Maracanã (, which in Tupi–Guarani means ''green bird'') is a middle-class neighborhood in the Northern Zone 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 ...

city. The

Maracanã Stadium Maracanã Stadium (, ; named after the Maracanã River), officially known as Jornalista Mário Filho Stadium (, ; , named after Mário Filho), is an association football stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Located in the Maracanã neighbor ...

is located in this neighborhood, as well as the

Ginásio do Maracanãzinho Ginásio Gilberto Cardoso or Ginásio do Maracanãzinho, commonly known as the Maracanãzinho ("Little Maracanã" or "Mini Maracanã"), is an indoor arena located in Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, Maracanã in the north zone of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil ...

. Maracanã is bordered by these neighborhoods: Praça da Bandeira,

Tijuca Tijuca () (meaning marsh or swamp in the Tupi language, from ''ty'' ("water") and ''îuk'' ("rotten")) is a neighbourhood of the Rio de Janeiro#North Zone, Northern Zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It comprises the region of Saens P ...

and Vila Isabel. The population of the neighborhood is estimated at 25,256 according to the 2010 census. The neighborhood has a long sporting tradition. Besides Maracanã stadium, there is also a derby club that was built in 1885 by André Gustavo Paulo de Frontin. Also, there is a bikeway, Espaço Mané Garrincha, named after the footballer

Garrincha Manuel Francisco dos Santos (28 October 1933 – 20 January 1983), nicknamed Mané Garrincha, best known as simply Garrincha (, "little bird"), was a Brazilian professional association football, footballer who played as a Midfielder#Winger, righ ...

. It is long, and surrounds the Maracanã stadium. The UERJ, which is one of the main universities in Rio de Janeiro, is also located in Maracanã. Other education institutions are the CEFET and the Escola Politécnica, both technical colleges which prepare high school students for the labour market. Two schools, Pedro II and Colégio Militar, are located at São Francisco Xavier street. The neighborhood is crossed by its main avenue, called Maracanã Avenue, which connects Maracanã to Tijuca. Another important avenue is Presidente Castelo Branco Avenue. São Francisco Xavier street is the main street and crosses Maracanã Avenue. Maracanã also contains Maracanã Village, an old museum building that housed indigenous people. These people were evicted by the government in 2013. The neighborhood was one of the four "Olympic Zones" during the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

with

as the host.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maracana, Rio de Janeiro Neighbourhoods in Rio de Janeiro (city) Venues of the 2016 Summer Olympics