Current Time in Caucaia, Brazil

Caucaia lies in the state of Ceará in north-eastern Brazil, immediately west of the state capital Fortaleza and forming part of its metropolitan area. The municipality stretches from the busy urban districts near the city boundary out to a coastline of white dunes, coconut palms, lagoons and long Atlantic beaches. Inland the land flattens into dry scrub and small farms. The climate is hot all year round, cooled by a steady trade wind that blows almost constantly from the ocean and has made this stretch of coast famous.

The municipality has a population of around three hundred and sixty thousand, making it one of the largest in the state. Many residents commute into Fortaleza, while local employment comes from an industrial district producing metal goods, textiles, food and building materials, from commerce and services, from fishing and from a tourism sector that has expanded rapidly along the beaches. Coconut, cashew and fruit growing continue in the rural districts.

The area was inhabited by indigenous peoples, and the Tapeba community still lives in the municipality and maintains a recognised indigenous territory. A Jesuit mission village was founded here in the eighteenth century and later became the town of Soure, renamed Caucaia in the twentieth century, the name deriving from an indigenous word associated with the burning of the forest for cultivation. For most of its history it was a quiet farming and fishing district. Growth accelerated sharply in the second half of the twentieth century as Fortaleza expanded, and again in recent decades with industry, port development in the region and the tourism boom.

Cumbuco is the best known destination, a beach village that has become one of the world's leading centres for kitesurfing and windsurfing, thanks to reliable strong winds and flat water in the nearby lagoon. Visitors ride dune buggies over the enormous sand hills, slide into the freshwater Lagoa do Banana on wooden toboggans and take horse and boat trips along the shore. The beaches of Icaraí, Tabuba, Pacheco and Iparana offer calmer alternatives with seafood barracas serving crab, prawns and fried fish under thatched roofs. The colonial-era church of Nossa Senhora dos Prazeres stands in the old town centre.

Culture in Caucaia belongs to the north-east of Brazil, with forró music and dancing, cordel poetry sold as illustrated booklets, June festivals with bonfires and quadrilha dances, and a cuisine built on tapioca, cashew, coconut, dried meat and seafood. Capoeira, football and beach sports are part of everyday life, and the indigenous Tapeba hold their own annual celebrations.

A metro line connects Caucaia with central Fortaleza, and highways, buses and the international airport of Fortaleza give easy access. The large industrial and port complex of Pecém lies nearby. Several university campuses and technical institutes serve local students, with the federal and state universities in the capital close at hand.

Caucaia is popular for its dunes, its world-class wind sports and its position on the doorstep of one of Brazil's most vibrant cities.