Rio de Janeiro was discovered on the first of January (Janeiro) 1502 by Portuguese navigators who mistook the entrance of Guanabara Bay for the mouth of a river (Rio). Some decades later French traders frequented the area in search of pau-brasil (Brazilwood). To avoid the French fro setting foot on the Portuguese colony, the Portuguese crown established the city of Sao Sebastiao do Rio de Janeiro. After 2 years of bloody conflict the French were expelled and settlers began to cultivate the surrounding fertile lands. In the beginning of the 18th century the city's importance and population increased immensely as it became the main shipping port for gold and diamonds that came from Minas Gerais. In 1763 the colonial capital of Brazil was transfered from Salvador de Bahia to Rio. In 1807, as Napoleon's armies began the invasion of Portugal, the Portuguese monarch and his court flew to Rio de Janeiro, where they would remain until 1821. During these years Brazil, now the seat of government for its mother country, witnessed tremendous economic growth. Life was so pleasant in Rio that after Napoleon had been defeated, the Royal family stayed on until a threatened revolt in Portugal forced John VI to return to Lisbon. In 1822 the Prince Regent's son, Pedro, who had stayed behind in Rio to rule the colony when his father returned to Portugal, pulled out his sword and yelled the battle cry 'Independência ou morte!' (Independence or death). Portugal was too weak to fight its favorite son, so Brazil became an independent empire with Rio being its capital. The city prospered economically, and by 1891 it had a population of over 500,000 inhabitants ranking it one of the largest cities in the world.With the inauguration of Brasilia in 1960, Rio de Janeiro ceased to be Brazil's capital. The country's second largest city is, however, still a major cultural capital and, to some extent, its "emotional" capital as well. Rio's cultural life is intense and varied, reaching its culminuation point during the anual carnival. At no time is the city's festive reputation better displayed than during these solid 3 days with music, singing, parties, balls, and desfiles. Being a major city, Rio offers its visitors the infrastructure its status merits. It offers a wide selection of hotels (from basic to the best 5-stars in the world), restaurants and bars; it has numerous exhibition and conference centers; the cultural and sporting scene is justifiably famous; the shops and stores are world class; the city has well developed telecommunications, banking, financial and medical services and an extensive transport system which allows visitors and residents to move around the city easily be it by car, taxi, bus, bicycle or on foot. The city is served by its own modern international airport, as well as a city airport, while the port of Rio is one of the busiest in Latin America. The city is divided in a zona norte (northern zone) and a zona sul (southern zone); beaches and most tourist facilities are found in the southern zone.

Beachlife is an integral part of the Rio lifestyle, dedicated as if it where a religion. The importance of the beach to Rio de Janeiro should never be underestimated. The city is unique in having beaches which run though its very heart; wherever you are in the city, you are never far from the beach. Football, volleyball, gymnastics, and more traditional Brazilian sports like "peteca "and "futevolei", are played out on the sands, while out to sea, it is the surfers and wind-surfers who rule the waves. The pavements and paths, that run beside the beaches, are the playground for the city's cyclists, roller skaters and the people who simply want to walk, jog or sit and enjoy the scenery from a bench or the comfort of a small beach bar.

The beaches are also the site for many of the city's major sporting events with championships as diverse as volleyball, soccer, swimming and even tennis taking place on courts and in stadiums especially constructed on the sand. Likewise, musical extravaganzas and free concerts can also be seen throughout the year on the beaches of Rio, culminating in the New Year celebration which attracts millions of people on the Copacabana Beach to commemorate the arrival of the New Year and witness one of the world's truly spectacular firework displays.

Apart from the beach, a good idea is to take the tram through the old Santa Teresa neighborhood and all the way up to the famous Christ the Redeemer statue (Corcovado), which has a fantastic view of the whole city. Other attractions are the Maracana football stadium, one of the largest in the world with a capacity of around 180.000, and the sugar loaf mountain (Pão de Açucar), which also has an impressive view and can be reached by cable car. For the more courageous there are "Favela tours" through the surrounding shantytowns, which are usually quiet safe if accompanied by a local guide.

If you like to gamble you can go to the Joquei Club racetrack with has horse races most days. Also if you are a little more adventurous you can go handgliding off the 510 meter Pedra Bonita on the Pepino beach in Sao Conrado. The city also has the world`s largest urban park, Parque da Tijuca, which is well worth a visit for its trails, waterfalls and lookouts.

Rio has its share of problems; a third of its population lives in favelas (shanty towns) that blanket many of the hillsides. Rio's reputation as a violent city caused a sharp reduction in tourism in the 1990s, but today travelers will find themselves no more at risk than in most large cities in the world. Despite its reputation for crime and violence, the city is fairly safe for those who use commonsense.

For many visitors Rio is synonimous for Brazil. Brazil is huge, covering several different worlds, from the southern pampa's till the northern Amazon rainforests, there is so much to visit and discover, however, we have to admit that a trip to Brazil without a visit to Rio is not complete!

Links

RIOTUR, the City of Rio Tourism Authority