Fortaleza (/ˌfɔːrtəˈleɪzə/FOR-tə-LAY-zəⓘ;Brazilian Portuguese:[foʁtaˈlezɐ]ⓘ;Portuguese for 'Fortress') is the state capital ofCeará, located inNortheastern Brazil. It is Brazil's 4th largest city—Fortaleza surpassedSalvador in 2024 census with a population of slightly over 2.5 million.[4] Currently, it is the eleventh richest city in the country by gross domestic product and the richest in theNortheast, with a GDP of about 73 billionreais. It forms the core of the Fortaleza metropolitan area, which is home to almost 4 million people.
Fortaleza is an important industrial and commercial center of Northeast Brazil. According to theMinistry of Tourism, it is the fourth most visited city and tourist destination in the country. TheBR-116, the most important highway in the country, starts in Fortaleza. The municipality is part of theMercosur common market, and vital trade port which is closest to mainland Europe, being 5,608 kilometres (3,485 mi) fromLisbon, Portugal.[5][6]
To the north of the city lies theAtlantic Ocean; to the south are themunicipalities ofPacatuba,Eusébio,Maracanaú andItaitinga; to the east is the municipality ofAquiraz and the Atlantic Ocean; and to the west is the municipality ofCaucaia. Residents of the city are known asFortalezenses. Fortaleza is one of the three leading cities in the Northeast region together withRecife andSalvador.[6][7]
Fortaleza is a Portuguese name meaning Fortress. It is in reference to the Dutch fort of Schoonenborch built in 1649 during the Dutch occupation of the region.[8]
In 1630 the Dutch invaded theBrazilian Northeast and in 1637 they took the Fort of São Sebastião and ruled over Ceará. In battles with the Portuguese and natives in 1644 the fort was destroyed.[9] Under captain Matthias Beck theDutch West Indies Company built a new fortress by the banks of river Pajeú. FortSchoonenborch ("graceful stronghold") officially opened on 19 August 1649. After the capitulation ofPernambuco in 1654, the Dutch handed over this fortress to the Portuguese, who renamed itFortaleza da Nossa Senhora de Assunção ("Fortress of Our Lady of the Assumption"), after which the city of Fortaleza takes its name.[10]
Fortaleza was officially founded as a village 1726, becoming the capital ofCeará state in 1799.[11]
During the 19th century, Fortaleza was consolidated as an urban centre in Ceará, supported by the cotton industry. With the transformation of the city into a regional export center and with the increase of direct navigation to Europe, the customs building of Fortaleza was built in 1812. In 1824, the city was targeted by the revolutionaries ofConfederation of the Equator.[citation needed]
The city gained a number of new districts in the 1930s, including Messejana and Porangaba.[12]In 1954, the first university in the city was created, theUniversidade Federal do Ceará (UFC).[13]
In 1983 the city started to integrate the territory of the new city ofMaracanaú, which, just some years ago, was made again part of the Greater Fortaleza (the city's Metropolitan area). In the 1980s, Fortaleza exceededRecife in population terms, becoming the second most populous city inNortheastern Brazil, with 2,571,896 inhabitants.[14]
Cocó Park, considered one of the largesturban parks inLatin America, is the most important green area of the city.Fortaleza bay during sunsetFuturo beach in Fortaleza
The vegetation of Fortaleza is typically coastal. Therestinga areas are found indune regions near the mouths of the Ceará, Cocó and Pacoti rivers, in the beds of which there is still a mangrove forest. In other green areas of the city, there is no longer native vegetation, consisting of varied vegetation, fruit trees primarily.[18] The city is home to seven environmental conservation units. These are the Sabiaguaba Dunes Municipal Natural Park, the Sabiaguaba Environmental Protection Area, the Maraponga Lagoon Ecological Park, the Cocó Ecological Park, the Ceará River Estuary Environmental Protection Area, the Environmental Protection Area of the Rio Pacoti and thePedra da Risca do Meio Marine State Park.[19] There is also, in the city, the Area of Relevant Ecological Interest of Sírio Curió, that protects the last enclave ofAtlantic Forest in the urban zone.[20]
The Cocó River is part of the river basin of the east coast of Ceará and has a total length of about 50 km in its main area. The park is inserted in the area of greater environmental sensitivity of the city, where it is possible to identify geoenvironmental formations such as coastal plain, fluvial plain and surface of the coastal trays. The Cocó river mangrove is home tomollusks,crustaceans,fish,reptiles,birds andmammals. The park has a structure of visitation, with guides, ecological trails and equipment and events ofenvironmental education andecotourism. The Coaçu River, affluent of the river Cocó, forms in its bed the lagoon of the Precabura.[21][22]
TheRio Pacoti provides much of the water supply for Fortaleza.[23] At the municipal boundary withCaucaia, the estuary of the Rio Ceará is covered by an environmental protection area (APA), which was set up in 1999.[24]
Fortaleza has a typicaltropical climate, specifically atropical wet and dry climate (Köppen climate classification:Aw/As), with high temperatures and 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 is the warmest month, with a high of 31.7 °C (89.1 °F) and low of 24.9 °C (76.8 °F).
