool that Pernambuco has access to more computerized tomografia devices than countries like Canada or France^[3]. A large portion of the modern hospitals which are included in the pool are located between the neighbourhoods of Derby and of the Ilha de Leite. The Royal Português Hospital of Beneficência in 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^[4]. 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 FBV/IMIP).

Medical Pool of Recife

Information Technology Industry

Recife has a modern Information Techonoly area (called "Digital Port" ("Porto Digital")), inaugurated in 2000, attracting investments. Advantage are of R$100.000.000 reais every year. It produces computer Chips and Programs, which are exported to Japan, China and other countries. In six years of action, the Porto Digital was consolidated with the investments carried out in the improvement of the trials of development of sotfware and with the coming companies set of ten installation of other regions of the city, of others states and to of others countries. Digital Port of Recife

Tourism and recreation

Among Recife's main tourist attractions are:

• Churches and historical monuments, 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.
• Ancient Recife buildings: Forte Orange (which is really located in Itamaracá island, some 40 km from Recife)
• Boa Viagem Beach (the city's most important beach)
• Olinda (neighbor city) - a UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Casa da Cultura: souvenir shops in an ancient prison building
• The Carnival at Recife Antigo

There are many beaches close to Recife, such as:

• Porto de Galinhas, Ipojuca, Pernambuco (60 km to the south) --> The most popular nearby tourist destination. Attracts tourists from around the world and boasts a thriving tourism industry. High end hotels and restaurants compete with more popular options and lie within the budget of most travelers.
• Maracaípe, Ipojuca, Pernambuco (65 km to the south)
• Serrambi, Ipojuca, Pernambuco (70 km to the south)
• Tamandaré, Barreiros, Pernambuco (110 km to the south)
• Itamaracá, Pernambuco (40 km to the north)

Economy

According to facts of the IPEA of the year of 1996, the PIB was estimated in real 8,25 billion, being that had not record of activities based in the agriculture and in the livestock farming (0,0%). The industry represented 16,5% and the sector of the commerce and service 83,4%. The PIB per capita was of 6.126,83 real. In 2002, in agreement estimates of the IBGE, the PIB to have evolved for real 11,410 billion.

Alcohol in Pernambuco State (Clean Air)

Pernambuco State has the 5th highest sugarcane Brazilian production.Brazil is by far the largest producer of alcohol fuel in the world, typically fermenting ethanol from sugarcane and sugar beets. The country produces a total of 18 billion liters annually, of which 3.5 billion are exported, 2 billion of them to the US. Alcohol cars debuted in the Brazilian market in 1978 and became quite popular because of heavy subsidy, but in the 80's prices rose and gasoline regained the leading market share. But from 2004 on, alcohol is rapidly rising its market share once again because of new technologies involving hybrid fuel car engines called "Flex" by all major car manufacturers (Volkswagen, General Motors, Ford, Peugeot, Honda, Citroën, Fiat, etc.). "Flex" engines work with gasoline, alcohol or any mixture of both fuels. As of February 2007, approx. 80% of new vehicles sold in Brazil are hybrid fuel. Because of the Brazilian leading production and technology, many countries became very interested in importing alcohol fuel and adopting the "Flex" vehicle concept. In March 7th of 2007, US president George W. Bush visited the city of São Paulo to sign agreements with Brazilian president Lula on importing alcohol and its technology as an alternative fuel.

Education

Portuguese language is the official language of schools. But English language and Spanish language are part of the official high school curriculum. There are also international schools, such as the American School of Recife

Colleges and universities

Recife is home to several higher education institutions, notably several public-owned universities:

• Universidade Federal de Pernambuco — UFPE (federal, free);
• Universidade Católica de Pernambuco — Unicap (private, ran by the Catholic Church, paid);
• Universidade de Pernambuco — UPE (state-owned, free);
• Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco — UFRPE (federal, oriented to agriculture, free);
• 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).

Culture

Recife is one of the most cultural cites in the northeast of Brazil, 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 million people opens the festivities of the Brazilian Carnival at the Galo da Madrugada.

Cinema

Multiplex Tacaruna, Multiplex Recife, Multiplex Boa Vista, Cine Rosa e Silva, CineBox Guararapes, Cinema do Parque.

Theatre

Teatro Apolo, Teatro Hermilo Borba Filho, Teatro do Parque, Teatro Santa Izabel.

Museum

Kahal Zur Israel Synagogue

Kahal Zur Israel is the name of a synagogue in Recife. Which is the oldest in the Americas, dating back to the 17th Century. After being closed for many years it is now re-opened to Jews and their culture.

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 is comprised by over 12 thousand art pieces which invites the visitor to a journey into the local history. 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.

Northeastern Man Museum The 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.

Ricardo Brennand Institute

Set up in a building that reproduces a medieval style, it has a collection of pieces from the Dutch domination period in Recife, as well as daggers and armors.

Francisco Brennand Ceramic Shop Francisco 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.

Gilberto Freyre Foundation The farm house, 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 there.

Recife City Museum Set up in a room in Cinco Pontas Fort, it shows pictures, reproductions of old paintings and objects that describe Recife since the period of Dutch rule.

