Ipanema Beach, Two Brothers Mountain, Rio de Janeiro
© Donatas Dabravolskas/Shutterstock
The view from Ipanema
The name Ipanema comes from a Tupi term meaning 'stinking water,' but that hasn't kept it from becoming a byword for beauty. Stunningly set on the open Atlantic in the city's southeast, this Rio de Janeiro neighborhood inspired the sultry bossa nova tune 'The Girl from Ipanema,' one of the most recorded pop songs of all time. Ipanema isn't the only local waterfront with a song title tie-in: The next beach over is the famous Copacabana, namesake of the notable nightclub memorialized by Barry Manilow.
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