left, Leme
Leme (, ''
rudder
A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, airship, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (usually air or water). On an airplane, the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw ...
'') is an upper-middle-class neighborhood in the
South Zone of the City of
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...
,
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
, next to
Copacabana,
Urca
Urca is a residential neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with a population of nearly 7,000. Although most of the neighborhood dates from the 1920s, parts of it are much older. What is now called the Fortaleza de São João (Rio de Janeiro), F ...
and
Botafogo
Botafogo (local/standard alternative Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: ) is a beachfront neighborhood (''bairro'') in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is a mostly upper middle class and small commerce community, and is located between the hills of M ...
. The neighborhood takes its name from a nearby rock formation whose shape resembles the rudder of a ship.
In 1975 the hotel
Le Méridien, one of the tallest buildings in the Leme beach, was built. Le Méridien closed in 2007 and was sold in 2009 to Windsor Hotels for around R$170 million. After a refurbishment, it was reopened in January 2011 as the
Windsor Atlantica Hotel.
Every year in the days leading up to New Year's on December 31 the traditional processions honoring
Yemaja begin here. The famous party of
Réveillon or New Year's Eve in Copacabana extends completely into Leme as well.
Neighbourhoods in Rio de Janeiro (city)
{{RiodeJaneiro-geo-stub