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{{Infobox City|official_name = Rio de Janeiro|image_skyline = Rio at night.jpg|imagesize = 250px|image_caption = Rio at night.|image_flag = Riodejaneiro city.png|image_seal = Escudo Rio de Janeiro.gif|nickname= Cidade Maravilhosa ("The Marvelous City") or simply, Rio|image_map = RiodeJaneiro_Municip_RiodeJaneiro.svg|mapsize = 250px|map_caption = Location of Rio de Janeiro|subdivision_type = List of countries|subdivision_type1 = Regions of Brazil|subdivision_type2 = States of Brazil|subdivision_name = Brazil|subdivision_name2 = [Rio de Janeiro (state)|leader_title = Mayor of Rio de Janeiro|leader_name = César Maia (Democrats (Brazil))|area_note =|area_total_km2 = 1260|population_as_of = 2006|population_footnotes = 1|population_total = 6136652|population_density_km2 = 4781|population_metro = 12620000|timezone = UTC|utc_offset = -3|timezone_DST = UTC|utc_offset_DST = -2|latd = 22|latm= 54|lats= 30|latNS=S|longd = 43|longm=11|longs= 47|longEW=W|elevation_m =|elevation_ft =|website = www.rio.rj.gov.br|footnotes = Official IBGE 2006 Estimate |footnotes = Human Development Index (2000) 0.842 – high]: Portuguese language: , "River of January" English language ) is the second major city in southeastern Brazil, behind only São Paulo. The city is capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro (state). The city was once the capital of Brazil (1763–1960) and of the Portuguese Empire (1808–1821). 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, and also for its huge social disparities, shanty towns, violence and drug traffic. Some of the most famous local landmarks in addition to the beaches include the giant statue of Jesus, known as Christ the Redeemer (statue) ('Cristo Redentor') atop Corcovado mountain, which has recently been named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World; Sugarloaf Mountain, Brazil mountain (Pão de Açúcar) with its cable car; the Sambódromo, a giant permanent parade stand used during Carnival; and Estádio do Maracanã, one of the list of football (soccer) stadiums by capacity. Rio also boasts the world's largest forest inside an urban area, called Floresta da Tijuca, or 'Tijuca Forest' Floresta da Tijua.

Rio de Janeiro 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, occupying an area of . 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").

History , built in the first half of the 18th century., 18th century palace that served as seat for the colonial government, John IV of Portugal and the two Empire of Brazil.

Guanabara Bay was reached by Portuguese explorers in an expedition led by Portuguese people explorer Gaspar de Lemos on January 20, 1502; hence Rio de Janeiro, "January River". There is a legend that the mariners named the place thus because they thought the mouth of the bay was actually the mouth of a river, but no experienced sailor would make that mistake. At the time, river was the general word for any large body of water.

An unofficial European presence in the area began not long after. In 1519 when Ferdinand Magellan resupplied his ships in the bay, French smugglers were already using the bay as a post for smuggling brazilwood. When France naval officer Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon arrived in 1555 with a fleet of two ships and 600 soldiers and colonists, he founded the first permanent European settlement in the area. The colony was referred to as "France Antarctique". The colonists consisted of mainly French Huguenots and Swiss Calvinism. Villegaignon left in 1557 after disputes with some of the colonists.

The city was founded on March 1 1565, by Portuguese knight Estácio de Sá, who called it São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro 20 (St Sebastian of the January 20th River), in honour of Saint Sebastian (day of death traditionally on January 20). For centuries, the settlement was commonly called São Sebastião – or even 'Saint Sebastian' – instead of the currently popular second half of its name. The city was founded as a base from which to invade the French settlement. They succeeded in 1567 and the French were expelled. Later, São Sebastião was frequently attacked by Piracy and privateers, especially by then enemies of Portugal, such as the Netherlands and France.

The exact place of Rio's foundation is at the foot of Sugarloaf Mountain, Brazil (Sugarloaf Mountain). Later, the whole city was moved within a palisade on top of a hill, imitating the medieval European defence strategy of fortified castles – the place has since then been called Morro do Castelo (Castle Hill). Thus, the city developed from the current centre (Downtown, see below) southwards and then westwards (with large parts built over reclaimed land); an urban movement which continues today.

In the late 16th century the Portuguese crown began treating the village as a strategic location for the Atlantic transit of ships between Brazil, the African colonies and Europe. Fortresses were built and an alliance was formed with nearby native tribes to defend the settlement against invaders – Rio's neighbour, Niterói, for instance, was founded by Araribóia, a Tamoio Indian chief, for defensive purposes. Sugar cane was the first industry in the area. First native, and later African, slavery were used for manual labor. Eventually the industry dwindled as higher quality sugar cane from northern Brazil became more available.

to develop tourism in Rio de Janeiro..

Until early in the 18th century, the city was threatened or invaded by several – mostly French – pirates and buccaneers, such as Jean-François Duclerc and René Duguay-Trouin. After 1720, when the Portuguese found gold and diamonds in the neighbouring Capitania of Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro became a much more useful port for exporting wealth than Salvador, Brazil, Bahia, which is much farther to the north. In 1763, the colonial administration in Portuguese America was moved to Rio. The city remained primarily a colonial capital until 1808, when the Portuguese royal family and most of the associated Lisbon nobles, fleeing from Napoleon's invasion of Portugal, moved to Rio de Janeiro. The kingdom's capital was transferred to the city, which, thus, became the only European capital outside of Europe. As there was no physical space or urban structure to accommodate hundreds of noblemen who arrived suddenly, many inhabitants were simply evicted from their homes.

