This 1955 picture captures the essence of a summer day on Rio's Arpoador Beach in Brazil's richest and most densely populated region: the southeast. The territory on its own has more people than any other South American country and contains the nation's business center, São Paulo, as well as its capital, Rio de Janeiro. Brazil ranks among the world's highest in economic inequality, and the southeast's luxurious living standards often come under fire by impoverished regions such as the drought-stricken northeast.