Coastal walls of Forte Copacabana
Seaward face of Forte Copacabana. This coastal defense fort was built over six years, starting in 1908, to protect the Baia de Guanabara (Guanabara Bay) and Rio de Janeiro. It is considered one of the strongest fortifications in South America, with walls as much as 12 meters thick. Almost immediately after it was completed, airplanes and aerial bombing made the fort's main weapons, massive 305 mm (12-inch) cannon, obsolete. Mostly deactivated in 1987, it is still an active military installation. 8th International Conference in Nursing Informatics, Rio de Janeiro, June 2003 20030622 1/400 sec at f / 4.7 Canon PowerShot S300 © Kathleen G. Charters