|
Rio
de Janeiro, city of beautiful landscapes
Rio de
Janeiro is considered one of the most beautiful cities of the
world. It's surrounded by mountains and hills and has one of
the most beautiful beaches in the world: the Copacabana beach.
Rio is
bounded on the east by the Guanabara Bay, which you can see on
the picture above and on the west and north by forested mountains
and on the south by a long beach area.
Its population
is estimated in 5.750.000 inhabitants and it occupies an area
of 1.171 km². In January 2000, the city turned 435 years
old, but despite its age, it's considered one of the most modern
cities of Brazil.
 |
Rio
is the owner of a magnificent beauty, offering its visitors and
inhabitants a unique landscape. Nature perfectly matches the
sea side with the mountains creating a remarkable view. That
is one of the reasons why Rio de Janeiro is called by Brazilian
citizens the "Wonderful city" ("Cidade Maravilhosa"). |
The most
famous landscapes and tourist attractions of Rio the Janeiro
are the Copacabana Beach, the Sugar Loaf, the Corcovado, and
the Botanical Garden. But Rio also offers its visitors a large
variety of other attractions, nightlife, entertainment, cultural
events etc.
Many of Rio's
best hotels, restaurants, shops and nightlife are concentrated
in the south part of the city, referred to as Zona Sul (South
Zone). During the day, Rio's many beaches, shops and commercial
centers are often crowded, but at night, life fucuses on cinemas,
theaters, restaurants, cafés and clubs.
History
On January
1, 1502, the Guanabara Bay (main entrance of Rio de Janeiro by
the sea) was found. As the Portuguese mistook it for the
mouth of a large river, they named it Rio de Janeiro ("rio"
is the Portuguese word for river and "janeiro", the
word for January).
The city
was founded on March 1, 1565 by Estácio de Sá,
nephew of Mem de Sá, Brazil's third governor general (1558-1572)
who was responsible for expelling the French invaders from Rio
in 1567. The city was founded near the Sugar Loaf mountain, which
is located in the present Guanabara Bay, previously named Rio
de Janeiro. When the city was founded it was first named city
of São Sebastião of Rio de Janeiro, and later renamed
Rio de Janeiro. After the French were expelled, Mem de Sá
decided to remove the city from the Sugar Loaf to another site.
The city
was the second capital of Brazil (Salvador was the first) until
1960, when the city of Brasília was founded and Rio ceased
to be the capital of the country. The territory occupied by the
city of Rio de Janeiro was then converted into Guanabara state.
In 1975, both Guanabara and Rio de Janeiro states were fused
and the city of Rio de Janeiro became then the capital of the
reorganized Rio de Janeiro state. Rio remained the largest city
of Brazil and also the country's most important financial and
commercial center for a long period, loosing this position to
São Paulo. The city's economic and social prominence grew
in the 18th century after it became the main trade center for
the gold and diamond-mining areas of Minas Gerais. Later, its
status as a national capital and as the royal residence of the
Portuguese monarch Dom João VI influenced Rio's continued
growth.
Location
Rio de
Janeiro lies on a strip of Brazil's Atlantic coast, close to
the Tropic of Capricorn. It is located in the Rio de Janeiro
state, which is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and
south and also by three other states: Minas Gerais to the north
and north-west, Espírito Santo to the north-east and São
Paulo to the south-west. The state occupies an area of 43.909
km² and its population is estimated in more than 13.200.000
inhabitants. Rio de Janeiro city is its capital, and also the
most important city of the state.
Climate
Although
the region's climate is generally tropical, hot and humid, the
climate of Greater Rio is strongly affected by its topography,
and its proximity to the ocean. Because of its geographic situation,
the city is reached often, especially during Fall and Winter,
by cold fronts advancing from the Antarctic, causing frequent
weather changes. The mountainous areas register greater rainfall
since they constitute a barrier to the humid wind that comes
from the Atlantic. The temperature varies according to altitude,
distance from the coast and type of vegetation. Winter (from
June 21 to September 23) is very pleasant, both because of its
mild temperatures and because it is, in general, less rainy than
Summer (December 21 to March 21). The annual average temperature
in Rio is about 23º C, reaching sometimes 40º C or
more during Summer.
In
Rio de Janeiro it is:
 |
Background
midi "Black Orpheus".
Weather
forecast by Wunderground.
::
Top of the page ::
Nothing
other than the graphics provided for the public may be downloaded.
Absolutely nothing in this site is public domain and may not
be copied.
|
