Água Santa is a neighborhood in the
North Zone of
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...
,
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
. The neighborhood is bordered by
Jacarepaguá
Jacarepaguá (), with a land area of , is a neighborhood situated in the West Zone of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In 2010, it had a population of 157,326. The name comes from the indigenous name of the location, "shallow pond of caymans", yakaré (c ...
,
Piedade,
Encantado,
Engenho de Dentro and the Dos Pretos-Forros Ridge. The Ary Franco Prison is located in the neighborhood.
History
The neighborhood derives its name from the 1888 discovery of a mineral spring in the area by freed slave Domingos Camões. Camões began bottling the water in wine bottles and selling them door to door. Gradually, the area became known as Água Santa (Holy water).
In 1914, the bottling company Aguas Santa Cruz Ltd. was founded in the Água Santa district.
In 1974, the Ary Franco Prison was opened in the neighborhood.
Pagode
Pagode () is a Brazilian style of music that originated in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as a subgenre of Samba. Pagode originally meant a celebration with food, music, dance, and party. In 1978, singer Beth Carvalho was introduced to this music, like ...
singer Belo was imprisoned in this jail after being convicted of drug trafficking.
Demographics
The population of Água Santa was 7,243 in 2000. By 2010, the population had increased to 8,756 inhabitants, an increase of 20.88%.
According to the 2000
Human Development Index
The Human Development Index (HDI) is a statistic composite index of life expectancy, education (mean years of schooling completed and expected years of schooling upon entering the education system), and per capita income indicators, wh ...
, the adult literacy rate is 97.48%.
According to the 2000 Human Development Index, life expectancy at birth is 76 years.
The neighborhood has undergone the process of favelization. According to the
Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, ten areas of the neighborhood are designated as
favelas
Favela () is an umbrella name for several types of working-class neighborhoods in Brazil. The term was first used in the Providência neighborhood in the center of Rio de Janeiro in the late 19th century, which was built by soldiers who had ...
.
Schools
The neighborhood is served by the municipal public school network. Brigadeiro Faria Lima Municipal School is located on Violeta Street next to the Ary Franco Prison. In the neighboring area of
Piedade, there are also public schools: Virgilio de Melo Franco, Engenheiro Clovis Daudt and Republica de El Salvador on Almeida Nogueira Street.
Events
The Feast of
St. Anthony is held every June in Água Santa in honor of the patron saint. The feast is celebrated with traditional food tastings and a procession through the streets of the neighborhood.
Neighbourhoods in Rio de Janeiro (city)
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