Fortaleza is the capital of Ceará state and one of Brazil's largest cities, with about 2.5 million people, on the Atlantic coast in the northeast. It is primarily a beach city: the urban beaches of Praia de Iracema and Meireles line the Avenida Beira Mar, which comes alive every evening with food stalls, craft markets, and street performers. The ocean breeze keeps temperatures bearable year-round, and the trade winds make the northeast coast ideal for kitesurfing — especially at Cumbuco, 40 km west.
The city has a well-earned reputation for nightlife — the New York Times once called Monday night in Fortaleza the liveliest in the world — and there is indeed something happening every night of the week. The Mercado Central, a four-storey market near the centre, is the best place to buy Ceará's distinctive crafts: lacework, leather goods, and hand-printed hammocks. The Dragão do Mar Centre of Art and Culture in Iracema anchors the cultural life of the city. The beaches east of the city along the Costa do Sol — particularly Canoa Quebrada with its rust-red cliffs — are among the most striking in Brazil.