Official name	Ilhéus
Settlement type	Municipality
Official name	The Municipality of São Jorge dos Ilhéos
Nickname	Princesinha do Sul (Little Princess of the South)
Map caption	Location of Ilhéus
Coordinates display	inline,title
Coordinates region	BR
Subdivision type	Region
Subdivision type1	State
Subdivision name	Nordeste
Subdivision name1	Bahia
Leader title	Mayor
Leader name	Newton Lima
Leader title1
Established title	Founded
Established date	28 June 1881
Established title2
Established title3
Area total km2	1840.991
Population as of	2006
Population total	220943
Population density km2	120
Utc offset	-3
Elevation m	52
Postal code type

Ilhéus is a major city located in the southern coastal region of Bahia, Brazil, 430 km south of Salvador, the state's capital. The city was originally founded in 1534 as Vila de São Jorge dos Ilhéus and is known as one of the most important tourism centers of the northeast of Brazil.

The city's economy is based mainly on tourism, as a result of its beautiful beaches and a rich cultural heritage that includes early Portuguese buildings, history and culinary distinctions, which bring to the city many Brazilian and foreign tourists. Ilheus has approximately 222,000 inhabitants, with an area of 1850 km sq, and its downtown is located 1 km away from the Atlantic Ocean. Once one of the biggest exporters of cocoa beans, the city depends almost entirely on tourism. Ilhéus has a very good infrastructure for tourism, including excellent hotels and many travel agencies.

Ilhéus is easily reachable by air with multiple flights daily from both Salvador and São Paulo on TAM Brazilian Airlines and Gol Linhas Aéreas.

Ilhéus is also the hometown of Jorge Amado, the best known and most popular writer in Brazil. He wrote over 25 novels, which were translated into 48 languages and stayed on bestseller lists in 52 countries. His novels like Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon and Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands portray life and customs in the Northeastern region of Brazil. The plots of these and his other major works largely treat the lives of poor urban and rural black and mulatto communities of Bahia, as well as the land wars that raged in Ilhéus, where cocoa barons killed each other for power and cocoa plantations.

Attractions

Beaches

;Do Norte (Northern Beach) Mixing a strip of coconut trees with rich vegetation of native Atlantic Forest, running parallel to the beach for many kilometers there is the Almada River. There visitors will find standardized stalls and a very long bicycle lane. It is a good place for swimming, walking, surfing, and fishing.

;São Miguel (da Barra) (Saint Michael’s Beach – Beach of the Sandbank) It is a beautiful beach, with a vast area of coconut trees, clear sands, and calm waters. The infrastructure on the beach includes stalls and lodges located in the local fishermen’s village.

;Da Avenida (Beach of the Avenue) Centrally located, its main attractions are on the seashore, where many facilities have been built, such as multiple-activity sports courts, a bike lane, a band shell, the “Folias da Gabriela” circus, and the Luís Eduardo Magalhães Conventions Center.

;Do Cristo (Christ’s Beach) As its very name indicates, there is a statue of the Redeeming Christ on this very popular beach for tourists. Its waters are recommended for various water sports, such as kayaking, jet-skiing, and hobby-cat sailing.

;Da Concha (Shell’s Beach) A small-sized beach, with a total width of only 100 meters (about 330 feet). From there, tourists have a good view of the Baía do Pontal (End Beach) and of the Avenida Beach (Beach of the Avenue). Located at the base of Pernambuco Hill, it still has areas of native vegetation mixed with many coconut trees. Its waters are calm, ideal for swimming.

;Do Sul (Southern Beach) Having as its main characteristic a thick field of coconut trees and traces of the native Atlantic Forest, this urban beach is one of the busies beaches in the city. Along its whole length tourists will find a great number of food stalls, most of which specialize in the typical dishes of the state of Bahia. In the sea, stretches of reefs and natural swimming pools with sandy bottoms are greatly sought by divers and surfers.

;Dos Milionários (Millionaires’ Beach) Its name is a direct consequence of the fact that it was formerly the beach of choice of the rich cocoa “colonels” (local farm owners, caudillos). Today, it is the most desired beach on the south coast, by swimmers and tourists alike, who love its very long strip of sand bordered by a row of coconut trees. Its infrastructure includes a camping site, several standardized stalls, showers, and rest rooms.

;Cururupe A rich beach in number of growths of mangroves, it also has rental huts and kayaks. It also has great historical importance, because it was the stage of a fierce battle in 1559, which destroyed almost completely the village of the Brazilian Indians.

