Fortaleza

Facts
	Area	313 Km2
	Population	1.965.513 (1996)
	Area Code	085
	Time zone	GMT - 3 hours
	Voltage	110 V

Average Temperatures
Months	January	April	June	September
	ºC	ºC	ºC	ºC
Highest	40	27,5	24	25,4
Average	32,2	23,2	20,3	22,4
Lowest	24,4	21,3	17,7	20

The capital of Ceará possesses one of the largest and best equipped networks of hotels and restaurants in the North East Region of Brazil. The Jangada is a kind of symbol of the city and lobster is one of its most typical dishes. The city has a hot climate and affords a warm reception to visitors, attracted mainly by the beauty of its beaches. Beach Park at Ponta das Dunas is the largest beach aquatic park in South America. It is one of the most modern tourist centres in the North East, comprising an aquatic complex with waterbikes and other modern equipment for watersports.

Also worth seeing is the José de Alencar Theatre, constructed in the nineteenth century, whose rich architecture and internal ironwork is a mixture of the neoclassical and art nouveau styles; the Museums of Railway History, the Automobile, Popular Art and Mineralogy; and the Central Market, where you can buy anything from lace clothing to liqueurs, cachaças and cashew nuts. Ceará is one of the main producers of lace, still largely a cottage industry.