Festa Junina (Saint John Festival)

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, of course, 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. Once exclusively a rural festivity, today, in Brazil, it is largely a city festival during which people joyfully and theatrically mimic peasant stereotypes and clichés in a spirit of joke and good time. Typical refreshments and dishes are served. It should be noted that, like during Carnival, these festivities involve costumes-wearing (in this case, peasant costumes), dancing, heavy 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.

Carnival

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, including the Frevo, typical Pernambuco music. Another famous carnaval music style from Pernambuco is Maracatu. The cities of Recife and Olinda hold the most authentic and democratic carnaval celebrations in Brazil. The largest carnaval in all of Brazil is Galo da Madrugada, which takes place in downtown Recife in the Saturday of carnaval. Another famous event is the "Noite dos Tambores Silenciosos". Carnaval Recife’s joyous Carnaval is nationally known and admired, attracting thousands of people every year. The party starts a week before the official date, with electric trios “shaking” the Boa Viagem district. On Friday, people take to the streets to enjoy themselves to the sound of frevo and to dance with maracatu, ciranda, caboclinhos, afoxé, reggae and manguebeat (cultural movement created in Recife during the 90s) 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 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.

Infrastructure

International airport

Guararapes International Airport. The new Recife/Guararapes – Gilberto Freyre International Airport has been open since July 2004 and has 52 thousand square meters of area. The largest airport in the North and Northeast regions, Guararapes had its capacity expanded from 1.5 million to 5 million passengers a year. There are currently 64 check-in counters, versus the former terminal’s 24. The shopping and leisure area was also totally remodeled, within 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 steps and the final total will be 142 shops. Since 2000, Recife has had the longest runway in the Northeast, 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, with endurance to fly nonstop to anywhere in South and Central America, Africa and parts of Europe, the United States and Canada. Current domestic destinations include most major cities in Brazil, and there are also international flights to Paris, France, Lisbon, Portugal and Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Port

Suape Port. Suape serves ships 365 days a year without any restrictions in regards to tide 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 5 million tons of cargo a year. The liquid granary (petroleum by-products, chemical products, alcohols, 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 14.50m. With 27km² of backport, the internal and external ports offer the necessary conditions for serving large ships. The access canal has 5,000m of extension, 300m in width and 16.5m in length.

Metro

In 2003, the Metro was extended and became the second biggest of Brazil, alone after of São Paulo^[5]. This sitema also count with several lines of bus interconnected to the bus/metro^[6] integration terminals.

Highways

• Starting from Rio de Janeiro: BR-116/ BR-101;
• Starting from São Paulo: BR-116/BR-101;
• Starting from Brasília: BR-020/BR-116/BR-101;
• Starting from Salvador: BR-101.

Distances

• Brasília: 2.223 km (1382 miles);
• João Pessoa: 125 km (78 miles);
• Maceió: 266 km (165 miles);
• Natal: 288 km (179 miles);
• Fortaleza: 799 km (497 miles);
• Salvador: 842 km (523miles);
• Belém: 2.044 km (1270miles);
• Rio de Janeiro: 2.357 km (1465 miles);
• São Paulo: 2.643 km (1643 miles).

Neighborhoods

A

• Aflitos
• Afogados
• Água Fria
• Alto do Mandu
• Alto José Bonifácio
• Alto José do Pinho
• Alto Santa Terezinha
• Apipucos
• Areias
• Arruda

B

• Barro
• Beberibe
• Boa Viagem
• Boa Vista
• Bomba do Hemetério
• Bongi
• Brasília Teimosa
• Brejo da Guabiraba
• Brejo de Beberibe

C

• Cabanga
• Caçote
• Cajueiro
• Campina do Barreto
• Campo Grande
• Casa Amarela
• Casa Forte
• Caxangá
• Cidade Universitária
• Coelhos
• Coqueiral
• Cordeiro
• Córrego do Jenipapo
• Curado

D

• Derby
• Dois Irmãos
• Dois Unidos

E

• Encruzilhada
• Engenho do Meio
• Espinheiro
• Estância

F

• Fundão

G

• Graças
• Guabiraba

H

• Hipódromo

I

• Ibura
• Ibura de Cima
• Ilha do Leite
• Ilha do Retiro
• Ilha Joana Bezerra
• Imbiribeira
• Vila do Ipsep
• Iputinga

J

• Jaqueira
• Jardim São Paulo
• Jiquiá
• Jordão
• Jordão Baixo

L

• Linha do Tiro

M

• Macaxeira
• Madalena
• Mangabeira
• Mangueira
• Monteiro
• Morro da Conceição
• Mustardinha

N

• Nova Descoberta

P

• Passarinho
• Paissandu
• Parnamirim
• Pau Ferro
• Peixinhos
• Pina
• Poço
• Ponto de Parada
• Porto da Madeira
• Prado

R

• Recife
• Rosarinho

S

• San Martin
• Sancho
• Santana
• Santo Amaro
• Santo Antônio
• São José
• Sítio dos Pintos
• Soledade

T

• Tamarineira
• Tejipió
• Torre
• Torreão
• Torrões
• Totó

V

• Várzea
• Vasco da Gama