Rio de Janeiro Basics

Continuing my research in preparation for my upcoming trip to Brazil and Argentina, I am documenting some interesting information about some of the Cities I will be visiting on this trip.  The first city I will be stopping at is Rio de Janeiro.  The following comes from the 2012 World Book Encyclopedia:

Rio de Janeiro is a populous state in the country of Brazil and the capital of the state is the city of Rio de Janeiro. The population of Rio de Janeiro is 5,857,904 with a met. pop of 10,894,156 makes it the second largest city in Brazil with Sao Paulo with the most (page 344).  It is one of the "chief seaports of South America". 

The Tupi Indians had settlements near Guanabara Bay and were there when the Portuguese explorers arrived in 1502.  Brazil had been "claimed" by Portugal in 1494.  The French established a settlement in 1555 until the Portuguese drove them out in 1567. 

Portuguese prospectors found gold in southern Brazil during the 1690's which then attracted many settlers to Rio in the 1700's. In 1763 Rio became the capital of not only Brazil but also the Portuguese Empire. It held this title until 1821.  In 1822, Brazil became independent and Rio was named the capital. Brasilia replaced Rio as capital in 1960.

Rio was developed from a fort established by the Portuguese soldiers in 1565.  The Portuguese named the settlement after the name of the Bay.  Rio de Janeiro is “River of January”.  Today, Brazilians also call it Cidade Maravilhosa (Marvelous City).

There are two famous landmarks of Rio. One of the landmarks of Rio is Sugar Loaf Mountain which lies on Guanabara Bay, on the Atlantic Ocean.  This landmass rises 1,325 feet and is accessible via a Cog railway in Corcovado. And the other is the huge statue of Christ the Redeemer “Cristo  Redentor”.

Two of the most famous beaches of Rio are Copacabana and Ipanema.

People of Rio de Janeiro are called “Cariocas” possibly from the South American Indian term for “white man’s house”.

“Most of the city’s people belong to the Roman Catholic Church.  Many Catholics also participate in Macumba religious ceremonies.  Follwers of Macumba pray to divine beings identified both with Christian sains and with the gods and goddesses of certain African religions.  On New Year’s Eve, hundreds of thousands of Cariocas crowd the beaches for candlelit Macumba ceremonies that honor the sea goddess lemanja.” (page 345)

Maracana Stadium is located in Rio and is one of the world’s largest sports arenas.

Carnival is world famous in Rio and features “four days and nights of parades and dancing in the street” (page 346).

“Rio’s schools, libraries, and museums make the city the leading cultural center of Brazil.”

The National Museum is in a palace that was the home of Brazil’s Portuguese royalty in the 1800’s.

The Theatro Municipal was built in the early 1900’s and is based on the Palais Garnier (the famous Paris opera house).

Transportation options are abundant in Rio with highways, railroads, two major airports, a ferry, and public transportation including buses and subways.

Rio is one of 12 Brazilian cities scheduled to host the 2014 World Cup soccer competition, but even bigger, Rio has been chosen to host the 2016 Olympics.

Heavy rains caused deadly landslides in April 2010. "Government officials said that hundreds of people, mostly residents of Rio's slums, were killed and that thousands were left homeless." Then in January of 2011 more mudslides occurred killing more than 800 "in neighboring towns north of Rio".

(All above from page 346).

What the World Book Encylopedia doesn't tell you, is that Rio has a large crime rate and that safety precautions need to be adherred to perhaps more strictly here than in some other tourist destinations of the world.  I'll cover this in a separate entry.