The Avenida Presidente Vargas is one of the main

throughway A thoroughfare is a primary passage or way as a transit route through regularly trafficked areas, whether by road on dry land or, by extension, via watercraft or aircraft. On land, a thoroughfare may refer to anything from a multi-lane highway ...

s in the city of

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...

. The road was designed by

Getúlio Vargas Getúlio Dornelles Vargas (; 19 April 1882 – 24 August 1954) was a Brazilian lawyer and politician who served as the 14th and 17th president of Brazil, from 1930 to 1945 and from 1951 to 1954. Due to his long and controversial tenure as Brazi ...

, who was president of

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

at the time, while the city of Rio de Janeiro was still the nation's federal capital. The avenue connects the regions Leopoldina and Candelaria in downtown

Rio de Janeiro (city) Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...

and is about 3.5 km long. It runs alongside several major landmarks in the city, including the

Central do Brasil Central do Brasil () is a major train station in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. It is the last stop of Rio's railway network, as well as a hub for connection with the city subway and a bus station. Central do Brasil was also a preemine ...

train station and the Campo de Santana park.

History

The avenue was inaugurated in 1944.http://www.rio.rj.gov.br/dlstatic/10112/4204430/4101439/memoria_da_destruicao.pdf In the process of construction, many historical musical landmarks - most famously, Praça Onze de Junho—along with tenements and shacks that housed the red-light district in downtown Rio de Janeiro were demolished.

References

Streets in Rio de Janeiro (city) {{Brazil-transport-stub