Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ("River of January") is the name of both a
state and a city in southeastern
Brazil. The city is famous for the hotel-lined tourist beaches
Copacabana and Ipanema, for the giant statue of
Jesus Christ the Redeemer ("Cristo Redentor") on the
Corcovado mountain, and for its yearly
Carnival celebration. The current mayor is
Cesar Maia.
Its population is estimated at 8 million people occupying an area of 485 square miles (1256 km²).
History
The bay where Rio de Janeiro is located (Guanabara) was discovered by Europeans on January 1, 1502, by a Portuguese explorer Gaspar de Lemos; he named it "Rio" because he thought it was a river mouth rather than a bay.
The city of Rio de Janeiro was founded on March 1, 1565 in honour to King Sebastian.
Rio de Janeiro was Brazil's capital from 1764 to 1960, when the government was transferred to Brasília, but remains the second biggest city in the country, after São Paulo. Between 1808 and 1821, during the Napoleonic invasion on Metropolitan Portugal, the city served as the capital of Portugal and its extensive empire.
Districts
The city is commonly divided into the historic downtown (Centro), the more touristic South Zone, with world-famous beaches, the industrial North Zone, the West Zone, and the newer Barra da Tijuca region.
Centro
Centro is the historic downtown of the city. Sites of interest include both the historic Church of the Candelaria and the modern-style cathedral, the Municipal Theater, and several museums. Centro remains the heart of the city's business community. The "Bondinho", a trolley car, leaves from a downtown station, crosses a former Roman-style aquaduct, and rambles through the hilly streets of the Santa Teresa neighborhood nearby.
South Zone
The neighborhood of Copacabana beach boasts one of the world's most spectacular New Year's Eve parties, as more than two million revellers crowd onto the sands to watch the firework display. As of 2001, the fireworks have been launched from boats, to further guarantee the safety of the event.
At the end of Copacabana lies the Sugarloaf Mountain ("Pão de Açúcar"), whose name characterises the famous hump rising out of the sea. The top can be reached via cable car, and offers views second only to Corcovado mountain. The tallest mountain in the city, however, at 842m, is the Pedra da Gávea (Topsail Rock) in São Conrado. Hang gliding is a popular activity on a nearby peak - after a short flight, they land on the Praia do Pepino beach.
A night view of the Botafogo inlet with the moon shining above the Sugar Loaf, by João T.R. de Freitas.
North Zone
The North Zone of Rio is home to the Maracanã stadium, still the world's highest capacity football venue, able to hold nearly 200,000 people (however, the biggest stadium of is located in Prague (Czech Republic) but it is not suitable for football. In modern times, the capacity has been reduced to conform with modern safety regulations, and the introduction of seating for all fans. Currently undergoing renovation, it will eventually hold around 120,000. Maracanã will be the site for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and soccer competition of the 2007 Pan American Games.
West Zone
The West Zone is the metropolitan region which is most distant from the Center of Rio de Janeiro. It includes Barra da Tijuca, Jacarepaguá, Campo Grande, Santa Cruz and Bangu. Barra da Tijuca remains an area of accelerated growth, attracting mainly the richer sector of the population, whereas neighbouring districts within the West Zone reveal stark differences between social classes. The area has industrial zones, but some agricultural areas still remain in its wide area. Beyond the neighbourhoods of Barra da Tijuca and Jacarepagua, another district which has exhibited good economic growth is that of Campo Grande. Some modalities of sports of the Pan-American Games of 2007 will be held in the Miécimo da Silva Sports Center, nicknamed the "Algodão" Gymnasium, and others in the Ítalo del Cima Stadium, in Campo Grande.
Barra da Tijuca
To the west of the older zones is Barra da Tijuca, a flat expanse of formerly undeveloped coastal land, which is currently experiencing a wave of new construction. High rise apartments and sprawling shopping malls give the area a far more Americanized feel than the crowded city center (Centro). This has attracted businesses to move to the area to take advantage of this. The large beaches of Barra da Tijuca are also popular with the city's residents. Barra da Tijuca is the home of Pan-American Village for the 2007 Pan American Games.
Favelas
Rio is a city of contrasts, and though much of the city clearly ranks alongside the world's most modern metropoles, a significant percentage of the city's 13 million inhabitants do still live in areas of poorer quality housing. The worst of these poorer areas are the slums known as favelas, often crowded onto the hillsides where sturdy buildings are difficult to build, and accidents, mainly from heavy rainfall, are frequent. Favelas, as is the case for the ghettos of New York or Chicago, are often troubled by drug related crime and gang warfare.
\nCarnival
The carnival Escolas de Samba parades in the sambodrome ("sambódromo").
Miscellaneous
The city will host the 2007 Pan American Games from July 13-29, 2007. Copacabana beach will be the site of the triathlon and beach volleyball with yachting competitions held in Guanabara Bay. The city is building a new stadium near the Maracanã, to hold 45,000 people. It will be named after Brazilian ex-FIFA president João Havelange. Rio de Janeiro was also a candidate for the 2012 Summer Olympics.
See also
\n* List of Mayors of Rio de Janeiro
External links
\n* Riotur\n* PUC-Rio - the Pontifical University of Rio de Janeiro\n* COPPE/UFRJ - the largest post-graduate and research center in Engineering in Latin America (part of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro)\n* Wikitravel, the free travel guide, Rio de Janeiro
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Category:World cities\nCategory:Cities\nCategory:Brazilian_cities
