Information about Recife's History and Economy

The first settlements in the region of Recife date back to 1534. To guarantee the possession of the new lands, the Portuguese king divided Brazil into several horizontal strips, called Captaincies, and donated each one to rich Portuguese entrepreneurs, who had the job of developing the colony, with their own resources, on behalf of the king.

The Captaincy of Pernambuco was assigned to Duarte Coelho Pereira, who, in 1534, founded the villages of Igarassu and Olinda. Olinda was the capital, and Recife was just a small village with a port, from which commodities were exported. The word 'recife' means 'reef': there is a line of natural reefs just off-shore all along the coast of the city.

In 1630, when the Dutch invaded Olinda, they saw similarities between the flat lands of Recife and their home country. They preferred to settle in Recife. In 1637, Mauricio de Nassau, a respected Dutch governor, arrived in Recife. Nassau drew up and carried out an urbanization plan: he defined a layout for the streets, built several bridges, and brought architects, artists and engineers from Netherlands to modernize the city.

The Dutch were expelled in 1654, leaving Recife much improved (physically and intellectually). Recife kept growing, because of the port. The Jews, who had been brought to Recife by the Dutch were also expelled from the city, where they had built the first synagogue in the Americas – the restored synagogue in Recife Antigo is well worth a visit. They went to the then Dutch trading city of New Amsterdam which was later renamed as New York when the English took over the city from the Dutch by a treaty.

Recife was considered one of the wealthiest states in Brazil from the 16th century on because of sugar cane but lost position to states in the south with the arrival of the Portuguese court, fleeing Napoleon, when Rio was made the capital; the advent of industrialisation; the exponential growth of São Paulo – yet Recife was bigger than São Paulo until the end of the 19th century - and states in the south. Nevertheless, during the 19th century, Recife consolidated its position as a regional commerce center; people from various states came to Recife to sell their products (the port was still big business) and to buy goods which they resold.

Funds from commerce allowed industrialization to start in the early 1900s. Today, the industrial sector (including textiles, chemicals, food and drink, the processing of minerals and others) is the most important in Recife.

Recently, the services sector has been the fastest growing. Recife has the second largest set of medical facilities in Brazil, and is one of the most important Brazilian cities with regard to the development of software in the Information and Telecommunications sector. Also, Recife is developing its potential for tourism: it has a well-established structure of hotels and restaurants, a rich cultural and historic heritage, all set amongst some of the finest beaches in Brazil, that keep on attracting more and more tourists from Brazil and all over the world.

Recife - Pernambuco for events

Recife has a lot of advantages as a centre for events, such as:

• Easy access from Europe (which is 7 hours away by air), South America and other Brazilian cities;
• Its historical heritage;
• Its warm, friendly people who welcome visitors;
• Its cultural variety;
• Its natural paradises, such as Porto de Galinhas beach and the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago;
• A cheap venue if compared to those in Europe and North America;
• Over 10.000 beds available only in the hotels of the metropolitan area;
• One of the best and most modern airports in Brazil;
• A specialized Police Station for national and international tourists, staffed by officers able to communicate in English, Spanish and French;
• Security all over the city, mainly at tourist areas, such as Boa Viagem Neighborhood, Recife Antigo and Olinda Historical Center.

Information about Pernambuco State

The state of Pernambuco has diversified natural, cultural and historical attractions, creative, welcoming and hospitable people, and a tropical climate with summer the whole year long.

The State has a rich coastline landscape with 187 km of paradisiacal beaches with warm water, natural pools formed by reefs, besides islands, sandbanks, bays, coves, reefs, mangroves, coconut plantations, and many other attractions, with a constant and smooth breeze coming from the sea, that has a water sometimes turquoise blue sometimes emerald green, with a delicious temperature of 26°C.

Beaches with soft and smooth white sand, relaxing the tourist with the beauty of the most pure tropical landscape and energized with the tastes of the diversified pernambucana culinary, refreshed by the sweet and healthy frozen coconut water.

Its beaches offers a large variety of aspects of leisure to tourists: the most diversified kinds of fishing, scuba diving, nautical sports, boat strolls or raft, etc.