;Back Door The first beach of the Olivença district, the Back Door beach is characterized by its enormous waves. Because of this, the beach has become the beach of choice for the most important surfing championships held in the state of Bahia.

;Batuba Its landscape is a mix of vast areas of coconut trees and many reefs. It is a very busy beach, much appreciated by surfers. There are several adjacent restaurants specializing in seafood. There is also a good camping site, with all the usual facilities.

;Cai N’água (Milagres) (Fall in the Water – Miracles Beach) With well equipped stalls, many swimming areas of clear still water, this beach is perfect for the enjoyment of families. It is located within the zone of the settlement with the same name, and contains many summer vacation houses as well.

;Canabrava One of the favorite beaches for vacationers, on the beach there are countless rental houses and cottages. Its landscape is a mix of coconut tree fields, coral reefs, and large resorts.

;Acuípe This beach has a very special landscape, with a mix of sandbank vegetation and a beautiful spread of coconut trees. In Acuípe, tourists will find several hotels and lodges offering visitors an excellent infrastructure. The beach is good for walking, sea bathing, and reel fishing.

In Town

;Museu Casa de Cultura Jorge Amado (Jorge Amado House of Culture Museum) The estate was bought by Colonel João Amado, father of Jorge Amado, the most famous writer of the state of Bahia. There, the Colonel built his large beautiful house, with spacious lounges decorated in jacaranda wood and Carrara marble. Its construction started at the beginning of the 1920s, and was finished in 1926. The famous writer spent part of his life here. The house has also been used as the headquarters of the Clube dos Bancários (Club of the Bank Employees), and of the Faculdade de Direito de Ilhéus (Ilhéus College of Law). Today, it houses the Fundação Cultural de Ilhéus (Ilhéus Cultural Foundation) and the Casa de Jorge Amado (Jorge Amado’s House). The building is a cultural centre that pays homage to the writer and whose main objective is the advancement of local culture.

Jorge Amado de Faria (August 10, 1912 – August 6, 2001) was a Brazilian writer of the Modernist school. He was the best-known of modern Brazilian writers, his work having been translated into some 30 languages and popularized in film, notably Dona Flor and her Two Husbands (Dona Flor e Seus Dois Maridos) in 1978. His work dealt largely with the poor urban black and mulatto communities of Bahia.

;São Jorge de Ilhéus Church (Saint George of Ilhéus Church) This church dates back to the end of the seventeenth century, according to the Instituto do Patrimônio Artístico e Cultural do Estado da Bahia – IPAC/BA (Institute of the Artistic and Cultural Patrimony of the State of Bahia). The church is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ilhéus.

;Sacred Art Museum It is located next to the São Jorge de Ilhéus Church. Its collection includes a secular statue of Saint George, sacred documents, valuable items and objects from the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries, and a panel portraying the history of Ilhéus. The museum is supported by the Metropolitan Curia.

;Bar Vesúvio (Vesuvius Bar) The Bar Vesúvio (Vesuvius Bar) has been one of the most visited places in the town ever since its creation, at the end of the 1920s, when it was frequented by cocoa farmers who would meet their friends and recount their stories and love conquests. Many visitors and tourists who drop by know it from the Jorge Amado novel Gabriela, Cravo e Canela (Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon), and who come to savor the famous “Nacib’s kibbeh” – one of dishes most referred to in the novel, in which Mr. Nacib is the owner of the Vesuvius bar, the place where young Gabriela works.

;Ecoparque de Una (Una’s Ecopark) At 19 km (11.81 mi.) from the Una Biological Reservation, in a journey that passes by the beautiful beaches of the Southern coast of Ihéus, the Una Ecopark begins in the middle of a rubber plantation where visitors can see the manual extraction of the sap of the rubber tree. Trails in the park take visitors to a suspended footbridge, of some 20 meters (65.62 feet) of height, in the crown of the trees, with a privileged view of the Atlantic Forest. During the ride, often are tourists dazzled with the “visit” of the nice Golden Lion Tamarins. The final prize is a refreshing bath in the waters of the Maruim River. This ride requires its prior scheduling with the Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renováveis – IBAMA (Brazilian Institute of the Environment and the Renewable Natural Resources).

;Mata da Esperança Botanical Garden (Hope Woods Botanical Garden) With an immense variety of species of the Atlantic Forest, the Mata da Esperança Park – today the Botanical Garden – represents a place of resistance and preservation of the native fauna and flora of the area. Either form bicycle or on foot, visitors can cover its trails, having a unique possibility of enjoying the wonders kept there, such as the Golden-headed Lion Tamarin.