When Pedro I of Brazil proclaimed the independence of Brazil in 1822, he decided to keep Rio de Janeiro as the capital of his new empire. Rio continued as the capital of Brazil after 1889, when the monarchy was replaced by a republic.

Until the early years of the 20th century the city was largely limited to the neighbourhood now known as the historic Downtown business district (see below), on the mouth of Guanabara Bay. The city's centre of gravity began to shift south and west to the so-called Zona Sul (South Zone) in the early part of the 20th century, when the first tunnel was built under the mountains located between Botafogo and the neighbourhood now known as Copacabana. That beach's natural beauty, combined with the fame of the Copacabana Palace Hotel, the luxury hotel of the Americas in the 1930s, helped Rio to gain the reputation it still holds today as a beachy party town (though, this reputation has been somewhat tarnished in recent years by favela violence resulting from the narcotics trade). Plans for moving the nation's capital city to the territorial centre had been occasionally discussed, and when Juscelino Kubitschek was elected president in 1955, it was partially on the strength of promises to build a new capital. Though many thought that it was just Political campaign rhetoric, Kubitschek managed to have Brasília built, at great cost, by 1960. On April 21 that year the capital of Brazil was officially moved from Rio de Janeiro to Brasília.

Between 1960 and 1975 Rio was a citystate (such as Vienna (Austria), Hamburg (Germany), or Washington, D.C. (United States)) under the name Guanabara State (after the bay it borders). However, for administrative and political reasons, a presidential decree known as A Fusão ("The Fusion") removed the city's federative status and merged it with the Rio de Janeiro (state) in 1975. Even today, some Carioca advocate the return of municipal autonomy.

City districts The city is commonly divided into the historic downtown (Centro); the tourist-friendly South Zone, with world-famous beaches; the industrial North Zone; and the West Zone, with the newer Barra da Tijuca district.

Downtown () Centro (or Downtown in American English) is the historic centre of the city, as well as its financial centre. Sites of interest include the Paço Imperial, built during colonial times to serve as a residence for the Portuguese governors of Brazil; many historic churches, such as the Candelária Church, the Old Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro and the modern-style Rio de Janeiro Cathedral. Around the Cinelândia there are several landmarks of the Belle Époque of Rio, such as the Theatro Municipal (Rio de Janeiro) and the National Library building. Among its several museums, the Museu Nacional de Belas Artes (National Museum of Fine Arts) and the National Historical Museum of Brazil (National Historical Museum) are the most important. Other important historical attractions in central Rio include its Passeio Público (Rio de Janeiro), an 18th century public garden, as well as the imposing arches of the Arcos da Lapa, a Roman-style aqueduct built around 1750. A bondinho (tram) leaves from a city centre station, crosses the aqueduct (converted to a tram viaduct in 1896) and rambles through the hilly streets of the Santa Teresa (Rio de Janeiro) nearby.

Downtown remains the heart of the city's business community. Some of the largest companies in Brazil have their head offices here, including Petrobras and Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (the two largest Brazilian corporations).

South Zone and Vinicius de Morais song The Girl from Ipanema.

() The South Zone of Rio de Janeiro is composed of several districts, amongst which are São Conrado, Leblon, Ipanema, Arpoador, Copacabana and Leme (Rio de Janeiro), which compose Rio's famous Atlantic beach coastline. Other districts in the South Zone are Glória, Flamengo, Botafogo and Urca, which border Guanabara Bay and Santa Teresa, Cosme Velho, Laranjeiras, Humaitá, Rio de Janeiro, Lagoa, Rio de Janeiro, Jardim Botânico and Gávea.

The neighbourhood of Copacabana beach hosts one of the world's most spectacular New Year's Eve parties ("Reveillon"), as more than two million revellers crowd onto the sands to watch the fireworks display. As of 2001, the fireworks have been launched from boats, to improve the safety of the event. To the north of Leme, and at the entrance to Guanabara Bay, is the district of Urca and the Sugarloaf Mountain, Brazil ('Pão de Açúcar'), whose name describes the famous mountain rising out of the sea. The summit can be reached via a two-stage Aerial tramway trip from Praia Vermelha, with the intermediate stop on Morro da Urca. It offers views second only to Corcovado mountain.

One of the highest hills in the city is the 842 metres (2,762 Foot (unit)) high Pedra da Gávea (Crow's nest Rock) near the botanical gardens. On the top of its summit is a huge rock formation (some, such as Erich von Däniken in his 1973 book, "In Search of Ancient Gods", claim it to be a sculpture) resembling a sphinx-like, bearded head that is visible for many kilometers around.

Hang gliding is a popular activity on the nearby Pedra Bonita (Beautiful Rock). After a short flight, gliders land on the Praia do Pepino beach in São Conrado.Since 1961, the Tijuca Forest ("Floresta da Tijuca"), the largest city-surrounded urban forest and the second largest urban forest in the world, has been a National Park. The largest urban forest in the world is the Floresta da Pedra Branca (White Rock Forest), which is also located in the city of Rio de Janeiro . The Catholic University in Rio (Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro or PUC-Rio) is located at the edge of the forest, in the Gávea district. The 1984 film Blame it on Rio was filmed nearby, with the rental house used by the story's characters sitting at the edge of the forest on a mountain overlooking the famous beaches.