Pernambuco is famous for its cultural diversity. But here, tradition lives together with innovation and technology. That is why Pernambuco is also the fastest growing economy in the Northeast region of Brazil. With its prime location, in relation to the Northeast and the main cities of Europe and North America. Pernambuco is the route to the best business. This combination of infrastructure, strong economy and natural beauty has attracted very important companies, consolidating the state as a major center of scientific and business events.

Climate in Recife and other information

Pernambuco Statistics
Capital	Recife
Population	8.502.600
Temperature	27°C
Territorial Extension	98.938 km2
Climate	Tropical at seaside and semi-arid at the backcountry
Time zone	-3 GMT

Recife Data
Population	1.422.905 inhabitants
Metropolitan Area Population	3.337.565 inhabitants
Anual Average Temperature	25°C
Altitude	4m
Area	220 km2
Climate	Hot and Humid
Language	Portuguese

Ten Things not to lose in Pernambuco

1. Recife Antigo (Marco Zero Square / Kahal Zur Israel Sinagoge)
Recife Antigo neighborhood gathers banks, cultural entities, bars, restaurants, making possible the organization of many events and artistic concerts. In this area you may visit the first Sinaguoge of Americas, located at Bom Jesus Street, and enjoy the landscape formed by the old building at Marco Zero square;

2. Homem do Nordeste Museum
With over 3500 pieces, the visitors are able to know more about the indian, portuguese and african inheritance left to brazilian people;

3. São José Market / Casa da Cultura
In São José Market´s 545 stores are found a great variety of products and services. The market was inaugurated in 1875 and represents one of the first constructions structures made in iron in Brazil. Casa da Cultura was a public chain until 1973. Nowadays is distinguished as one of the best places to buy handcrafts in Recife. An old cell was kept intact for the visitors appreciation;

4. Francisco Brennand Ceramic Office
16 km/10 miles far from Recife’s downtown, the space gathers several pieces of the artist in a 10.000 square meters of green area;

5. Ricardo Brennand Institute
Settled on a building on medieval style, has a heap which includes pieces of the Dutches command period in Recife, besides of white weapons and armors;

6. Olinda
Founded in 1535, Olinda was the first capital of Pernambuco. In 1982 was considered cultural and historical patrimony of humanity by UNESCO. Walking around the streets of the city you will find lots of interesting places for visiting, such as old houses, markets, churches, monasteries and artists’ studios;

7. Itamaracá Island
50 km/31 miles North of Recife, the island gathers natural beauties and history. You can’t miss the Orange Fortress, built in 1613 and the São João Plantation, whose buildings are typical of those dating from the age of slavery;

8. Porto de Galinhas
On the southern Coastline of Pernambuco are some of the most impressive beaches in Brazil, such as Muro Alto, Serrambi, Enseada Dos Corais and Calhetas. But Porto de Galinhas stands out from the rest. At weekends and vacations is the favorite destination for young people;

9. Fernando de Noronha Archipelago
This archipelago of volcanic origin is made up of 21 islands, with amazing beaches set in a landscape of extraordinary natural beauty. Protected by strict, efficient conservation laws, Noronha is a jewel of brazilian natural heritage. The dolphins are famous for following arriving vessels, whilst the seabirds perform their own spectacle. The archipelago has areas that are perfect for diving;

10. Charles Darwin Ecological Refuge
Located in Igaraçu, another city of the metropolitan area, this refuge offers ecological trails by the Atlantic Forest, filled with native animals. The park has 100 hectares, being 500 meters available to practice trecking, for those interested in get to know the local flora and fauna.

Regional Gastronomy

In Recife, it is possible to find a great gastronomic variety in the several restaurants of the city, beyond the international cuisine, many times enriched with tropical fruit, exotic spices and sauces made by cheeses and fine herbs. The sauce made with coconut milk is an indispensable ingredient as well as the mango and the passion fruit juices. The mixture of cuisine from different regions is a local trend, making irresistible associations between the regional and European culinary art.

