Rio de Janeiro is the second major city of Brazil, behind only São Paulo. The city is
capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro. The city was once the capital of Brazil (1763–1960)
and of the Portuguese Empire (1808–1821). Commonly known as just Rio, the city is
also nicknamed A Cidade Maravilhosa - "The Marvelous City".
It is famous for its spectacular natural setting, its Carnival celebrations, samba and other
music, hotel-lined tourist beaches, such as Copacabana and Ipanema, paved with
decorated black and cream swirl pattern mosaics.
Rio also boasts the two world's largest forests inside an urban area. The first is the forest
in Parque Estadual da Pedra Branca, or White Stone State Park. The second, almost
connected to the first, is the famous Floresta da Tijuca, or 'Tijuca Forest'.
Guanabara Bay was reached by Portuguese explorers in an expedition led by Portuguese
explorer Gaspar de Lemos on January 20, 1502; hence Rio de Janeiro, "January River".
There is a legend that the mariners named the place thus because they thought the
mouth of the bay was actually the mouth of a river, but no experienced sailor would make
that mistake. At the time, river was the general word for any large body of water.
An unofficial European presence in the area began not long after. In 1519 when
Ferdinand Magellan resupplied his ships in the bay, French smugglers were already
using the bay as a post for smuggling brazilwood. When French naval officer Nicolas
Durand de Villegaignon arrived in 1555 with a fleet of two ships and 600 soldiers and
colonists, he founded the first permanent European settlement in the area. The colony
was referred to as "France Antarctique". The colonists consisted of mainly French
Huguenots and Swiss Calvinists. Villegaignon left in 1557 after disputes with some of the
colonists.
The city was founded on March 1, 1565, by Portuguese knight Estácio de Sá, who called it
São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro 20 (St Sebastian of the January 20th River), in honour of
Saint Sebastian (day of death traditionally on January 20). For centuries, the settlement
was commonly called São Sebastião – or even 'Saint Sebastian' – instead of the currently
popular second half of its name. The city was founded as a base from which to invade the
French settlement. They succeeded in 1567 and the French were expelled. Later, São
Sebastião was frequently attacked by pirates and privateers, especially by then enemies
of Portugal, such as the Netherlands and France.
PLACE TO VISIT
Christ the Redeemer - is a statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The
statue stands 39.6 metres (130 feet) tall, weighs 700 tons, and is located at the peak of
the 700-m (2296-foot) Corcovado mountain in the Tijuca Forest National Park overlooking
the city. A symbol of Christianity, the statue has become an icon of Rio and Brazil
Parque Lage – Contains areas of woodland, gardens, aquaria and a children's
playground. The School of Visual Art (Escola de Artes Visuais do Parque Lage) occupies
a luxurious early 20th century building faced with Italian marble and tiles. The buildings
are protected as national monuments.
Tijuca Forest - A huge rainforest that covers highlands which rise in the middle of
the city. It is the second world's largest urban rainforest (the first is besides it, in the
Pedra Branca State Park). There, people can find beauty, peace and they can gaze the
luxurious variety of fauna and flora. Unfortunately, through the years, the forest is being
threatened by illegal occupation, mainly slum which grows by the borders and put the
integrity of the forest in danger. Besides it, the place remains wonderful and magic. A
highly adviseble place to visit.
Pão de Açúcar - the Sugar Loaf mountains (one taller, the other shorter), Brazil's
top landmark, with an aerial tramway to the top; unmissable. A ticket up is R$ 35. The
buses number 591 and 592 bring you to the base station.
Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas - a large lagoon in the middle of South Zone, with
great views to Corcovado and Ipanema and Leblon beaches; there are skating and
jogging fields all around it.
Jardim Botanico - The Botanical Garden, planted up in the 1800s. It is both a park
and a scientific laboratory. If you take the bus note that Jardim Botanico is also the name
of a neighborhood so make sure you take the right one to the entrance. The admission is
$4. The gardens are well kept and very lush. Not far from the cafe, first you hear
swooshing sounds. Look up and you can see small monkeys swinging from tree to tree.
Paço Imperial - old Imperial Palace (though impressively modest), colonial
architecture (in downtown, next to Praça XV, Fifteen Square).
Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil - a cultural center with gallery, movie
theater, video room, library and stages; usually hosts the main exhibitions in town (in
downtown).
Itamaraty - former presidential palace (1889-1893) and foreign office; now hosts a
museum of South American diplomacy, a library and the UN information offices in Brazil
(in Downtown, next to the Central station).
Museu Histórico Nacional (National Museum of History) - a museum of Brazilian history stretching from colonial to imperial times; big collection of paintings, but poor in artifacts (downtown).
HOW TO REACH
By plane - International and most domestic flights land at Galeão - Antônio Carlos
Jobim International Airport (better known as Galeão International Airport) (IATA: GIG)
(ICAO: SBGL), Tel: 3398-5050 (fax 3393-2288). This airport is 20 km away from the city
center and main hotels.
By train - Rio's glorious Central Station, or Central do Brasil, made famous by a
movie of the same name, serves mostly local commuter lines (SuperVia), so it's unlikely
that you'll arrive through here. It's worth a visit just to see it, though, you can get there
either by bus or subway (subway is better; get off on Central station, line 1).
By bus - The long-distance bus depot, Rodoviária Novo Rio, is located in the North
Zone's Santo Cristo neighborhood. Taxis and coach buses can get you to the South Zone
in about fifteen minutes; local buses take a bit longer. Frescão air-conditioned coaches
can be caught just off the bus station. The coaches connect the station to the city center
and main hotel areas of Copacabana and Ipanema