The rainy season spans from January to July, with rainfall particularly prodigious in March and April. The average annual temperature is 27.0 °C (80.6 °F). The relative humidity in Fortaleza is 77.5%, with average annual rainfall of 1,584.0 millimetres (62.36 in). There is usually rain during the first seven months of the year from January to July. During this period,relative humidity is high. Fortaleza's climate is usually very dry from August to December, with very little rainfall.[25]
Rainfall is akin to all of Northeastern Brazil among the most variable in the world, comparable (for similar average annual rainfalls) to centralQueensland cities such asTownsville andMackay.[26] In the notorious drought year of 1877 as little as 468 millimetres or 18.43 inches fell, and in 1958 only 518 millimetres or 20.39 inches, but in the Nordeste's record wet year of 1985 Fortaleza received 2,841 millimetres or 111.85 inches.[citation needed]
Climate data for Fortaleza (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1931–present)
According to the2022 census, there were 2,428,708[30] people residing in the city of Fortaleza. The census revealed the following numbers: 1,456,901Pardo (multiracial) people (60%), 793,975White people (32.7%), 171,018Black people (7%), 3,127Asian people (0.1%), 3,000Amerindian people (0.1%).[30]
In 2010, the city of Fortaleza was the 5th most populous city proper in Brazil, afterSão Paulo,Rio de Janeiro,Salvador, andBrasília. Currently, Fortaleza is the 4th largest city in Brazil in terms of population.[31] In 2010, the city had 433,942opposite-sex couples and 1,559same-sex couples. The population of Fortaleza was 53.2% female and 46.8% male.[32]
The following cities are included in themetropolitan area of Fortaleza (ordered by population): Fortaleza, Caucaia, Maracanaú, Maranguape, Aquiraz, Pacatuba, Pacajus, Horizonte, São Gonçalo do Amarante, Itatinga, Guaiúba and Chorozinho.[33]
At the beginning of the 20th century, the city experienced a significant wave of foreign immigration, with a strong presence of Portuguese. Several families of Syrian-Lebanese origin also formed a strong community in Fortaleza during that period, in addition to Spaniards, Italians, English, and French. During World War II, the city was active with the presence of American military personnel and even received a consulate from that country.[34]
Motivated by leisure tourism, groups of Portuguese, Italians, Spaniards, and people from various other European countries have migrated to Fortaleza. In the 2000 census, there were 2,562 residents in Ceará who were born in other countries. According to the Immigration Office of the Federal Police in Fortaleza, in 2013 there were about 15,014 foreigners living in the city, demonstrating sustained growth in the index throughout the 2000s.[35] In addition, a survey conducted in 2017 by the U.S. Consul General for the Northeast revealed that Fortaleza is the city in the region that has the largest number of Americans, both visitors and residents.[36]
According to a genetic study from 2011, 'pardos' and whites' from Fortaleza, which comprise the largest share of the population, showed European ancestry of about 70%, the rest divided between Native American and African ancestries.[37] A 2015 study, however, found out the following composition in Fortaleza: 48.9% of European contribution, 35.4% of Native American input and 15.7% of African ancestry.[38]
Although it decreased throughout the 2000s, income inequality remains significant in Fortaleza, with aGini coefficient of 0.61. In 2010, the poorest 20% of the city held only 2.83% of the municipality’s total income. Expanding the range to the poorest 80%, they possessed only 33.4% of the total. Meanwhile, 3.36% of residents remained in extreme poverty and 12.14% in poverty — still indicative of progress compared to 1991, when these rates were 15.25% and 38.97%, respectively.[39]
According to 2022 data, about 22.9% of Fortaleza’s population lives infavelas, making it the seventh most slum-affected state capital in the country.[40] Frequent droughts and the resulting rural exodus from the interior of Ceará worsen the problem of slum formation. At the beginning of the 1980s, there were 147 such areas in the city, and by 2014 this number had increased to 509. The capital is the main contributor to the total of 533 slums in the state, which ranks seventh nationally on this indicator.[41]
The municipal civil defense service has prioritized gathering intelligence on so-called “risk areas,” (áreas de risco) which are locations prone to flooding, inundation, and other critical situations. In 2015, Fortaleza had 89 areas in this category.[42]
