Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Population: 13,727,720 (2023 estimate)

Area: 456.5 square miles (1.182 square kilometers)

Founded: 1565

Founded by Portuguese explorers in 1565, Rio de Janeiro is a seaside city on Brazil’s Atlantic coast and the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro. Rio, as the city is commonly called, is best known for its beautiful beaches, in particular Copacabana and Ipanema, as well as its tropical forests, architecture, and culture. One of the most visited places in the Southern Hemisphere, millions of tourists travel to Rio de Janeiro each year. However, the city has a high crime rate and is known for its many violent crimes. Tourists are warned to exercise caution because even those committing minor crimes such as pickpocketing are often armed. Rio de Janeiro is the second-largest city in Brazil, the largest being São Paulo.

Landscape

Rio de Janeiro is in southeastern Brazil. To the south of the city is the Atlantic Ocean, to the east is Guanabara Bay, and to the west is Sepetiba Bay. The city is surrounded by the Tijuca Forest, which is the largest urban forest in the world. In the center of this forest is the Pico da Tijuca. At 3,353 feet (1,022 meters), it is the tallest mountain in the city. Other mountains include the Corcovado (2,329 feet) and Sugarloaf (1,299 feet).

Coastal mountains divide Rio into North and South Zones. Most industrial activity takes place in the North Zone. The international airport is also in this area. Also in the North Zone are favelas, poor housing settlements also called shanty towns, some of which do not have running water or electricity.

Cultural areas and major hotels, as well as more expensive residential areas, are in the South Zone. Between the North and South Zones is the Center, the heart of the city. Many historic sites are in the center, and commercial activity and banking take place here as well.

Rio’s climate is tropical. Most of the year, the weather is warm and humid, with the temperature hovering around 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius). Cooler temperatures can be found near the ocean and at high altitudes. The average annual rainfall is about 50.3 inches (1,278 millimeters).

People

The people of Rio de Janeiro generally refer to themselves as Cariocas, a term from the Indigenous Tupi meaning “White man’s home.” However, like the rest of Brazil, Rio’s population is diverse, including those of European, African, and mixed ancestry. Most Cariocas are Roman Catholic, with many also practicing the Umbanda religion, which blends African traditions and Indigenous beliefs into Catholicism.

The people of Rio are largely racially segregated. Those of European descent mostly live in affluent neighborhoods in Rio’s South zone. Those of African and mixed ancestry mainly live in the North zone. While some live in favelas, others in the North Zone live in middle-class neighborhoods.

Economy

Rio de Janeiro has the second-largest economy in Brazil (behind São Paulo). In the twenty-first century, its economy was highly diverse. The city’s deep harbor enabled it to play a role in Brazil’s imports and exports and coastal trade. Among the country’s major exports were cotton, iron ore, manganese, and meat. A significant portion of Rio’s economy came from the manufacturing of textiles, appliances, chemicals, metals, cigarettes, and food. The city has grown and sold sugarcane throughout its history and continued to do so in the twenty-first century. Its export of sardines was also significant throughout this period of time. Its service sector was dominated by banking and commercial activities. A major tourist destination, Rio’s tourism industry was hampered by the city’s high crime rates. While the number of homicides in Brazil dropped 4 percent in 2023 from 2022, it was still high (39,500), and violent crime was still commonplace throughout Rio de Janeiro. Such crimes included murders, armed robberies, carjackings, and kidnappings. While tourists were more likely to become victims of crime when out at night, criminal activity still occurred during the day. The COVID-19 pandemic that began in 2020 further affected the number of tourist arrivals to the city as world travel largely shut down due to travel restrictions implemented to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Landmarks

The city of Rio de Janeiro boasts many landmarks and monuments. The most renowned is perhaps its statue of Christ the Redeemer. Situated on the peak of Corcovado Mountain since 1931, the 125-foot-tall (39-meter) statue has open arms as if to embrace the city.

Another famous landmark is Sugarloaf Mountain, a peak at the mouth of Guanabara Bay that is situated on a peninsula jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean. It rises 1,299 feet (396 meters) above the bay. Named for its shape, visitors can ascend it via cable car.

In the heart of Rio is the Monument to the Dead of World War II, which was built in 1960 in honor of the Brazilian soldiers who lost their lives during World War II (1939–1945). The monument consists of two enormous columns, one on each side of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Behind the monument is a museum displaying medals, uniforms, and other items belonging to the fallen soldiers.

Built in the early 1900s, the design of the Municipal Theater, an opera house, is modeled after Paris’s Opéra Garnier. In Rio’s Centro district, the theater seats more than 2,300 people. Inscribed on its outside walls are the names of classic Brazilian and European artists.

Opened in 1979, Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Sebastian’s architecture was inspired by the Mayan pyramids. Located in Rio’s Center, the cathedral’s four stained-glass windows are 210-feet (64-meters) tall and stretch from the floor to the ceiling. Inside are the many paintings, murals, and sculptures of local artists as well as historical artifacts.

Brazilian football is played at the Maracanã Stadium, which on occasion has housed more than one hundred thousand fans. Built in 1950, the stadium has been home to such events as the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics.

