at a glance
copacabana is arguably rio de janeiro's most famous neighborhood located in zona sul (the south zone) it is bordered by the neighborhoods of lagoa, ipanema, botafogo and leme - it is home to over 150,000 inhabitants and a popular vacation and retirement location for brazilians and internationals alike.
synonymous with rio's laidback beach culture, and its postcard scenery, the neighborhood's beach has earned itself the nickname 'princess of the sea', as the quintessential cultural location of the city - muse to countless artists, singers, and poets, copacabana was the undisputed symbol of rio de janeiro's glamorous era between the 1930's and 1960's.
in the mid-eighteenth century the area was little more than a beach with a small fisherman's village - at that time it was known by the indigenous tupi name, sacopenapă, meaning 'flapping noise' or 'path of' socós', a type of bird very common in rio.
zona sul