Even though it emerged from a Dutch Protestant occupation and was established as a village due to a fortification rather than a religious mission, Catholicism proved dominant in Fortaleza from the beginning of its history. According to the census of 2010,[32] 1,664,521 people, 67.88% of the population, followedRoman Catholicism, 523,456 (21.35%) wereProtestant, 31,691 (1.29%) representedSpiritism and 162,985 (6.65%) had no religion whatsoever. Other religions, such asUmbanda,Candomblé, otherAfro-Brazilian religions,Spiritualism,Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, other Eastern religions,Esotericism and other Christian churches likethe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) had a smaller number of adherents.[43]
The proportion of Catholics in Fortaleza was higher than the Brazilian average, and the proportion of the non-religious was lower, though still greater than the combined percentage of all other non-Christian religions.[44]
According to the 2022 Brazilian census, the religious composition of the city was:
Edson Ramalho Palace, seat of Ceará's Economy Secretariat.João Brígido Palace, headquarters of the Municipal Government of Fortaleza
The administration of the municipality is made from the executive and legislative branches.[46] Former mayorRoberto Cláudio, of thePDT, won 650,607 votes in the 2012 election, and was elected mayor.[47][48] Legislative power rests with the City Council of Fortaleza, composed of 43 city councilors, elected for four-year terms, responsible for drafting municipal laws and supervising the executive.[49] The municipality is, in addition, governed by organic law. In January 2015, there were 1,659,091 voters in Fortaleza (26.457% of the total state),[50] distributed in thirteen electoral zones. The number of persons directly and indirectly employed in the municipal public administration in 2013 was respectively 31,318 and 4,950.[51]
The city also houses the seat of state executive power, the Abolition Palace, previously occupied by former governorCamilo Santana, of thePT, elected in thegeneral elections in Brazil in 2014.[52] historically headquarters of the Iracema Club, which was Ceded to the Municipal Hall and now houses municipal executive bodies.[53] In the city, there is the Administrative Center Governor Virgílio Távora.[54]
Among the institutions present in the city, are the Fortaleza Air Base, the Port Authority of Ceará, School of Apprentice Sailors of Ceará and the Command of the Tenth Military Region.[citation needed] The city also has units of the International Committee of theRed Cross andUNICEF.[55] Since 1996, a city is part of the Common Market of Cities ofMercosur.[56]
Fortaleza has the largest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the Northeast Region, surpassingRecife andSalvador.[57] In 2021, the GDP of Fortaleza reached the value of 73.4 billion Reais, the eleventh highest of the country.[58] In the same year, the value of taxes on products net of subsidies at current prices was R$12,811,311,235 and the municipality's GDP per capita was R$27.164,45.[59] The city's booming economy is reflected in purchasing power, the country's eighth largest, with estimated consumption potential at 42 billion reais in 2014.[60]
The main economic source of the municipality is centered in thetertiary sector, with its diversified segments of commerce and service rendering. Next, the secondary sector stands out, with the industrial complexes.[59] In 2021, the city had 848,283 people in employment.[61]
Sand art, originating in Ceará, is one of the most present items in the city's craft centers.
Dragão do Mar Cultural Center
According to the Master Plan of Fortaleza, the Special Areas for the Preservation of Historic, Cultural and Archaeological Heritage are the regions of the center,Parangaba, Alagadiço Novo/José de Alencar, Benfica, Porangabuçu andPraia de Iracema. Properties of conservation interest.[62] The architectural heritage of Fortaleza in the form offallen goods[clarification needed], however, is predominantly concentrated in the center of the city.[63][64] The Mucuripe Lighthouse is unfortunately in ruins today, Ceará and Fortaleza were part of the pioneering group of states and cities to adopt public policies to protect the living intangible heritage of their culture, through the Masters of Culture program.[65] The city is recognized as a "Design City" byUNESCO'sCreative Cities Network.
