Rio de Janeiro

THE CITY OF RIO DE JANEIRO

Rio de Janeiro, which means River of January in Portuguese, is the second largest city of Brazil and South America, and the second largest metropolitan area in South America. The largest city of the country is São Paulo. The city was the capital of Brazil for nearly two centuries, from 1763 to 1822 during the Portuguese colonial era, and from 1822 to 1960 as an independent nation.

A Portuguese captain discovered the area of Rio by accident in 1502. Initially, the Portuguese were not really interested in this new territory until the French started to invade the settlement in order to create a new French colony. After the defeat of the French invaders in 1567 the Portuguese founded the city in 1565. Its original name was Sao Sebastiao do Rio de Janeiro after the Portuguese King, Sebastian I.

Rio was developed as a military stronghold against the frequent attacks from the French. Therefore, fortresses were built on the mountains, which can still be seen today. The production of sugar cane was the first industry in the city, with Africans and natives doing all of the labour.  Soon, however, Northern Brazil produced a higher quality of cane which forced Rio out of business. Rio de Janeiro only started to thrive in the 18th century because of the diamond commerce. The French once again began attacks as they discovered Rio’s new found wealth. They failed in their first attempt, but were paid a ransom for the city when they attacked again later. The French army lost this ransom during a heavy storm at sea.

Throughout the 19th century, the economical situation of Rio became more stable and the city started to develop. A military coup in 1889 led to Rio becoming the capital of the republic which it remained until 1960 when Brasilia became the new capital.

Nowadays Rio de Janeiro is known as a party city because of the international reputation of its annual carnival. The origin of the carnival dates back to the 1830s, when the affluent middle classes began holding masquerade balls every year. This spread throughout the city, eventually developing into the carnival that everyone knows and loves today.

Rio de Janeiro is also famous for its natural settings, its samba and other music, and hotel-lined tourist beaches, such as Copacabana and Ipanema. The city also boasts the largest and second largest urban forests in the world: Floresta da Tijuca, or "Tijuca Forest".

Rio is reputed to be one of the most violent cities in the world. Much of the violent crime is concentrated in the favelas or shantytowns but it also spills into middle- and upper-income neighbourhoods. In Rio, unlike other major cities, many of the slums are directly adjacent to some of the wealthiest areas of the city.

THE PORT OF RIO DE JANEIRO

The Port of Rio de Janeiro is visited by cruise boats, which travel along the Brazilian coast. The ports of Rio de Janeiro and Angra dos Reis are, respectively, the third and fourth in Brazil, as measured by volume of cargo.

Cruise ships dock at Pier Maua, within walking distance of downtown Rio.

TRANSPORT IN RIO DE JANEIRO

The public transport service in Rio de Janeiro relies heavily on buses as the main means of mass transportation. Almost 440 municipal bus lines serve over four million passengers each day, in addition to intercity lines. Although the buses are cheap and frequent, Rio's transportation policy has been moving towards trains and the subway system in order to reduce traffic jams and increase capacity. Rio de Janeiro has two subway lines (Metro Rio) with 42 kilometres (26 mi) and 32 stations plus several commuter rail lines. Future plans include building a third subway line to Niterói and São Gonçalo, including an underwater tunnel beneath Guanabara Bay to supplement the ferry service currently there. Rio de Janeiro has the oldest operating electric tramway, now mainly used by tourists and less by daily commuters

WHAT TO SEE AND DO IN RIO DE JANEIRO

Rio de Janeiro has a rich history and a lot of culture worth exploring. Art lovers can find some fine collections of paintings with both Brazilian art and international masterpieces in the city’s museums. Several museums are certainly worth a visit. Museu Amsterdam Sauer is home to a collection of precious stones and Museu Chácara do Céu is housed in a modernist mansion amid beautiful gardens. Other important museums are: Instituto Moreira Salles, Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro, and Museu de Arte Contemporanea-Niteroi.

Ipanema is a world-famous neighbourhood of Rio. It has a lively night life scene with an enticing blend of beaches, bars and boutiques. Ipanema is attractive during the daytime, as well as at night when joggers and other athletes who cluster at its kiosks, pedal along the bicycle path and make good use of special lighting to exercise and relax. Ipanema is really a melting pot that truthfully shows what Rio is about.

Christ Redeemer, symbol of the city of Rio de Janeiro, is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. The statue is 30 metres (98ft) tall and weighs 1,145 tonnes (2.5 million lbs.). The arms span 92 feet, overlooking the city of Rio de Janeiro. The statue represents Jesus standing with outstretched, welcoming arms. Conceived by the artist Carlos Oswaldo in 1921 in a different form, the statue seen today was designed by the engineer Heitor da Silva Costa, and sculpted in France by Polish sculptor Paul Landowski. Construction started in 1926 and was completed in 1931. The statue sits on top of Corcovado Mountain (Hunchback Mountain), 709m (2326 ft.) high, located in Tijuca National Park. Train take visitors to the base of the statue.  The Catholic Church owns the Statue and a small area where the statue stands. Landowski gave his rights to the monument to the church, according to the Rio Archdiocese.

The Christ Redeemer (Cristo Redentor) counts now on three panoramic elevators, each one capable of taking 14 people. The access is through an area that assists both the visitors that arrive by car and the visitors that come from the railroad platform of the Corcovado station.

Pão de Açúcar - The Sugar Loaf mountains (one taller, the other shorter), Brazil's top landmark, with an aerial tramway to the top; a definite must see.  The Sugar Loaf cable car was an idea of Brazilian engineer Augusto Ferreira Ramos inaugurated on October 27, 1912, had its ninetieth anniversary in 2002. The first installed in Brazil and the third in the world, it is a major icon of Rio tourism and has become a trademark of the city. From the inauguration to the above-mentioned anniversary it transported 31 million tourists.

The Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas is 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.

Maracanã is the largest football/soccer stadium in South America and was once the largest on Earth.

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 neighbourhood so make sure you take the right one to the entrance.

The City of Samba (Cidade do Samba) is one of the newest sites to visit in Rio de Janeiro.  It occupies an area of 114.000 sq. meters, built in the port district by the City Hall. The City of Samba includes the neighbourhoods of Saudade Santo Cristo and Gamboa where a great concentration of the City's popular culture can be found, especially the personalities and entities linked to the Carioca Carnaval. The design of The City of Samba forms a geometrical figure, with factories surrounding the main square.

Copacabana is also one of the world famous beach areas of Rio. It is framed by the black and white mosaics of Atlantic Avenue. Copacabana has two separate beaches: Leme (one kilometre) and Copacabana, (just over three kilometres).  Both beach areas are full of live both at night and during the day. There are modernized kiosks, a bicycle path and racks, lifeguard posts, public showers and bathrooms, hotels, bars and open-air restaurants.

The Tijuca Forest. (Parque Nacional da Tijuca) is home to hundreds of species of plants and wildlife, found only in the Atlantic Forest. Tijuca is the world's largest urban forest replanted by man, covering 3.972 hectares. The attractions of the park include the Cascatinha Waterfall, the Mayrink Chapel, the Excelsior Lookout Point, the Paul and Virginia Grotto, Fairy Lake and, all favourite destinations for weekend family outings.