North Zone .

The North Zone of Rio is home to the Estádio do Maracanã, once the world's highest capacity football (soccer) venue, able to hold nearly 180,000 people, as it did the FIFA World Cup final of 1950. In modern times its capacity has been reduced to conform with modern safety regulations and the stadium has introduced seating for all fans. Currently undergoing renovation, it only has the capacity for 95,000 fans; it will eventually hold around 120,000 people. Maracanã was site for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and football competition of the 2007 Pan-American Games.

Besides the Maracanã, the North Zone of Rio also holds other tourist and historical attractions, such as 'Manguinhos', the home of Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, a centenarian biomedicine research institution with a main building fashioned like a Moorish palace, and the beautiful Quinta da Boa Vista, the park where the historical old Imperial Palace is located. Nowadays, the palace hosts the Museu Nacional (Brazil), specialising in Natural History, Archaeology and Ethnology.

The Galeão - Antônio Carlos Jobim International Airport (Galeão – Antônio Carlos Jobim International Airport, named after the famous Brazilian musician Antônio Carlos Jobim), the main campus of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro at the Fundão Island, and the Governador Island are also located in the Northern part of Rio. Some of the main neighbourhoods of Rio's north zone are Tijuca -- which shares the Tijuca Forest with the South Zone --, Grajaú, Vila Isabel, Méier, São Cristóvão (Rio de Janeiro neighborhood) and Olaria among others.

West Zone cityscape.The West Zone is the region furthest from the centre of Rio de Janeiro. It includes Barra da Tijuca, Jacarepaguá, Recreio dos Bandeirantes, Vargem Grande, Vargem Pequena, Realengo, Padre Miguel, Bangu, Campo Grande, Jardim Sulacap, and Santa Cruz. Neighbouring districts within the West Zone reveal stark differences between social classes. The area has industrial zones, but some agricultural areas still remain in its wide area.

Westwards from the older zones is Barra da Tijuca, a flat expanse of formerly undeveloped coastal land, which is currently experiencing a wave of new construction. It remains an area of accelerated growth, attracting some of the richer sectors of the population as well as luxury companies. High rise flats and sprawling shopping centres give the area a far more American feel than the crowded city centre. The urban planning of the area, made in the late 1960s, resembles that of United States suburbs, though mixing zones of single-family houses with residential skyscrapers. The beaches of Barra da Tijuca are also popular with the city's residents. Barra da Tijuca is the home of Pan-American Village for the 2007 Pan American Games.

Beyond the neighbourhoods of Barra da Tijuca and Jacarepaguá, another district that has exhibited economic growth is Campo Grande. Some sports competitions in the Pan-American Games of 2007 were held in the Miécimo da Silva Sports Centre, nicknamed the 'Algodão' (Cotton) Gymnasium, and others in the Estádio Ítalo del Cima, in Campo Grande.

Climate Rio has a Tropical climate. The average monthly temperatures are shown below, though it can occasionally reach 40°C in inland areas of the city, but in the main tourist areas (south zone, where the beaches are located), the temperature is moderated by the cool seabreezes from the ocean, even during the warmest months. The average mimimum temperature is 21°C, the average maximum temperature is 27°C and the average annual temperature is 23,7°C (1961-1990). The average yearly precipitation is 1173 mm. The minimum temperature ever registred was 6,2ºC and the maximum 43ºC.

Social conditions favela.

Rio is a city of contrast: there are enormous disparities between rich and poor. Although the city clearly ranks among the world's major metropolises, a significant proportion of the city's 6.1 million inhabitants lives in poverty. The worst of the poorer areas are the slums and shanty towns known as 'favelas'; often crowded onto the hillsides, where sturdy buildings are difficult to build, and accidents, mainly from heavy rainfall, are frequent.

A unique aspect of Rio's favelas is their very close proximity to the city's wealthiest districts. Upper-class neighbourhoods such as Ipanema and Copacabana are squeezed in between the beach and the hills, the latter of which are covered with poor neighbourhoods. Bad public education, a poor health system combined with the saturation of the penitentiary system contribute to the overall poverty and social injustice of the favelas. But then North Zone, the poorest area of Rio that tourists rarely see, gathers the vast majority of Rio's famished and impoverished masses. This social contrast creates a clash between rich and poor.

Violence acts on a favela.Rio is one of the most violent cities in the world. http://www.riobodycount.com.br/ http://rss.news.yahoo.com/imgrss/events/wl/041807riodrugsguns As of 2007 the homicide rate of the greater metropolitan area stands at nearly 80 victims per week, with the majority of victims falling to homicide, assault, stray bullets or narcoterrorism. http://oglobo.globo.com/pais/mat/2007/01/01/287254604.asp http://noticias.terra.com.br/ultimas/0,,EI316,00.html In 2001 the murder rate in Rio was 45 for every 100 thousand people and between 1978 and 2000, 49,900 people were killed in Rio. http://odia.terra.com.br/brasil/htm/geral_126206.asp The numbers are comparable with war conflict zones like Baghdad and Kabul http://noticias.terra.com.br/brasil/interna/0,,OI1595166-EI316,00.html http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/04/17/brazil.rio.violence.ap/index.html.