Among the theaters, the largest and most popular areTheatro José de Alencar, São José Theater, São Luiz Cinema Theater, and Teatro RioMar and Teatro Via Sul.[66] The Ceará Museum houses numerous artifacts, including pieces of paleontology and furniture.[67] TheDragão do Mar Center of Art and Culture is the main cultural centre, and includes the Ceará Museum of Culture, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Ceará, theaters, a planetarium, cinemas, shops and spaces for public presentations, as well as housing the Public Library Governador Menezes Pimentel, Oporto Iracema of the Arts and the School of Arts and Crafts Thomaz Pompeu Sobrinho.[68] The Casa deJosé de Alencar is one of the Brazilian museums recognised as dealing with Brazilian literature.[69] It was opened in 1964 and houses art collections, a gallery, a library and the ruins of the first steam power plant in Ceará.[70] In the different SERs of the city, the complexes of the CUCA Network are spread, which are facilities dedicated to art, leisure and education, especially for young people.[71]
Freemasonry is represented by the Grand Masonic Lodge of Ceará and the Great State East of Ceará. There are also service clubs in the city, such as theLions Club and Rotary International.[72]
The Ceará handicraft has its main market and showcase in Fortaleza. In the city, there are several specific places for trade in handicraft products, such as the Ceará Craft Center (CeArt), Ceará Tourism Center (Emcetur), Crafts Fair of Beira-Mar, and on Avenida Monsenhor Tabosa.[73]
Ceará Palace, former seat of the Cearense Academy of Letters.
The main literary manifestation of Fortaleza's history emerged at the end of the 19th century, in the cafes of Praça do Ferreira, known as the Spiritual Bakery, a pioneer in the dissemination of modern ideas in Brazilian literature that would only be adopted nationally in the following century, in theModern Art Week.[74][75] The most important historical entities of high culture still present in the city are the Ceará Institute and the Ceará Academy of Letters, the first academy of letters created in Brazil, founded in 1887 and 1894 respectively. The Ceará Institute has helped launch important names in national historiography and philosophy, such asFarias Brito and Capistrano de Abreu.[76] Among the writers who are members of the Cearense Academy of Letters and members or patrons of the Brazilian Academy of Letters, areGustavo Barroso,Araripe Júnior,José de Alencar,Heráclito Graça,Franklin Tavora,Clóvis Beviláqua andRachel de Queiroz, the first woman to Be part of the entity. The Casa de Juvenal Galeno is another historical cultural institution of Fortaleza, named after one of the greatest poets born in the city,Juvenal Galeno. The house became well known for its festivals of poetry and seminaries.[77]
The main fashion name in the city is theLino Villaventura [pt], who, from Fortaleza, designed himself nationally and internationally and today is one of the main names ofSão Paulo Fashion Week, besides being one of the founding designers of this fashion week.[80] There are major events in the city, such as the Dragão Fashion Brasil, considered the largest fashion event in the Northeast and the third largest in the country.[81]
Much of the clothing that is produced in Ceará flows through Fortaleza, which in turn is recognized as one of the most important textile centers of the country, giving the garment industry great weight in the metropolitan economy.[82] Brands of the city likeSantana Textiles and headquarters of brands like Esplanada and Otoch have considerable regional influence.[83]
Bode Ioiô, taxidermied and displayed at the Ceará Museum
The collective imagination regarding the role of humor in the identity of the people of Ceará dates back to the late 19th century, whenAdolfo Caminha and Oliveira Paiva coined the termCeará Moleque, referring to the jokes and social and political mockery practiced by the population.[84] One example was the April 1 “lying contest”, which awarded, under the “Cajueiro da Mentira” at Praça do Ferreira, the greatest teller of tall tales in Ceará.
Bode Ioiô is another symbol of Fortaleza’s humorous spirit. The goat became famous in the 1920s for roaming public places, drinkingcachaça, and even having been a candidate for city council. After its death, the animal was taxidermied and remains on display at the Ceará Museum; however, in 1996 its tail was stolen.[85] Historical events like these and the traditions they inspired contributed to the development of a local humor industry. Bars, restaurants, and specialized venues serve as stages for the most acclaimed comedians, while public squares attract clowns and other performers.
Fortaleza is known as the humor capital of Brazil.[86] Comedy shows are a major pillar of its tourist appeal, drawing three million spectators per year.[87] Contemporary celebrities such asTom Cavalcante and Wellington Muniz, both nationally famous, were born in Fortaleza. Comedians from other cities and states also built their careers there, such asRenato Aragão andTiririca. Another major Ceará-born comedian who began his career in the capital isFalcão, who gained national recognition by combining humor withbrega music, eventually becoming one of the greatest icons of that musical style. In Greater Fortaleza was bornChico Anysio, regarded as the greatest Brazilian comedian of all time.[88]
Alberto Nepomuceno, the "father" of nationalism of the Brazilian erudite music.