;Engenho da Esperança (Esperança Sugar Mill) Around the sixteenth century, in the area where today is the Botanical Garden there was the Engenho da Esperança (Esperança Sugar Mill). It is worth paying the place a visit to see its ruins and learn about the histories of the place’s past. The company of a guide to show the ways and guide the hikes is fundamental. In the town’s center, tourists may rent bicycles. With them, the whole ride, which lasts some three hours on foot, is reduced to only one hour.

;Centro de Recuperação do Bicho-Preguiça (Sloth Recovery Center) The center is located within the area of Atlantic Forest, in the Centro Educativo da Natureza (Educational Center of the Nature). That center, which serves to both recover and re-introduce species of sloth into its natural habitat, won the 1998 Prêmio Natureza (1998 Nature Prize). The animals of the Centro de Recuperação (Recovery Center) dazzle visitors because of how much they resemble plush animals, and for their friendliness in the contact with humans. During the rides, which last four hours on the average, it is possible to see other species of animals and plants, natural to the Atlantic Forest. To visit the Center, tourists have to schedule the visit in advance, calling the center at +55 73 3214-3014/3016/3013.

Transport

Road: BR-101 connects it to Itabuna and beyond.

Air: Ilhéus Jorge Amado Airport with daily flights of TAM, GOL and Webjet

with destinations Belo Horizonte-Confins (CNF), Brasília (BSB), Porto Seguro (BPS), Rio de Janeiro-Galeão (GIG), Salvador (SSA), São Paulo-Guarulhos (GRU).

Sea: Port of Ilhéus.

External links

Ilhéus Virtual (in Portuguese)

A Região, notícias de Ilhéus (in Portuguese)

Verao.com - Guia de Ilhéus e região (in Portuguese)

Brasilheus (site in English and Portuguese)

Brasil Destinos (in Portuguese)

Category:Populated places established in 1534 Category:Populated coastal places in Bahia Category:Former Portuguese colonies

Name	Nico
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Christa Päffgen
Origin	Cologne, Germany
Born	October 16, 1938
Died	July 18, 1988Ibiza, Spain
Genre	Protopunk, avant-garde, experimental, folk rock
Occupation	Composer, singer, fashion model, actress
Years active	1963–1988
Instrument	Vocals, harmonium, harpsichord, piano, tambourine
Voice type	Contralto
Associated acts	The Velvet Underground, John Cale, Lou Reed, Brian Jones, Kevin Ayers, John Cooper Clarke, The Invisible Girls, Blue Orchids, Bob Dylan, Brian Eno

Nico (born Christa Päffgen, 16 October 1938 – 18 July 1988) who was photographing her on a modeling job. He named her this after his ex-boyfriend, filmmaker Nikos Papatakis. She soon moved to Paris and began working for Vogue, Tempo, Vie Nuove, Mascotte Spettacolo, Camera, Elle, and other fashion magazines. She was briefly hired by Coco Chanel. In addition to her native German, she spoke four languages: English, Italian, Spanish, and French.

Before breakthrough

After appearing in several television advertisements, Nico got a small role in Alberto Lattuada's film La Tempesta (1958). She also appeared in Rudolph Maté's For the First Time, with Mario Lanza, later that year.

In 1959 she was invited to the set of Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita, where she attracted the attention of the acclaimed director, who gave her a minor role in the film as herself. By this time, she had moved to New York to take acting classes with Lee Strasberg. 's La Dolce Vita.]] She appears as the cover model on jazz pianist Bill Evans' 1962 album, Moon Beams. After splitting her time between New York and Paris, she got the lead role in Jacques Poitrenaud's Strip-Tease (1963). She recorded the title track, which was written by Serge Gainsbourg but not released until 2001, when it was included in the compilation Le Cinéma de Serge Gainsbourg.

In 1962 Nico gave birth to her son, Christian Aaron "Ari" Päffgen, commonly held to have been fathered by French actor Alain Delon. Delon always denied his paternity. The child was raised mostly by Delon's mother and her husband and eventually was adopted by them, taking their surname, Boulogne.