Rio de Janeiro's low paid and ill-equipped police is violent as well. In 2006 the police killed 1,063 people in the state of Rio de Janeiro, 1.195 in 2003 and as of April 2007 the police was killing 3.7 people a day. In comparison the American police killed just 347 people in whole of the USA during 2006.http://renajorp.blogspot.com/2007/07/polcia-do-rio-mata-41-civis-para-cada.htmlhttp://www1.folha.uol.com.br/fsp/cotidian/ff1607200701.htm Rio's policeman earns on average only R$ 874 a month or R$ 10.488 (around US$ 5.500) a yearhttp://oglobo.globo.com/rio/ancelmo/reporterdecrime/post.asp?cod_Post=54810.Compounding the problem of violence is impunity. Only 3% of the murders are solved by Rio's policehttp://www.drclas.harvard.edu/brazil/news/cidades_violentas.

The Urban Warfare involves Illegal drug trade battle with police fighting against outlaws, or on their side in case of corrupt policemen.

A form of execution used by drug dealers in Rio is burning people standing inside a pile of tires. This form of execution is called microondas, "the microwave". {{cite web | author= Ronaldo França| title=Como na Chicago de Capone | work=Veja on-line (January 30, 2002) | url=http://veja.abril.com.br/300102/p_094.html |accessdate=2007-10-08--> The movie ''[Tropa de Elite'' depicts such an execution presenting [BOPE a elite urban warfigter group in daily battles.

Culture , in Corcovado mountain. One of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

Ethnic groups Most of Rio de Janeiro's population is of Portuguese Brazilian descent, with a large number of people of Afro-Brazilian descent and mulattos of mixed Portuguese and African descent. Other important ethnic groups are present in the city, such as Germans, Italians, Spaniards, Arabs, Jews, Asian peoples (mostly Koreans and Japanese Brazilian) and mixed Amerindians.

Official statistics indicate the following ethnic composition for Rio's population: 52.5% of Whites European ethnic groups descent, 35.6% of mixed-race (European/African/Amerindian) descent, 11.4% of Black African descent and 0.4% of Asian people or Amerindian descent.

Music The official song of Rio de Janeiro is "Cidade Maravilhosa", which means "marvelous city". The song is considered the "civic anthem" of Rio, and is always the favourite song during Rio's Brazilian Carnival in February.

Rio was eternalized in the super smash hit song "Garota de Ipanema" (The Girl from Ipanema) composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim and recognized worldwide and recorded by Astrud Gilberto and João Gilberto, Frank Sinatra, and Ella Fitzgerald. This is also the main key song of the Bossa Nova, a musical genre that was born in Rio. A genre unique to Rio and Brazil as a whole is Funk Carioca, a youth phenomenon originated in violent Funky black Balls in the poorer areas of greater Rio. After reaching all social classes and other Brazilian cities, the Brazilian Funk began attracting attention outside Brazil.

Carnaval

The Brazilian carnival is an annual celebration in Brazil held 40 days before Easter and marks the beginning of Lent.Rio de Janeiro has many Carnaval choices, including the famous Samba school (Samba schools) parades in the sambódromo exhibition centre and the popular 'blocos de carnaval', which parade in almost every corner of the city. The most famous ones are the following:



Cultural events in Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro is among the biggest cities in South America, but the city is more widely renowned for the various cultural celebrations that are held there every year. The most popular of these is the Carnaval, held two weeks before the traditional Christian fasting of Lent.

People from all over Brazil and from all parts of the world come to Rio to take part and witness the extravaganza. The Carnival brings a lot of people, good food, colour and of course the Samba dance. The celebration of Carnival ends on "Mardi Gras" Tuesday.

Apart from the Carnival, New Year is also a big deal in Rio and is also one of the other major festivals. It's celebrated with several concerts and fireworks all around Rio, the largest one being in Copacabana beach. People wear white clothes, and some of them make offerings to a Candomblé deity called Iemanjá.

Rio also has one of the world's most talked-about nightlife. Rio has a lot of nightclubs where the rich enjoy themselves and party the night away. Clubs like Baronneti, Nuth and Catwalk are some of the country's best known and frequented by celebrities such as Ronaldo, Calvin Klein, Mick Jagger and Naomi Campbell.

Sports under construction for the 2007 Pan American Games.

More notable sports events in Rio include the MotoGP Brazilian Grand Prix and the World Beach volleyball finals. Jacarepaguá was the place of Formula One Brazilian Grand Prix into 1978-1990 and the Champ Car event into 1996-1999. World championship tour (WCT) surfing Surf championships were contested on the beaches from 1985-2001. The city has built a new stadium near the Estádio do Maracanã, to hold 45,000 people. It was named after Brazilian ex-FIFA president João Havelange.

Rio de Janeiro was an applicant city for the 2012 Summer Olympics but failed to make the shortlist of official candidate cities. Copacabana beach would have been the site of the triathlon and beach volleyball, while yachting competitions would have been held in Guanabara Bay. On September 2006, it was announced that Rio would bid for 2016 Summer Olympics. Depending on quantity and quality of bids that the IOC will receive from other NOCs, the IOC will probably announce a shortlist of official candidate cities (Rio was cut at this stage for the 2012 Games) in early 2008, and conduct voting for the host city in 2009.

Sports are a very popular pastime in Rio de Janeiro. The most popular is futebol (Football (soccer)). Rio de Janeiro is home to four traditional Brazilian football clubs:Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas, Clube de Regatas do Flamengo, Fluminense Football Club and Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama.

