Rio de Janeiro
- Filed under: Uncategorized
- Date: May 22,2008
Rio de Janeiro (”River of January”), is the second major city of Brazil, behind São Paulo. The city is capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro. It was the capital of Brazil for almost two centuries—from 1763 to 1822 while it was a Portuguese colony and from 1822 to 1960 as an independent nation. It was the de facto capital of the Portuguese Empire from 1808 to 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 known locally as “pedra portuguesa”. Some of the most famous local landmarks in addition to the beaches include the giant statue of Jesus, known as Christ the Redeemer (’Cristo Redentor’) atop Corcovado mountain, which has recently been named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World; Sugarloaf mountain (Pão de Açúcar) with its cable car; the Sambódromo, a giant permanent parade stand used during Carnival; and Maracanã stadium, one of the world’s largest football stadiums. 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’.
The Galeão - Antônio Carlos Jobim International Airport connects Rio de Janeiro with many Brazilian cities and also operates some international flights.
Despite its charm and beauty, Rio is reputed to be one of the most violent cities in the world.
Rio de Janeiro meahins ‘River of January’, is located at 22 degrees, 54 minutes south latitude, 43 degrees 14 minutes west longitude. The population of the City of Rio de Janeiro is about 6,136,652,[5] occupying an area of 1,182.3 square kilometres (456.5 sq mi). The population of the larger metropolitan area is estimated at 11-12 million. It was Brazil’s capital until 1960, when Brasília took its place. Residents of the city are known as Cariocas. The city’s current mayor (2006) is Cesar Maia. The official song of Rio is “Cidade Maravilhosa” (translated as “Marvelous City”).
Rio has a Tropical climate. The temperature occasionally reaches over 40°C (104°F) in inland areas of the city, and maximum temperatures above 30°C (86°F) can happen every month. In the main tourist areas (south side, where the beaches are located), the temperature is moderated by the cool sea-breezes from the ocean. The average annual minimum temperature is 20°C (68°F), the average annual maximum temperature is 26°C (79°F) and the average annual temperature is 23°C (73.5°F). The average yearly precipitation is 1,086 mm. The minimum temperature ever registered was 4°C (40°F) in July 1928, but temperatures around 7°C (54°F) are rare in most of city, the absolute maximum reached 43.8°C (110°F) in January 1984.