Beginning of musical career

In 1965 Nico met Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones and recorded her first single, "I'm Not Sayin'"/"The Last Mile", produced by Jimmy Page for Andrew Loog Oldham's Immediate label. Actor Ben Carruthers introduced her to Bob Dylan in Paris that summer. Dylan wrote the song "I'll Keep It with Mine" for her shortly thereafter, which she recorded for her first album, Chelsea Girl, in 1967. The group became the centerpiece of Warhol's Exploding Plastic Inevitable, a multimedia performance featuring music, light, film and dance. Nico sang lead vocals on three songs ("Femme Fatale", "All Tomorrow's Parties", and "I'll Be Your Mirror") and backing vocals on another ("Sunday Morning") on the band's debut album, The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967).

Solo career

1960s

Immediately following her musical work with The Velvet Underground, Nico began work as a solo artist. For her debut album, 1967's Chelsea Girl, she recorded songs by Bob Dylan, Tim Hardin and Jackson Browne, among others. Velvet Underground members Lou Reed, John Cale and Sterling Morrison contributed to the album, with Nico, Reed and Cale co-writing one song, "It Was a Pleasure Then." Chelsea Girl is a traditional chamber-folk album, which influenced artists such as Leonard Cohen, with strings and flute arrangements by producer Tom Wilson. Nico was not satisfied with the album and had little say in production matters.

For The Marble Index, released in 1969, Nico wrote the lyrics and music. Accompaniment mainly centered around Nico's harmonium while John Cale added an array of folk and classical instruments, and produced the album. The harmonium became her signature instrument for the rest of her career. The album combines classical music with a European folk.

1970s

Nico released two more solo albums in the 1970s, Desertshore and The End. Nico wrote the music, sang, and played the harmonium. Cale produced and played most of the other instruments on both albums. The End featured Brian Eno on synthesizer. She appeared at the Rainbow Theatre, in London, with Cale, Eno, and Ayers. The album 1 June 1974 was the result of this concert. Nico performed a version of the Doors' "The End" at this concert, which was the catalyst for The End later that year.

On 13 December 1974, Nico opened for Tangerine Dream's infamous concert at Reims Cathedral in Reims, France. The promoter had so greatly oversold tickets for the show that members of the audience couldn't move or reach the outside, eventually resulting in some fans urinating inside the cathedral hall. The Roman Catholic Church denounced these actions, ordered the rededication of the cathedral and banned future performances on church property.

Nico and Island Records allegedly had many disputes during this time, and in 1975 the label dropped her from their roster.

1980s

Nico returned to New York in late 1979 where her comeback concert at CBGB in early 1980 was glowingly reviewed in The New York Times. She began playing regularly at the Mudd Club and other venues with Jim Tisdall accompanying her on harp and Gittler guitar. They played together on a sold-out tour of twelve cities in the East and Midwest.

Nico recorded her next studio album, Drama of Exile, in 1981. She was also said to have been a vegetarian, as well as a self-proclaimed nihilist.

Death

On 18 July 1988, while on holiday with her son in Ibiza, Spain, Nico had a minor heart attack while riding a bicycle and hit her head as she fell. A passing taxi driver found her unconscious and had difficulty getting her admitted to local hospitals. She was incorrectly diagnosed as suffering from heat-exposure and died at eight o'clock that evening. X-rays later revealed a severe cerebral hemorrhage as the cause of death.

Nico was buried in her mother's plot in Grunewald Forest Cemetery in Berlin, Germany. A few friends played a tape of "Mütterlein", a song from Desertshore, at her funeral.

Legacy

Nico has influenced many musicians, including Siouxsie and the Banshees, Bauhaus, Stevie Nicks, Patti Smith, Morrissey, Björk, Coil, Jocelyn Pook, Fabienne Shine (who covered "All Tomorrow's Parties"), Dead Can Dance as well as numerous contemporary goth bands.

Late singer-songwriter Elliott Smith cited her as a major inspiration and was said to have listened to The Marble Index for months. Smith performed covers of some of her songs - most notably "Chelsea Girls" and "These Days", both of which he performed live at Satyricon in Portland, Oregon in October 1999.

Two of her songs from Chelsea Girl, "The Fairest of the Seasons" and "These Days", both written by Jackson Browne, are featured in Wes Anderson's film The Royal Tenenbaums.

Shannon Hoon of Blind Melon named his daughter 'Nico Blue' partly after Nico. Blind Melon's album Nico was released after Hoon's death.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch, a movie written by John Cameron Mitchell, mentions Nico as an influential artist in its song, "Midnight Radio". The song is written by Stephen Trask.

The Cult recorded the song "Nico", which celebrates the life of the singer, on their 2001 album Beyond Good And Evil.

For her 2002 album, Kissin' Time, Marianne Faithfull recorded "A Song for Nico", cowritten with Dave Stewart.