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Other popular sports are beach football, beach american football, beach volleyball, surfing, kitesurfing, hang gliding, motor racing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, recreational sailing, beach Rugby football and competitive rowing (sport). The Brazilian dance/sport/martial art capoeira is also popular. Another sport that is highly popular on the beaches of Rio is called "frescobol" (, matkot), a type of beach tennis.

Rio de Janeiro is also a paradise for rock climbing, with hundreds of routes all over the town, ranging from easy boulders to highly technical big wall climbs, all inside the city. The most famous, Rio's granite mountain, the Sugarloaf Mountain, Brazil (Sugarloaf Mountain, Brazil), is an example, with routes from the easy 3rd grade (American 5.4, French 3) to the extremely difficult 9th grade (5.13/8b), up to 280 metres.

Hang gliding in Rio de Janeiro started in the mid 1970s and quickly proved to be perfectly suited for this town, because of its geography: steep mountains encounter the Atlantic Ocean, which provide excellent take-off locations and great landing zones on the beach. Starting with amateur flights, this activity soon turned into a profitable industry of tandem hang gliding with some very experienced pilots at a cost for a ride around US$100. In the Summer, between December and March, booking in advance is recommended.

Fishing is a very popular activity in Brazil. In Rio de Janeiro, one can expect to catch a plethora of famous Brazilian copperfish, known as peixe de cobre. Many markets sell peixes de cobre and these fish are quite popular for traditional meals.

Transportation In Rio de Janeiro, buses are the main means of mass transportation. There are nearly 440 municipal bus lines serving over four million passengers each day, in addition to intercity lines. Although cheap and frequent, Rio's transportation policy has been moving towards trains and subway in order to reduce traffic jams and increase capacity.

Rio de Janeiro has two Rapid transit lines (Metro Rio) and several commuter rail lines. Future plans include building a third subway line to Niterói and São Gonçalo, Rio de Janeiro, including an underwater tunnel beneath Guanabara Bay to supplement the ferry service currently there.

In Brazil, most interstate transportation is done by road. A large terminal for long-distance buses is in the Santo Cristo neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro. There are also two port facilities for cargo and passenger ships (Rio de Janeiro and Sepetiba port).

Airports , located in the North Zone.

The City of Rio de Janeiro has five airports.

Lists Parks and squares in the central Cinelândia square.

Famous Cariocas

Cariocas, as residents of Rio de Janeiro are called in Brazil, have made extensive contributions to Brazil's history, culture, music, literature, education, science, technology etc. – particularly when Rio de Janeiro was the federal capital and a great hub of Brazilian growth and innovation in all these areas. Some important Cariocas, who were born in Rio, are:

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Education Miscellaneous In 1992 the city hosted the UNCED Earth Summit on sustainable development.

Rio has also been used as a backdrop for many films, such as Flying Down to Rio (1933), Notorious (1946 film) (1946), Black Orpheus (1959), L'Homme de Rio (1964), Moonraker (film) (1979), Blame It on Rio (1984), Wild Orchid (film) (1990), Bossa Nova (2000), The Girl from Rio (2002) and City of God (movie) (2002). The film The Brazilian Job, a sequel for The Italian Job (2004) as well as the sequel to Hulk (film) (2003), The Incredible Hulk (film) are being filmed in the city.

In The Simpsons episode "Blame it on Lisa", the family visited Rio de Janeiro, only to encounter a myriad of ludicrously exaggerated problems. The episode infuriated Brazilian tourist officials who threatened to sue the producers of the show.

In CSI: Miami episode "Rio (CSI episode)" the cops arrived in the city to hunt down a traffic leader.

Featured/recreated in the video games Driver 2, Forza Motorsport, SOCOM II: U.S. Navy SEALs Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3, Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam. The popular Half-life game mod, Counter-strike featured a level (cs_rio) that pictured a favela in Rio de Janeiro. . In the game World of Warcraft there is a place in Stranglethorn Vale called Janerio's Point, with a statue of a goblin in the same pose as the Redeeming Christ statue.

The Harbour of Rio de Janeiro was declared one of the Seven Wonders of the World by CNN.

Rio de Janeiro was also mentioned in both versions of The Producers as being the place the Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom would escape to after their sure-fire-flop musical. In the 2005 version, they sing a song about Rio entitled "You'll Find Your Happiness in Rio".

In the popular Ender's Shadow series, Rio de Janeiro is the location of Peter Wiggin's Hegemon Headquarters.

In the series Lupin III, Rio is visited on many occasions. One time for a robbery of the Maracana Stadium, where they stuffed the ticket money inside the famous Christ the Redeemer statue and nearly escaped.