It’s worth to try:

Shopping in Recife

• Recife Mall
Considered one of the biggest shopping center in Brazil, nowadays has 465 stores, 4 areas with restaurants and snackbar and capacity for 5000 cars at the parking area. Big variety of places to buy clothes, shoes, jewels, toys, etc;

• Caruaru Fair
Distant 130 km/50 miles, Caruaru is known in Brazil by the famous singer Luiz Gonzaga. This singer made a song about this fair and says ”at the Caruaru Fair everything that there is in the world they’ve got for sale”. The fair happens twice a week, on wednesdays and saturdays, and be there is an excelent way to get to know the popular art and artists of brazilian Northeast;

• Paço Alfândega Mall
The building was constructed in 1720, to be a convent, and in the 21st century is now one of the best places to shop high quality products in Recife. There you will find stores of brazilian famous fashion stylists such as Alexandre Herchcovitch, Fause Haten, Marcelo Sommer, Patachou, among others;

• Handcraft Fair of Boa Viagem Square
Located side-sea of Boa Viagem beach this fair is specialized in local handcraft, there are found artcrafts made of leather, ceramic, iron, transformed into clothes, bracelet, rings, necklace, and beautiful arts.

Flights TO Brazil and Recife

The airport is located in the south area of Recife, 11 km away from downtown and 2 km from Boa Viagem Beach.

After a reform, the International Airport of Guararapes became the biggest and most modern airport of Brazil’s North and Northeast.

It has capacity to host 5 million people per year, 64 check-in positions and 26 airplanes parked simultaneously, with flights to every Brazilian capital cities.

Flights FROM Recife

The city is also served by regular direct domestic flights from São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and Brasilia the four main receiving airports for direct international flights to Brazil.

Regular Domestic Flights from Recife
ORIGIN	FREQUENCY	FLIGHT TIME
Brasília	8 flights per day	2 hours
Rio de Janeiro	19 flights per day	3 hours
Salvador	10 flights per day	1 hour
São Paulo	14 flights per day	2 hours and 30 minutes

Flights TO Recife

The airport receives about 70 flights per day.

The city of Recife is served by the following direct international flights:

• Lisbon/Portugal - Flight time: 7 hours 30 minutes
  | TAP - 1 daily flight |
• Miami/USA – Flight time: 7 hours 30 minutes
  | American Airlines – 1 daily flight |
• Buenos Aires/Argentina – Flight time: 8 hours
  |TAM – 1 daily flight|

Visa for foreigners

All foreigners who wish to stay longer in Brazil or who were born in countries that do not have an agreement with Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs should request a visa. People from countries of MERCOSUL just need to present the ID.

The visas are granted to foreigners who come to Brazil for reasons that include diplomatic missions, official trips, tourism, to visit friends and family, business, participation in sport and artistic events, as well as their presence in international seminars and conferences.

The foreign visitor shall fill in the Visa Request Form, available in Portuguese, Spanish, French and English, individually, that is, even if the tourist is taking a minor, said minor shall fill in his/her own form. And if the minor is coming to Brazil without his/her parents or guardian, he/she needs to present an authorization with the signature of both parents. It is advisable to consult necessary requirements beforehand, because the process may take a few days to be completed.

The request for an entry visa to Brazil can be made at any Brazilian consulate overseas. A fee must be paid, which varies according to the type of visa requested and the amount of time the tourist will remain in the country.

Should you have any doubts about obtaining a visa to enter Brazil, contact the local or nearest Brazilian consulate. It is indispensable consulting the Brazilian diplomatic offices in your country. It is worth remembering that all country in the world request visas for those who are going there to work.

To check if you need visa to visit Brazil please check the table below:

