Tracking Changes in Photoperiod Around the Globe

Introducing Mystery Class #4

This year's Mystery Class #4 was in Fortaleza, Brazil, in the State of Ceara, just three degrees south of the Equator. Our Mystery Class #4 was actually not a class at all, but instead was Professor J. Paulo Narciso da Rocha, Jr., from the Universidade de Fortaleza, where he works and teaches as an architect and urbanist. Professor Narcisso da Rocha was kind enough to share a great deal of information during the program about the Fortzleza area, and here is some additional information he sent which was not provided during the contest.

Fortaleza in located in the State of Ceara, which has a 573 km long coast line on the Atlantic Ocean and warm tropical weather, and therefore many tourists visit this area from around the world. The coastal landscape is outlined by large dunes in some areas, and by cliffs elsewhere which in certain locations look like sculptures moulded by nature. The coast offers beaches ranging from primitive, unsettled areas to ones that are quite developed with restaurants and hotels.

Fortaleza itself is a large, well-developed city, with an urban area of approximately 338 km2, and a coastline of its own that is 25km long. The seaside in Fortaleza is the city's main attraction, and thousands of tourists come there to enjoy the Mucuripe/Meireles beaches. Temperatures in Fortaleza range from 25 to 30 degrees C.