Gallery Image:CopacabanaPavement.jpg|Famous Portuguese pavement at Copacabana BeachImage:Brasil.RioDeJaneiro.Corcovado.jpg]Image:Cinelandia-CCBY.jpg|View of Cinelândia square towards Guanabara bay and the Sugarloaf Mountain, BrazilImage:FIOCRUZ-Palace-CCBYSA.jpg|Façade of the Moorish Revival The Instituto Oswaldo Cruz in Rio de JaneiroImage:Museu Nacional RJ.jpg]Image:View of MAC.jpg|The Niterói Contemporary Art MuseumImage:Leblon3.jpg]Image:PaodeAcucar.JPG|Sugarloaf Mountain, Brazil in the GuanabaraImage:rio_v_16.jpg]Image:Pao_de_açucar_034.jpg|BotafogoImage:Visao Aerea Copacabana.jpg]Image:Leblon_and_Ipanema.jpg|View of beaches of Ipanema and Leblonimage:Rio_de_janeiro.jpg]Image:Pedra da Gavea éloignée.jpg|Pedra da Gávea in Rio de JaneiroImage:FlorestaTijucaRJ.jpg]



References See also

Sister cities Rio de Janeiro's Town twinning are:

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External links {{sisterlinks|Rio de Janeiro-->

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{{Infobox City|official_name = Rio de Janeiro|image_skyline = Rio at night.jpg|imagesize = 250px|image_caption = Rio at night.|image_flag = Riodejaneiro city.png|image_seal = Escudo Rio de Janeiro.gif|nickname= Cidade Maravilhosa ("The Marvelous City") or simply, Rio|image_map = RiodeJaneiro_Municip_RiodeJaneiro.svg|mapsize = 250px|map_caption = Location of Rio de Janeiro|subdivision_type = List of countries|subdivision_type1 = Regions of Brazil|subdivision_type2 = States of Brazil|subdivision_name = Brazil|subdivision_name2 = [Rio de Janeiro (state)|leader_title = Mayor of Rio de Janeiro|leader_name = César Maia (Democrats (Brazil))|area_note =|area_total_km2 = 1260|population_as_of = 2006|population_footnotes = 1|population_total = 6136652|population_density_km2 = 4781|population_metro = 12620000|timezone = UTC|utc_offset = -3|timezone_DST = UTC|utc_offset_DST = -2|latd = 22|latm= 54|lats= 30|latNS=S|longd = 43|longm=11|longs= 47|longEW=W|elevation_m =|elevation_ft =|website = www.rio.rj.gov.br|footnotes = Official IBGE 2006 Estimate |footnotes = Human Development Index (2000) 0.842 – high]: Portuguese language: , "River of January" English language ) is the second major city in southeastern Brazil, behind only São Paulo. The city is capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro (state). The city was once the capital of Brazil (1763–1960) and of the Portuguese Empire (1808–1821). 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, and also for its huge social disparities, shanty towns, violence and drug traffic. Some of the most famous local landmarks in addition to the beaches include the giant statue of Jesus, known as Christ the Redeemer (statue) ('Cristo Redentor') atop Corcovado mountain, which has recently been named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World; Sugarloaf Mountain, Brazil mountain (Pão de Açúcar) with its cable car; the Sambódromo, a giant permanent parade stand used during Carnival; and Estádio do Maracanã, one of the list of football (soccer) stadiums by capacity. Rio also boasts the world's largest forest inside an urban area, called Floresta da Tijuca, or 'Tijuca Forest' Floresta da Tijua.

Rio de Janeiro 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, occupying an area of . 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").

History , built in the first half of the 18th century., 18th century palace that served as seat for the colonial government, John IV of Portugal and the two Empire of Brazil.

Guanabara Bay was reached by Portuguese explorers in an expedition led by Portuguese people explorer Gaspar de Lemos on January 20, 1502; hence Rio de Janeiro, "January River". There is a legend that the mariners named the place thus because they thought the mouth of the bay was actually the mouth of a river, but no experienced sailor would make that mistake. At the time, river was the general word for any large body of water.

An unofficial European presence in the area began not long after. In 1519 when Ferdinand Magellan resupplied his ships in the bay, French smugglers were already using the bay as a post for smuggling brazilwood. When France naval officer Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon arrived in 1555 with a fleet of two ships and 600 soldiers and colonists, he founded the first permanent European settlement in the area. The colony was referred to as "France Antarctique". The colonists consisted of mainly French Huguenots and Swiss Calvinism. Villegaignon left in 1557 after disputes with some of the colonists.

The city was founded on March 1 1565, by Portuguese knight Estácio de Sá, who called it São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro 20 (St Sebastian of the January 20th River), in honour of Saint Sebastian (day of death traditionally on January 20). For centuries, the settlement was commonly called São Sebastião – or even 'Saint Sebastian' – instead of the currently popular second half of its name. The city was founded as a base from which to invade the French settlement. They succeeded in 1567 and the French were expelled. Later, São Sebastião was frequently attacked by Piracy and privateers, especially by then enemies of Portugal, such as the Netherlands and France.

The exact place of Rio's foundation is at the foot of Sugarloaf Mountain, Brazil (Sugarloaf Mountain). Later, the whole city was moved within a palisade on top of a hill, imitating the medieval European defence strategy of fortified castles – the place has since then been called Morro do Castelo (Castle Hill). Thus, the city developed from the current centre (Downtown, see below) southwards and then westwards (with large parts built over reclaimed land); an urban movement which continues today.

In the late 16th century the Portuguese crown began treating the village as a strategic location for the Atlantic transit of ships between Brazil, the African colonies and Europe. Fortresses were built and an alliance was formed with nearby native tribes to defend the settlement against invaders – Rio's neighbour, Niterói, for instance, was founded by Araribóia, a Tamoio Indian chief, for defensive purposes. Sugar cane was the first industry in the area. First native, and later African, slavery were used for manual labor. Eventually the industry dwindled as higher quality sugar cane from northern Brazil became more available.

to develop tourism in Rio de Janeiro..