Forró is the most popular musical genre in the city. Bands originating in Fortaleza, such as Desejo de Menina and Aviões do Forró, were responsible for the popularization of electronic forró, which promoted the revaluation of the accordion in the genre and brought it closer to pop music. The forró pé-de serra, however, still holds great cultural influence and commercial prominence in the city.[89]
Genres such as rock and its various branches, blues, jazz, samba, hip hop, among other contemporary styles, are also part of Fortaleza’s cultural production and are common in the city’s nightlife. Fortaleza-based bands such as Selvagens à Procura de Lei and Cidadão Instigado have gained notable recognition by performing at festivals likeRock in Rio andLollapalooza.
Another musical style strongly tied to the identity of the people of Fortaleza islambada, which achieved great popularity in the city in the late 1980s.[90]
InMúsica popular brasileira, some of the names from Fortaleza were Fagner, Ednardo, Belchior (from Sobral but lived in Fortaleza) and Amelinha.[89] The musical tradition of Fortaleza, however, goes back to the composer Alberto Nepomuceno, one of the greatest names in classical music in Brazil, a pioneer in the development of the country's musical nationalism, and therefore considered the "founder of Brazilian music". The Alberto Nepomuceno Conservatory is one of the city's leading music schools.[89]
Baião de dois, a dish of Ceará origin, is very common in restaurants in the capitalRestaurants and bars in the city's historic center
Fortaleza’s gastronomy is very close to typical Northeastern cuisine, and locally, traditional dishes stand out, such asbaião de dois, usually served with grilled mutton orcarne de sol. Seafood is another key ingredient in typical dishes of Fortaleza’s cuisine, such as raymoqueca andcavala (mackerel) orpargo (snapper) stews, whose original popular purpose was to help restore the strength of the jangadeiros returning from the open sea.[92][93]
The signature seafood of the state’s coast is crab. Every Thursday, the traditionalcaranguejada takes place—an event in which restaurants, bars, and beach tents across the city’s coastline serve dishes made from the crustacean, eaten with the help of a small wooden mallet.[94]
Shrimp and lobster are also widely used in dishes such as shrimp rice andshrimp bobó. AtMercado dos Peixes (Fish Market) in Mucuripe, you can buy a wide variety of fish and have them cooked in neighboring restaurants. The most common practice is to buy shrimp and have it prepared with garlic and oil. A strong tradition in Fortaleza is to enjoy this dish on-site during weekend sunsets, while watching the return of the jangadeiros after a day of fishing.[94]
There is another gastronomic hub in southern Fortaleza, near the border with Eusébio, known as theTapioqueiras, a center of restaurants specialized in preparing tapioca, another hallmark dish of local cuisine.
Beach Park is the largest water park in Latin America
Acquario Ceará, due to be one of the largest oceanariums in Brazil, is currently under construction.[99] Attractions such as theBeach Park theme park, located in the Great Fortaleza, Avenida Beira Mar and its bars, restaurants and music clubs, the beaches of Futuro and Iracema and Pirata Bar have placed Fortaleza among the Brazilian destinations preferred by Europeans.[100]
Fortaleza has about 25 kilometres (16 mi) of urban beaches.[102] Mucuripe is the place wherejangadas can be found. 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.[103]
In 2016 theFederal University of Ceará located in Fortaleza was classified as the 10th best university in Brazil, 1st in the North and Northeast regions and the best university in Ceará.
In 2010, the level of the education factor of the StrengtheningHuman Development Index was medium, despite its great advance, which went from 0.367 to 0.695 between 1991 and 2010. According to data from the 2010 Human Development Atlas of Brazil, Fortaleza's adult education levels were divided as follows: 8.57% did not completeprimary school or wereilliterate, 62.43% had completedelementary education, 45.93% had completedhigh school and 13.73% had completedhigher education.[32]
São Mateus Hospital, private institution founded in 1993.