Nico was portrayed by Christina Fulton in the 1991 biopic The Doors. She was later portrayed by Meredith Ostrom in the 2006 film, Factory Girl, which chronicles the life of fellow "Warhol Superstar", Edie Sedgwick.

Natasha Khan (Bat for Lashes) has quoted Nico as an influence in particular Desertshore (The opening song her her first albumFur and Gold, uses the name of the album in its lyrics). During 2007 she would start concerts with "Le Petit Chevalier" from that record.

Singer-songwriter Patrick Wolf has been influenced by Nico, and released cover versions of "Afraid" and "Ari's Song" as b-sides on EPs.

Rock band Anberlin named one of their songs after her: "Dance, Dance Christa Päffgen" on their album "Never Take Friendship Personal". The song also makes reference to her death, and her drug use.

Austin based band Shearwater dedicated their album Palo Santo to the memory of Nico. The opening song ("La Dame Et La Licorne") depicts Nico's death at Ibiza, Spain.

Windsor for the Derby, another Austin based band, released an instrumental track in 2000 on their Young God Release "Difference and Repetition." A live version of the song can be found on a limited edition 7-inch.

Low, an American indie rock group from Duluth, Minnesota, has a song titled "Those Girls (Song For Nico)". It is included on the box set , released in 2004.

Two Nico tribute concerts took place in Europe in the autumn of 2008 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Nico's birth and the 20th anniversary of her death. On 11 October 2008, John Cale, James Dean Bradfield (of the Manic Street Preachers), Fyfe Dangerfield of the Guillemots and others appeared on stage at the Royal Festival Hall in London. On 17 October 2008 at the Volksbuehne in Berlin, Nico's ex-boyfriend Lutz Ulbrich presented another tribute concert, which featured Marianne Rosenberg, Soap & Skin, Marianne Enzensberger and James Young, the keyboardist from The Faction, Nico's last band. Nico's son, Ari Boulogne (sometimes called Ari Päffgen), made a brief appearance on stage at the close.

Discography

Studio albums

{| class="wikitable" |- !Year !Title |- |1967 |The Velvet Underground & Nico |- |1967 |Chelsea Girl |- |1969 |The Marble Index |- |1970 |Desertshore |- |1974 |The End |- |1981 |Drama of Exile (released in two versions) |- |1985 |Camera Obscura |- |}

Bibliography

Nico: The Life and Lies of an Icon by Richard Witts, (Virgin Books: London, 1992).

Up-tight: the Velvet Underground Story by Victor Bockris and Gerard Malanga (Omnibus Press: London, 1995 reprint).

Songs They Never Play On the Radio by James Young, (Bloomsbury Publishing Ltd: London, 1992).

Nico: Photographies by Antoine Giacomoni, (Dragoon: Paris, 2002).

Nico: Cible mouvante. Chansons, Poèmes, Journal by Nico, Jacques Pauvert and Ari Boulogne, (Pauvert: Paris, 2001).

L'amour n'oublie jamais by Ari Boulogne, (Pauvert: Paris, 2001).

Nico: The End by James Young, 1993.

Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk by Legs McNeil and Gilliamn Mccain, (Grove Press: New York, 1996).

LÜÜL: Ein Musikerleben zwischen Agitation Free, Ashra, Nico, der Neuen Deutschen Welle und den 17 Hippies by Lutz Ulbrich (Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf: Berlin, 2007).

Films and plays

Nico Icon (1995), documentary directed by Susanne Ofteringer

Nico Icon Play by Stella Grundy premièred at Studio Salford on 5 September 2007

Nico. Sphinx aus Eis by Werner Fritsch (2005)

References

External links

Nico Fan Group A public social networking group for Nico fans

Habits of Waste, Pt. 1 Evaluation of Nico's early work

Habits of Waste, Pt. 2 Evaluation of Nico's later work

Nico, the Voice of Disaffected Youth - Audio story from National Public Radio

Nico (BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour audio item)

Femme Fatale: Story of Nico BBC Radio 4 14 September 2009

Category:1938 births Category:1988 deaths Category:Contraltos Category:Female rock singers Category:German female singers Category:German rock singers Category:German film actors Category:German female models Category:German vegetarians Category:The Velvet Underground Category:Warhol Superstars Category:Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute alumni Category:Dark cabaret musicians Category:Cycling road accident victims Category:Reachout International Records recording artists Category:Protopunk musicians Category:Harmonium players Category:Elektra Records artists