Tijuca

Tijuca
Neighborhood
Tijuca is located in Rio de Janeiro
Tijuca
Tijuca
Location in Rio de Janeiro
Tijuca is located in Brazil
Tijuca
Tijuca
Tijuca (Brazil)
Coordinates: 22°55′52″S 43°14′34″W / 22.93111°S 43.24278°W / -22.93111; -43.24278
CountryBrazil
StateRio de Janeiro (RJ)
Municipality/CityRio de Janeiro
ZoneNorth Zone
A 19th century picture of Tijuca
Metro station at Saens Peña Square

Tijuca (Portuguese pronunciation: [tʃiˈʒukɐ]) (meaning marsh or swamp in the Tupi language, from ty ("water") and îuk ("rotten")[1]) is a neighbourhood of the Northern Zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It comprises the region of Saens Peña and Afonso Pena squares. According to the 2000 Census, the district has close to 150,000 inhabitants. It borders with Praça da Bandeira, Maracanã, Vila Isabel, Andaraí, Grajaú and Alto da Boa Vista neighbourhoods.

It is one of the most traditional districts of Rio de Janeiro and has the third largest urban forest in the world, the Tijuca Forest, which is result of reforestation from coffee fields that led to lack of water at that time.[2] Mainly a middle class district, it has been historically inhabited by Portuguese immigrant families and the families of military officers.

Tijuca hosts Salgueiro, Império da Tijuca and Unidos da Tijuca, three of the main Rio de Janeiro Samba Schools, that together have won 13 titles.

Tijuca is also home to many favelas such as Salgueiro, Borel, Formiga, Turano and Casa Branca.

  1. ^ "Curso de Tupi Antigo". Archived from the original on 2012-08-09. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
  2. ^ Drummond, José (January 1996). "The Garden in the Machine: An Environmental History of Brazil's Tijuca Forest". Environmental History. 1: 83–104. doi:10.2307/3985065. JSTOR 3985065.