The health indexes of the Fortaleza population are better than the Brazilian average. According to data from 2010, the infant mortality rate up to one year old was 15.8 per 1000 live births in Fortaleza, against a Brazilian average of 16.7.[104] By 2013, 90.6% of children under one year of age had their immunization records up to date. In 2012, 37,577 live births were registered, and the infant mortality rate up to five years of age was 13.2 per 1000. Of the total number of children under two years old weighed by theFamily Health Program in 2013, 0.8% were malnourished.[105]
In 2009, Fortaleza had a total of 35 general hospitals, of which 11 were public, 21 were private, two werephilanthropic, and one was a trade union. The Doctor José Frota Institute is the largest hospital administered by the Municipal Government, and the General Hospital of Fortaleza is the largest hospital administered by the State Government.[citation needed] In addition, it had 54 specialized hospitals and eight polyclinics. The total number of physicians working in the health network of the municipality was 13,604, approximately 5.4 per thousand inhabitants.[106] Fortaleza has 117 units of health posts, threeUPAs [pt] administered by the municipality and six administered by the state.[107][108] The first hospital built in Fortaleza was theSanta Casa de Misericórdia, founded in 1861.[109] Among the most important public health institutions in the city, the most important is the Dr. José Frota Institute, the largest hospital administered by the Municipal Government, and the General Hospital of Fortaleza, the largest hospital administered by the State Government. Among the private institutions, the largest are the Unimed Fortaleza Regional Hospital, Antônio Prudente Hospital, Monte Klinikum Hospital and São Mateus Hospital.[110]
One of the most important basic health programs in Fortaleza is theFamily Health Program, within which the city is in third place in the country in extension of coverage, with hundreds of teams distributed in dozens of care units.[111] The Emergency Mobile Care Service (SAMU) is the municipality's health care service, which serves an average of 200 daily occurrences.[112]
The University Hospital Walter Cantídio is the largest liver transplantation facility in the country.[113] The Faculty of Medicine of the UFC is the 13th best medical school in Brazil, 2nd best medical school in the North and Northeast regions and the best medical school in Ceará. UFC's medical degree is still one of the most popular in the country.[114]
The current passenger terminal ofPinto Martins – Fortaleza International Airport, located in the center of Fortaleza, was built between 1996 and 1998.[115] The airport has undergone an expansion process, from which the number of boarding bridges increased from seven to sixteen and the passenger terminal has been expanded from 38,000 m2 to 133,000 m2. In 2014, the airport was capable of serving 6.2 million passengers per year, but after the expansion, capacity is at 11.2 million.[116]
Pinto Martins Airport is the third busiest airport in the Northeast Region and one of the busiest in the country, receiving on average 1,500 international aircraft and 65,000 domestic aircraft per year. In 2013, it received more than 5.9 million passengers.[117]
BR-116 in Fortaleza,Ceará, the longesthighway in the country, with 4,385 km (2,725 mi) of extension.[118]
Land access to the municipality is provided by the highwaysBR-116,BR-020,BR-222, CE-090, CE-085, CE-065, CE-060, CE-040, and CE-025, in addition to the Engenheiro João Thomé Bus Terminal, where intermunicipal and interstate routes are concentrated. The city’s road transport system is regulated by theEmpresa de Transporte Urbano de Fortaleza (ETUFOR), an agency of the Municipal Government of Fortaleza, while vehicle traffic is monitored by theAutarquia Municipal de Trânsito, Serviços Públicos e Cidadania (AMC).
Public transport by bus is called the Integrated Transport System (SIT-FOR), and its operation began in 1992. The system provides users with travel options and access to different zones of the city through single-fare integration within regional terminals. The SIT-FOR network is based on three types of routes: those that connect neighborhoods to terminals, those that connect terminals to the city center, and those that connect one terminal to another.
Platform B of the Antônio Bezerra urban bus terminal
Fortaleza has seven integrated terminals (Antônio Bezerra, Papicu, Parangaba, Lagoa, Siqueira, Messejana, and Conjunto Ceará) and three open terminals (Sagrado Coração de Jesus, José Walter, and Washington Soares).[119] More than 1 million passengers per day use the closed terminals through 263 regular bus lines, offering 11,000 combinations with routes distributed throughout the city. There are 25 operating companies with a fleet of more than 2,000 buses (not including buses circulating in the metropolitan region), which make nearly 20,000 trips daily.
In 2013, the single ticket system was introduced in the city, allowing users unlimited use of buses and vans with a single fare for a period of two hours, without needing to pass through terminals for integration.[120] The city is also in the process of implementing seven Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridors, called Expresso Fortaleza. The first to open was the Antônio Bezerra/Papicu express corridor.
In 2015, Fortaleza began the process of air-conditioning the entire SIT-FOR bus fleet. The city already has 122 km of exclusive lanes for public transport.[121]
The system of traffic monitoring is known by the acronym CTAFOR,[122] which stands for"Controle de Tráfego em Área de Fortaleza" (Traffic Control of the Area of Fortaleza).
