Rio de Janeiro City

Rio de Janeiro (city), city in southeastern Brazil, on the Atlantic Ocean, and the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro. Its name is Portuguese for “river of January.” This refers to its location near the entrance to Guanabara Bay, which appeared to be a large river estuary to early 16th-century explorers, and to the date it was discovered—January 1, 1502.

Rio is the second most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo, and ranks second only to São Paulo in industrial production. Rio also boasts one of the busiest ports and airports in the nation. Internationally, it is still the nation’s best-known city, and it was the site of the United Nations Environmental Conference in 1992. The city’s inhabitants are called cariocas and are characterized within Brazil as fun-loving, sensual, and easygoing.

Rio’s climate is tropical and rainfall is common, averaging 1,170 mm (46 in) per year. Temperatures during the humid summer months—December to March—can top 35° C (95° F), but typically drop to between 20° C and 30° C (68° F and 86° F) during the rest of the year. Sea breezes moderate temperatures throughout the year.

RECREATION Rio de Janeiro Brazil

Recreational activities abound in Rio. Extensive sandy beaches along the Atlantic Ocean in the southern margins of the city are used heavily by both residents and tourists. Tijuca National Park is outside the urbanized area, atop the Serra da Carioca range, and contains remnants of the tropical rain forest that once covered the entire region. Urban parks include Quinta da Boa Vista Park (site of the National Museum, which focuses on natural history), the Botanical Gardens, Lage Park, and Flamengo Park. These parks provide opportunities for a range of recreational activities—including hiking, climbing, hang gliding, jogging, walking, and cycling—for both residents and tourists. Maracanã Stadium, which holds more than 100,000 spectators, is located just outside Quinta da Boa Vista Park.

Rio’s milestone social event and preeminent tourist attraction each year is Carnival, a major festival held in late February or early March, just prior to the beginning of the Christian season of Lent. During the weeks that precede Carnival, the city receives thousands of tourists. Events include spontaneous street dancing behind popular bandas (marching bands comprised of brass and percussion instruments), formal Carnival balls for nearly every income level, and several days of Sambadrome parades where the best samba schools compete in marathon musical and dance presentations along a specially designed street where thousands of spectators gather to watch the event unfold.

CULTURE AND EDUCATION

Although Rio is not Brazil’s largest city, nor its capital, its historical role as the nation’s preeminent urban center makes it the single most important city in the country in terms of education, culture, and the arts. The city is well endowed with both public and private universities. Public universities include the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (1920), the State University of Rio de Janeiro (1961), and the University of Rio de Janeiro (1969). Cándido Mendes University Conglomerate (1981), Gama Filho University (1972), Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (1941), and University Santa Úrsula (1938) are all private universities.

Rio contains the National Library, housed in an impressive neoclassical building, and the National Archive. Another important part of the city’s cultural offerings are its museums, including the National Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, the National Fine Arts Museum, the National Historical Museum, the Museum of the Indian, and the Carmen Miranda Museum. The Municipal Theater, built in 1905 and modeled on the Paris Opera House, is in the core of the city and is home to Rio’s ballet troupe and opera company.

Architecture is an important component in the city’s landscape. Religious architecture includes the Convent of San Antonio, which was built in 1608 and is thought to be the oldest religious structure in the city; the Monastery of St. Bento with an impressive Baroque-style chapel; Our Lady of Carmo Church where both Brazil’s emperors were coronated; and Our Lady of Candelária Church, thought by some to be the city’s most beautiful church.

Another building of interest is the Imperial Palace, located several blocks west of Santos Dumont Airport. Originally constructed as Brazil’s colonial governor’s capitol in 1743, it was converted to the royal palace during the city’s period as an imperial capital. It has recently been restored and now houses a cultural center. Other impressive 19th-century palaces include Itamaraty and Catete, both located in the city center. The latter was occupied by the country’s presidents between 1896 and 1954 and now houses the Museum of the Republic. The state legislature meets in the Palácio Tiradentes, formerly the home of the federal assembly when Rio was the nation’s capital. The city’s architecture from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries stands in dramatic contrast with its ultramodern Petrobras building, headquarters of the state petroleum company, and the avant-garde Metropolitan Cathedral. The city’s most famous landmarks are Pão de Açúcar (404 m/1,325 ft), which is situated on a peninsula jutting into Guanabara Bay and is known as Sugar Loaf Mountain in English, and the massive (40 m/131 ft) Christ the Redeemer statue, which overlooks the city from the top of Corcovado Mountain (704 m/2,310 ft) in the Serra da Carioca coastal range.