Until early in the 18th century, the city was threatened or invaded by several – mostly French – pirates and buccaneers, such as Jean-François Duclerc and René Duguay-Trouin. After 1720, when the Portuguese found gold and diamonds in the neighbouring Capitania of Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro became a much more useful port for exporting wealth than Salvador, Brazil, Bahia, which is much farther to the north. In 1763, the colonial administration in Portuguese America was moved to Rio. The city remained primarily a colonial capital until 1808, when the Portuguese royal family and most of the associated Lisbon nobles, fleeing from Napoleon's invasion of Portugal, moved to Rio de Janeiro. The kingdom's capital was transferred to the city, which, thus, became the only European capital outside of Europe. As there was no physical space or urban structure to accommodate hundreds of noblemen who arrived suddenly, many inhabitants were simply evicted from their homes.

When Pedro I of Brazil proclaimed the independence of Brazil in 1822, he decided to keep Rio de Janeiro as the capital of his new empire. Rio continued as the capital of Brazil after 1889, when the monarchy was replaced by a republic.

Until the early years of the 20th century the city was largely limited to the neighbourhood now known as the historic Downtown business district (see below), on the mouth of Guanabara Bay. The city's centre of gravity began to shift south and west to the so-called Zona Sul (South Zone) in the early part of the 20th century, when the first tunnel was built under the mountains located between Botafogo and the neighbourhood now known as Copacabana. That beach's natural beauty, combined with the fame of the Copacabana Palace Hotel, the luxury hotel of the Americas in the 1930s, helped Rio to gain the reputation it still holds today as a beachy party town (though, this reputation has been somewhat tarnished in recent years by favela violence resulting from the narcotics trade). Plans for moving the nation's capital city to the territorial centre had been occasionally discussed, and when Juscelino Kubitschek was elected president in 1955, it was partially on the strength of promises to build a new capital. Though many thought that it was just Political campaign rhetoric, Kubitschek managed to have Brasília built, at great cost, by 1960. On April 21 that year the capital of Brazil was officially moved from Rio de Janeiro to Brasília.

Between 1960 and 1975 Rio was a citystate (such as Vienna (Austria), Hamburg (Germany), or Washington, D.C. (United States)) under the name Guanabara State (after the bay it borders). However, for administrative and political reasons, a presidential decree known as A Fusão ("The Fusion") removed the city's federative status and merged it with the Rio de Janeiro (state) in 1975. Even today, some Carioca advocate the return of municipal autonomy.

City districts The city is commonly divided into the historic downtown (Centro); the tourist-friendly South Zone, with world-famous beaches; the industrial North Zone; and the West Zone, with the newer Barra da Tijuca district.

Downtown () Centro (or Downtown in American English) is the historic centre of the city, as well as its financial centre. Sites of interest include the Paço Imperial, built during colonial times to serve as a residence for the Portuguese governors of Brazil; many historic churches, such as the Candelária Church, the Old Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro and the modern-style Rio de Janeiro Cathedral. Around the Cinelândia there are several landmarks of the Belle Époque of Rio, such as the Theatro Municipal (Rio de Janeiro) and the National Library building. Among its several museums, the Museu Nacional de Belas Artes (National Museum of Fine Arts) and the National Historical Museum of Brazil (National Historical Museum) are the most important. Other important historical attractions in central Rio include its Passeio Público (Rio de Janeiro), an 18th century public garden, as well as the imposing arches of the Arcos da Lapa, a Roman-style aqueduct built around 1750. A bondinho (tram) leaves from a city centre station, crosses the aqueduct (converted to a tram viaduct in 1896) and rambles through the hilly streets of the Santa Teresa (Rio de Janeiro) nearby.

Downtown remains the heart of the city's business community. Some of the largest companies in Brazil have their head offices here, including Petrobras and Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (the two largest Brazilian corporations).

South Zone and Vinicius de Morais song The Girl from Ipanema.

() The South Zone of Rio de Janeiro is composed of several districts, amongst which are São Conrado, Leblon, Ipanema, Arpoador, Copacabana and Leme (Rio de Janeiro), which compose Rio's famous Atlantic beach coastline. Other districts in the South Zone are Glória, Flamengo, Botafogo and Urca, which border Guanabara Bay and Santa Teresa, Cosme Velho, Laranjeiras, Humaitá, Rio de Janeiro, Lagoa, Rio de Janeiro, Jardim Botânico and Gávea.

The neighbourhood of Copacabana beach hosts one of the world's most spectacular New Year's Eve parties ("Reveillon"), as more than two million revellers crowd onto the sands to watch the fireworks display. As of 2001, the fireworks have been launched from boats, to improve the safety of the event. To the north of Leme, and at the entrance to Guanabara Bay, is the district of Urca and the Sugarloaf Mountain, Brazil ('Pão de Açúcar'), whose name describes the famous mountain rising out of the sea. The summit can be reached via a two-stage Aerial tramway trip from Praia Vermelha, with the intermediate stop on Morro da Urca. It offers views second only to Corcovado mountain.

One of the highest hills in the city is the 842 metres (2,762 Foot (unit)) high Pedra da Gávea (Crow's nest Rock) near the botanical gardens. On the top of its summit is a huge rock formation (some, such as Erich von Däniken in his 1973 book, "In Search of Ancient Gods", claim it to be a sculpture) resembling a sphinx-like, bearded head that is visible for many kilometers around.