History

The Indigenous Guarani and the Tupi are believed to be the first inhabitants of what is now Brazil. About one million Indigenous people lived semi-nomadic lives in groups of about four hundred to two thousand per settlement. They subsisted by hunting, fishing, gathering, and farming.

Portuguese explorers discovered Rio de Janeiro when they sailed into the enormous Guanabara Bay on January 1, 1502. They are believed to have named the bay Rio de Janeiro, meaning “the River of January,” after mistaking the bay for the opening of a river.

The Portuguese soon enslaved the Indigenous peoples, forcing them to work on plantations. However, their populations were decimated by introduced diseases.

After this, the Portuguese began bringing enslaved Africans to Brazil, including Rio. As many as two million enslaved Africans were eventually brought to Brazil. Most were forced to work on sugarcane plantations, but others labored as domestic servants, dock workers, delivery persons, carpenters, and fishermen. When gold was discovered in Minas Gerais in 1704, enslaved Africans were forced to perform backbreaking labor in gold mines.

In 1555, the French established a colony on one of the islands in Guanabara Bay. About six hundred French settlers became part of the colony, which was led by Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon. Two years later, in 1557, Villegaignon built a fort on the island. Soon one thousand additional French settlers arrived.

The Portuguese resented the French settling on what they believed was their land. They ordered Mem de Sá, the governor general of Brazil, to go to the French colony and expel its inhabitants, which he did on February 21, 1560. However, the French returned as soon as he left, this time settling on the mainland near Catete. Five years later, in 1565, the Portuguese returned with Estácio de Sá, the governor general’s nephew, and tried to force the French out of Brazil. After two years of fighting, the French were defeated, and the Portuguese took control of the settlement. However, Estácio de Sá was mortally wounded in combat by an arrow.

Rio de Janeiro was officially founded in 1565 as São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro (after a Portuguese saint). The settlers fortified the town to protect its people from attacks by Europeans and the small number of remaining Indigenous tribes. With a population of about one thousand, the town remained small, its residents subsisting on profits from the exportation of sugarcane and brazilwood.

The discovery of gold in Minas Gerais (General Mines), a nearby state in Brazil, profoundly affected Rio. While the gold was first discovered by raiders, hundreds of thousands of Portuguese gold-seekers soon arrived in Rio, which had the closest seaport to the gold mines. By the 1710s, the French returned, determined to once again seize control of the area. While the inhabitants of Rio managed to repel them, the French came back the following year, sacking and nearly destroying Rio. They left only after being paid a hefty ransom.

By 1763, the population of Rio had grown to more than thirty thousand. While some improvements were made, such as the paving of important streets, the city was a dangerous place due to a high crime rate. With the discovery of gold came the arrival of thieves, smugglers, and assassins. Pirates were a constant threat, robbing ships and murdering sailors.

However, when Dom João VI, the Portuguese Prince Regent, arrived in Rio in 1808, the city began to grow and thrive, becoming known for its culture instead of its violence. When Napoleon’s army invaded Portugal in 1807, João and his court of fifteen thousand sailed to safety in Brazil. João settled in Rio and came to adore the city. Because of him, artisans flocked to Rio, and merchants and traders opened shops. In Rio, João created botanical gardens, oversaw the construction of monuments, established academic organizations, and started the practice of sea bathing. After this, Europeans and anti-Napoleon French began settling in Rio. João declared Rio the capital of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil, and the Algarves.

João was reluctant to return to Portugal but finally agreed to do so in 1820. He left in charge of Brazil his twenty-three-year-old son, Dom Pedro I. In 1831, after street protests against his reign, he left the city of Rio de Janeiro, putting his five-year-old son, Dom Pedro II, in charge. Pedro II assumed the throne at fourteen, and despite his young age, managed to stabilize Brazil. However, in 1889, after a long, bloody war with Paraguay (1864–1870), Pedro II was removed from power, making Brazil an independent republic and naming Rio as its capital.

The latter half of the nineteenth century was a prosperous time for Rio, and by 1900, the city had more than eight hundred thousand inhabitants. Rio’s infrastructure was significantly improved under the supervision of Mayor Pereira Passos. His many changes included the construction of grand boulevards such as Av Central (later named Rio Branco). However, Passos was also responsible for the ill-conceived plan of removing the city’s poorer residents from its center, which resulted in the creation of cortiços. These were impoverished settlements plagued by frequent outbreaks of smallpox, yellow fever, and typhus.

From the 1920s to the 1960s, grand luxury hotels were constructed in Rio, making the city a romantic resort frequented by Hollywood movie stars. However, this golden age for Rio ended in the 1960s with the rise of a military dictatorship, which was an era of censorship and oppression.

After ending the military dictatorship in 1985, Brazil held a presidential election under civilian rule in 1989. After this, a citizen-revitalization campaign was launched in the country, lasting for a decade. It was largely successful, resulting in the restoration of buildings and the opening of new shops and cultural centers.

In 1960, Brasilia replaced Rio as the country’s capital. By this time, the population of Rio had grown to more than four million.

In the twenty-first century, Rio de Janeiro remained a cultural center and popular tourist destination, famous for its beautiful beaches, landscapes, and grand hotels.

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