Boarding and alighting platform of the José de Alencar station on the South Line of the Fortaleza Metro in January 2024View of two boarding and alighting platforms of the Parangaba bus terminal in July 2023. On the right side of the image, highlighted, is the Parangaba station of the Light Rail Vehicle (VLT) and part of the dedicated metro structure
TheFortaleza Metro is operated by theCompanhia Cearense de Transportes Metropolitanos, a mixed-economy company with majority control by the Government of the State of Ceará. Founded on May 2, 1997, the company is responsible for managing, building, and planning metro transport in the state of Ceará, overseeing five public transport lines in the three regions with the greatest activity in the state. The company is responsible for 62 stations distributed across 84.3 kilometers of railway lines throughout the state, forming the largest metro infrastructure administered by a single company in the Northeast. It serves more than 56,000 people every day in the cities of Fortaleza,Caucaia,Maracanaú,Pacatuba,Sobral,Juazeiro do Norte, andCrato.[123]
Operations of the Fortaleza Metro began on June 15, 2012, with the opening of a section of the South Line in assisted operation. Commercial operation began on October 1, 2014, with fare collection set at the same price as the Fortaleza Integrated Transport System (SIT-FOR) at the time.
The system currently consists of:
One metro line:South Line (Central–Chico da Silva ↔ Carlito Benevides)
Two diesel Light Rail Vehicle (VLT) lines:West Line (Moura Brasil ↔ Caucaia) andNortheast Line (Parangaba ↔ Iate)
Its design allows integration with the Parangaba and Papicu urban bus terminals, two major hubs of intense passenger movement in the capital. There is also potential future connection to the Port of Mucuripe passenger terminal, through an extension of the Northeast Line and the Fortaleza International Airport, through the future airport branch.
Currently, approximately 42,000 passengers per day are transported on the three lines in the capital.[124]
According to data released in November 2023, the system ranks as the fifth largest in Brazil in terms of length, among the fifteen urban passenger rail systems in the country, with 56.8 km. It is behind the systems ofSão Paulo (377.2 km),Rio de Janeiro (287.5 km),Recife (71 km) andNatal (57.9 km). The lines of the Fortaleza Metropolitan Region represented about 5.1% of Brazil’s total urban rail network in 2023, which was 1,133.4 km according to the National Association of Rail Passenger Transporters (ANPTrilhos).[125]
Rail access to the municipality is provided by the Fortaleza–Oiticica line (North Line / North Trunk Line) and the Fortaleza–Crato line (South Line / Crato Branch), along their full extensions, as well as by the Mucuripe Branch. All of these are controlled byFerrovia Transnordestina Logística (FTL), which operates freight transport destined for the ports of Pecém and Mucuripe, both located in the state of Ceará.
On the first two lines, long-distance passenger transport used to be operated by theRede Ferroviária Federal (RFFSA), the system’s original administrator. RFFSA coordinated long-distance passenger trains alongside freight services and urban passenger transport (the latter was transferred to CBTU and later to Metrofor). These services connected Fortaleza to the cities of Crato, Juazeiro do Norte,Crateús, and Oiticica, as well as to other capitals such asTeresina andRecife, with stops inNatal andJoão Pessoa.
Long-distance trains departed from the João Felipe Railway Station, with operations continuing until 1988, nine years before Regional Superintendency SR-11 was transferred to the private sector. However, interstate passenger connections departing from Fortaleza had already been discontinued in the mid-1980s, due to the increasing priority given to freight traffic.[126][127][128][129][130][131]
With the construction of Fort Schoonenborch by the Dutch in 1649, near the Pajeú stream, a major docking structure was envisioned as a port for 300 years. Constructions such as thePonte Metálica (Metal Bridge) and thePonte dos Ingleses (English Bridge) were part of this effort. The city’s first port operated in the region of the former Prainha, today known as Praia de Iracema, but Fortaleza’s port infrastructure only truly began to develop with the construction of the Port of Mucuripe in the 1940s, which transformed the city’s structure.
The port features a 1,054-meter-long quay, an exclusive platform for petroleum products, a warehouse area of 6,000 m², and nearly 200,000 m² of container yard. It also contains three wheat mills and is connected to the railway system through a large switching yard.
Meanwhile, the Port Terminal of Pecém, orPort of Pecém, is located in the Metropolitan Region of Fortaleza, in the municipality ofSão Gonçalo do Amarante. Due to its geographic location, the Port of Pecém has the shortest transit time between Brazil and the United States and Europe, averaging six and seven days, respectively,[132] which places it in a strategic position of regional influence. In the surrounding area, a development hub for petroleum, chemical, metallurgical, and other industrial sectors is taking shape, forming the Industrial and Port Complex of Pecém, of which the Port of Pecém is a part.
