Coqueiral, Beach in Araruama, Brazil

Coqueiral is a beach in the Araruama municipality of Rio de Janeiro state, on the shore of a lagoon rather than the open Atlantic. In the photograph the flat, damp sand in light tan and grey meets greyish-green water in diagonal lines, with several bands of white foam rolling ashore and a single thin dark pole standing in the water. A dark green hill line and overcast sky close the horizon.

Coqueiral grew along the Amaral Peixoto Highway, the road that linked Rio de Janeiro with São Pedro da Aldeia, Cabo Frio, Macaé and Campos dos Goitacazes. The Shopping Gigi, built between the late 19th and early 20th century, made the neighbourhood a main tourist stop in the 20th century; it has been restored and still operates.

The neighbourhood's commercial strip along the Amaral Peixoto Highway includes Shopping Gigi, built between the late 19th and early 20th centuries and described as the oldest shopping centre in the Região dos Lagos. Restored and still operating, it served in the 20th century as a main tourist stop on the road linking Rio de Janeiro to São Pedro da Aldeia, Cabo Frio, Macaé and Campos dos Goitacazes.

The beach is easily reached through the Amaral Peixoto Highway, where many shops and services line the road. Visitors can find most necessities for a beach visit close by.

In the commercial part of the neighborhood stands Shopping Gigi, described as the first and oldest shopping center in the Região dos Lagos, built between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It served as a main tourist stop in the 20th century, when today's highway was the main road linking Rio de Janeiro to São Pedro da Aldeia, Cabo Frio, Macaé and Campos dos Goitacazes. It has been restored and is still in operation.