Countries	Tourist Visa	Business Visa
Afghanistan	Yes	Yes
Albania	Yes	Yes
Algeria	Yes	Yes
Andorra	Exempted	Yes
Angola	Yes	Yes
Antigua and Barbuda	Yes	Yes
Argentina	Exempted	Exempted
Armenia	Yes	Yes
Australia	Yes	Yes
Austria	Exempted	Exempted
Azerbaijan	Yes	Yes
Bahamas	Exempted	Yes
Bahrain	Yes	Yes
Bangladesh	Yes	Yes
Barbados	Exempted	Yes
Belarus	Yes	Yes
Belgium	Exempted	Exempted
Belize	Yes	Yes
Benin	Yes	Yes
Bolivia	Exempted	Exempted
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Yes	Yes
Botswana	Yes	Yes
Brunei	Yes	Yes
Bulgaria	Exempted	Exempted
Burkina Faso	Yes	Yes
Burundi	Yes	Yes
Cambodia	Yes	Yes
Cameroon	Yes	Yes
Canada	Yes	Yes
Cape Verde	Yes	Yes
Chad	Yes	Yes
Czech Republic	Exempted	Exempted
Chile	Exempted	Exempted
China	Yes	Yes
Colombia	Exempted	Exempted
Comoros	Yes	Yes
Congo	Yes	Yes
Congo Dem. Rep. (Ex-Zaire)	Yes	Yes
Cook Island	Yes	Yes
Costa Rica	Exempted	Exempted
Côte d'Ivoire	Yes	Yes
Croatia	Exempted	Exempted
Cuba	Yes	Yes
Cyprus	Yes	Yes
Denmark	Exempted	Exempted
Djibouti	Yes	Yes
Dominica	Yes	Yes
Dominican Republic	Yes	Yes
Egypt	Yes	Yes
El Salvador	Yes	Yes
Ecuador	Exempted	Exempted
Equatorial Guinea	Yes	Yes
Eritrea	Yes	Yes
Estonia	Yes	Yes
Ethiopia	Yes	Yes
Fiji Islands	Yes	Yes
Finland	Exempted	Exempted
France	Exempted	Exempted
Fyrom (Macedonia)	Yes	Yes
Gabon	Yes	Yes
Gambia	Yes	Yes
Georgia	Yes	Yes
Germany	Exempted	Exempted
Ghana	Yes	Yes
Greece	Exempted	Exempted
Grenada	Yes	Yes
Guatemala	Exempted	Yes
Guinea	Yes	Yes
Guinea-Bissau	Yes	Yes
Guyana	Exempted	Yes
Haiti	Yes	Yes
Honduras	Yes	Yes
Hong Kong	Exempted	Exempted
Hungary	Exempted	Exempted
Iceland	Exempted	Exempted
India	Yes	Yes
Indonesia	Yes	Yes
Iran	Yes	Yes
Iraq	Yes	Yes
Ireland	Exempted	Exempted
Israel	Exempted	Exempted
Italy	Exempted	Exempted
Jamaica	Yes	Yes
Japan	Yes	Yes
Jordan	Yes	Yes
Kazakhstan	Yes	Yes
Kenya	Yes	Yes
Kiribati Island	Yes	Yes
Kuwait	Yes	Yes
Kyrgyzstan	Yes	Yes
Laos	Yes	Yes
Latvia	Yes	Yes
Lebanon	Yes	Yes
Lesotho	Yes	Yes
Liberia	Yes	Yes
Libya	Yes	Yes
Liechtenstein	Exempted	Yes
Lithuania	Exempted	Exempted
Luxembourg	Exempted	Exempted
Madagascar	Yes	Yes
Malawi	Yes	Yes
Malaysia	Exempted	Yes
Maldives	Yes	Yes
Mali	Yes	Yes
Malta	Yes	Yes
Mariana Islands	Yes	Yes
Marshall Islands	Yes	Yes
Mauritania	Yes	Yes
Mauritius	Yes	Yes
Mexico	Yes	Yes
Micronesia	Yes	Yes
Moldova	Yes	Yes
Monaco	Exempted	Exempted
Mongolia	Yes	Yes
Morocco	Exempted	Exempted
Mozambique	Yes	Yes
Myanmar	Yes	Yes
Namibia	Exempted	Yes
Nauru	Yes	Yes
Nicaragua	Yes	Yes
Nepal	Yes	Yes
Netherlands	Exempted	Exempted
New Zealand	Exempted	Exempted
Niger	Yes	Yes
Nigeria	Yes	Yes
North Korea	Yes	Yes
Norway	Exempted	Exempted
Occidental Samoa	Yes	Yes
Oman	Yes	Yes
OSM Malta	Exempted	Exempted
Pakistan	Yes	Yes
Palestine Auth.	Yes	Yes
Panama	Exempted	Yes
Papua New Guinea	Yes	Yes
Paraguay	Exempted	Exempted
Peru	Exempted	Exempted
Philippines	Exempted	Exempted
Poland	Exempted	Exempted
Portugal*	Exempted	Exempted
Qatar	Yes	Yes
Romania	Exempted	Exempted
Russia	Exempted	Exempted
Rwanda	Yes	Yes
San Marino	Exempted	Exempted
São Tomé and Príncipe	Yes	Yes
Saudi Arabia	Yes	Yes
Senegal	Yes	Yes
Sierra Leone	Yes	Yes
Seychelles	Yes	Yes
Singapore	Yes	Yes
Slovakia	Exempted	Exempted
Slovenia	Exempted	Exempted
Solomon Islands	Yes	Yes
Somalia	Yes	Yes
South Africa	Exempted	Exempted
South Korea	Exempted	Exempted
Spain	Exempted	Exempted
Sri Lanka	Yes	Yes
St Lucia	Yes	Yes
St Vincent and the Grenadines	Yes	Yes
St. Kitts and Nevis	Yes	Yes
Sudan	Yes	Yes
Suriname	Exempted	Exempted
Swaziland	Yes	Yes
Sweden	Exempted	Exempted
Switzerland	Exempted	Exempted
Syria	Yes	Yes
Tajikistan	Yes	Yes
Tanzania	Yes	Yes
Thailand	Exempted	Exempted
Togo	Yes	Yes
Tonga	Yes	Yes
Trinidad and Tobago	Exempted	Exempted
Tunisia	Exempted	Exempted
Turkey	Exempted	Exempted
Turkmenistan	Yes	Yes
Tuvalu Island	Yes	Yes
Uganda	Yes	Yes
Ukraine	Yes	Yes
United Arab Emirates	Yes	Yes
United Kingdom	Exempted	Exempted
United States	Yes	Yes
Uruguay	Exempted	Exempted
Uzbekistan	Yes	Yes
Vanuatu	Yes	Yes
Vatican	Exempted	Exempted
Venezuela	Exempted (up to 60 days)	Yes
Vietnam	Yes	Yes
Yemen	Yes	Yes
Yugoslavia	Yes	Yes
Zambia	Yes	Yes
Zimbabwe	Yes	Yes