TheEstádio Governador Plácido Castelo is the fourth largest in the country and was one of the venues for the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2014 FIFA World Cup
Fortaleza Esporte Clube has won the state championship 46 times, while Ceará Sporting Club has won it 45 times.[135] Ferroviário Atlético Clube is the third-largest titleholder, with 9 championships. In national competitions, Fortaleza’s clubs have also stood out: Ferroviário became the city’s first national champion by winning the 2018Série D of Campeonato Brasileiro,[136] and in the same year Fortaleza won the Série B title.[137] These two clubs are the only national champions from the capital of Ceará.
Beyond these titles, clubs from Fortaleza have had other significant campaigns in national competitions. Fortaleza was twice runner-up of the Série A, in 1960 and 1968, while Ceará was runner-up of theCopa do Brasil in 1994.[138][139]
In futsal, the city is home to the Brazilian Futsal Confederation, a national body affiliated withCONMEBOL andFIFA. The Fortaleza-based Sumov Atlético Clube is a six-timeTaça Brasil champion and two-time South American champion.[144]
Brazilian stage of the International Windsurfing Circuit
Most clubs keep football as their main activity but support and develop other sports, such as futsal, volleyball, and basketball. Less popular sports have gained visibility in the city, such as cricket, golf, and especially rugby.
Water and beach sports are widely practiced and have strong tradition in Fortaleza, includingsurfing,windsurfing,sailing,sandboarding,triathlon, diving, andkitesurfing. Many national and international competitions in these modalities take place in the city.[145]
Jangada (traditional raft sailing) is considered a competitive sport in Fortaleza. The Mucuripe Bay and Náutico Beach annually host races of the Circuito Cearense de Jangadas.[146]
Fortaleza has a large variety of martial arts schools and academies. Motorsport is practiced at kart tracks around the municipality and at theVirgílio Távora International Speedway, in Greater Fortaleza.
Some of the municipality’s most important athletics events, with broad public participation, include Pão de Açúcar Relay Marathon, Pague Menos Running Circuit, and Fortaleza International Half Marathon, which celebrates the city’s anniversary and is the largest in northern and northeastern Brazil. The race attracts athletes from countries such as Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Kenya, Tanzania, and Morocco.[147]
Fortaleza is home toCentro de Formação Olímpica do Nordeste Olympic (Training Center of the Northeast), part of the National Training Network of theMinistry of Sports, created as a legacy of the2016 Olympic Games. The center is responsible for high-performance athletic development and, together with Arena Castelão, forms the largest sports complex in Brazil, with 313,000 m² dedicated to 26 Olympic sports. The center also houses the largest indoor arena in the country, with capacity for 21,000 people.
Secretarias Executivas Regionais (Regional Executive Secretariats) of Fortaleza.
Territórios Administrativos (Administrative Territories) of Fortaleza.
Fortaleza is subdivided in 121 neighborhoods, that are grouped in 39 administrative territories, managed by 12subprefectures (Secreterias Executivas Regionais). Each subprefecture has a holder appointed by the municipal government.[150][151]
^abGarmany, Jeff (2011). "Situating Fortaleza: Urban space and uneven development in northeastern Brazil".Cities.28 (1). Elsevier:45–52.doi:10.1016/j.cities.2010.08.004.
^Dewar, Robert E. and Wallis, James R; 'Geographical patterning of interannual rainfall variability in the tropics and near tropics: An L-moments approach'; inJournal of Climate, 12; pp. 3457-3466
^INMET.Normais Climatológicas do Brasil (1931-1960) (in Brazilian Portuguese).Rio de Janeiro, 1979.
^"Casa de José de Alencar"(PDF). Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on August 8, 2017. RetrievedJanuary 25, 2015.
^"Fortaleza - CE". Acompanhamento Brasileiro dos Objetivos de Desenvolvimento do Milênio. Archived fromthe original on August 8, 2017. RetrievedFebruary 23, 2015.
^"Os Maiores Hospitais Privados". Anuário de Fortaleza 2012-2013 (Fundação Demócrito Rocha).Archived from the original on August 8, 2017. RetrievedJanuary 28, 2015.
^Griffin, Jo (June 4, 2014)."Brazil World Cup city guide: Fortaleza".The Guardian.ISSN0261-3077.Archived from the original on January 16, 2020.Since being named a World Cup host city, Fortaleza has punched above its weight (it was first to complete its new stadium on time) but has also seen violent protests against Fifa's lavish spending during the Confederations Cup in June 2013.
_(cropped).jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
_-_cropped.jpg)
.png)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.png)
.jpg)
.png)
.jpg)
