the lagoa is home to two islands, ilha do piraquê and ilha caiçaras - small but very important in rio de janeiro's modern history and culture. 

published by the project lagoa limpa, the webpage on this link shows a cool animation of how the lagoon evolved during the last 1000 years, and clearly shows ipanema beach right across from it, the statue of christ on corcovado, the sugar loaf in the far back, and the hippodrome in gávea. 

for readers interested in learning more about the neighborhood of lagoa, we have more detailed information in our neighborhoods section.