Useful Information

Opening Hours

Malls:
From Monday to Saturday – 10h00 to 22h00
On Sunday – 12h00 to 20h00

Banks:
From Monday to Friday – 10h00 to 16h00

Convenience stores:
Recife has dozens of 24-hour convenience stores all over the city.

ATTENTION: Carnival is a national holiday. Banks are closed. Malls have special time of working to be checked at hotel desk.

Money, ATMs

The unit of currency in Brazil is the Real. Foreign currency and (travelers) cheques can be exchanged throughout the country at banks, and major credit cards are accepted in most stores.

Currency converter ATMs (automated teller machines) can be found in the congress center, at many places over the city and at all airports and major train stations.

Other

Clothing:
Recife is a hot and sunny city most time of the year, light clothing and shoes are recommended.

Security:
Tourists’ Police Station – in addition to the regular police staff. English, French and Spanish interpreters are on service for tourists.

Phone number: +55 81 3326.9603

Emergency:
Firemen – 193
Ambulance service – 192

Electricity Supply: 220 volts

Transports:
Buses and taxis cover the city, some buses are air-conditioner. Many taxis are also equipped with air conditioner. Special airport taxis charge a higher rate than standard taxis, which charge according to an official table. These taxis can also be called by phone.

What to bring with you?

In Recife you can buy anything you may have forgotten.

• Don’t forget your personal medicines.
• Preferably bring your presentation on at least a Cd-rom. The most recent version of Microsoft Power Point is available in all rooms Remember that you must bring your presentation to the Speakers' Room at the latest two hours before your session starts. All audiovisuals are to be presented in a computer generated format. Overheads and personal laptops are not permitted. In case of doubt, do contact the congress organizers at: secretary@iea2012.org

Language

The national language in Brazil is Portuguese.