Hang gliding is a popular activity on the nearby Pedra Bonita (Beautiful Rock). After a short flight, gliders land on the Praia do Pepino beach in São Conrado.Since 1961, the Tijuca Forest ("Floresta da Tijuca"), the largest city-surrounded urban forest and the second largest urban forest in the world, has been a National Park. The largest urban forest in the world is the Floresta da Pedra Branca (White Rock Forest), which is also located in the city of Rio de Janeiro . The Catholic University in Rio (Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro or PUC-Rio) is located at the edge of the forest, in the Gávea district. The 1984 film Blame it on Rio was filmed nearby, with the rental house used by the story's characters sitting at the edge of the forest on a mountain overlooking the famous beaches.

North Zone .

The North Zone of Rio is home to the Estádio do Maracanã, once the world's highest capacity football (soccer) venue, able to hold nearly 180,000 people, as it did the FIFA World Cup final of 1950. In modern times its capacity has been reduced to conform with modern safety regulations and the stadium has introduced seating for all fans. Currently undergoing renovation, it only has the capacity for 95,000 fans; it will eventually hold around 120,000 people. Maracanã was site for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and football competition of the 2007 Pan-American Games.

Besides the Maracanã, the North Zone of Rio also holds other tourist and historical attractions, such as 'Manguinhos', the home of Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, a centenarian biomedicine research institution with a main building fashioned like a Moorish palace, and the beautiful Quinta da Boa Vista, the park where the historical old Imperial Palace is located. Nowadays, the palace hosts the Museu Nacional (Brazil), specialising in Natural History, Archaeology and Ethnology.

The Galeão - Antônio Carlos Jobim International Airport (Galeão – Antônio Carlos Jobim International Airport, named after the famous Brazilian musician Antônio Carlos Jobim), the main campus of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro at the Fundão Island, and the Governador Island are also located in the Northern part of Rio. Some of the main neighbourhoods of Rio's north zone are Tijuca -- which shares the Tijuca Forest with the South Zone --, Grajaú, Vila Isabel, Méier, São Cristóvão (Rio de Janeiro neighborhood) and Olaria among others.

West Zone cityscape.The West Zone is the region furthest from the centre of Rio de Janeiro. It includes Barra da Tijuca, Jacarepaguá, Recreio dos Bandeirantes, Vargem Grande, Vargem Pequena, Realengo, Padre Miguel, Bangu, Campo Grande, Jardim Sulacap, and Santa Cruz. Neighbouring districts within the West Zone reveal stark differences between social classes. The area has industrial zones, but some agricultural areas still remain in its wide area.

Westwards from the older zones is Barra da Tijuca, a flat expanse of formerly undeveloped coastal land, which is currently experiencing a wave of new construction. It remains an area of accelerated growth, attracting some of the richer sectors of the population as well as luxury companies. High rise flats and sprawling shopping centres give the area a far more American feel than the crowded city centre. The urban planning of the area, made in the late 1960s, resembles that of United States suburbs, though mixing zones of single-family houses with residential skyscrapers. The beaches of Barra da Tijuca are also popular with the city's residents. Barra da Tijuca is the home of Pan-American Village for the 2007 Pan American Games.

Beyond the neighbourhoods of Barra da Tijuca and Jacarepaguá, another district that has exhibited economic growth is Campo Grande. Some sports competitions in the Pan-American Games of 2007 were held in the Miécimo da Silva Sports Centre, nicknamed the 'Algodão' (Cotton) Gymnasium, and others in the Estádio Ítalo del Cima, in Campo Grande.

Climate Rio has a Tropical climate. The average monthly temperatures are shown below, though it can occasionally reach 40°C in inland areas of the city, but in the main tourist areas (south zone, where the beaches are located), the temperature is moderated by the cool seabreezes from the ocean, even during the warmest months. The average mimimum temperature is 21°C, the average maximum temperature is 27°C and the average annual temperature is 23,7°C (1961-1990). The average yearly precipitation is 1173 mm. The minimum temperature ever registred was 6,2ºC and the maximum 43ºC.

Social conditions favela.

Rio is a city of contrast: there are enormous disparities between rich and poor. Although the city clearly ranks among the world's major metropolises, a significant proportion of the city's 6.1 million inhabitants lives in poverty. The worst of the poorer areas are the slums and shanty towns known as 'favelas'; often crowded onto the hillsides, where sturdy buildings are difficult to build, and accidents, mainly from heavy rainfall, are frequent.

A unique aspect of Rio's favelas is their very close proximity to the city's wealthiest districts. Upper-class neighbourhoods such as Ipanema and Copacabana are squeezed in between the beach and the hills, the latter of which are covered with poor neighbourhoods. Bad public education, a poor health system combined with the saturation of the penitentiary system contribute to the overall poverty and social injustice of the favelas. But then North Zone, the poorest area of Rio that tourists rarely see, gathers the vast majority of Rio's famished and impoverished masses. This social contrast creates a clash between rich and poor.

Violence acts on a favela.Rio is one of the most violent cities in the world. http://www.riobodycount.com.br/ http://rss.news.yahoo.com/imgrss/events/wl/041807riodrugsguns As of 2007 the homicide rate of the greater metropolitan area stands at nearly 80 victims per week, with the majority of victims falling to homicide, assault, stray bullets or narcoterrorism. http://oglobo.globo.com/pais/mat/2007/01/01/287254604.asp http://noticias.terra.com.br/ultimas/0,,EI316,00.html In 2001 the murder rate in Rio was 45 for every 100 thousand people and between 1978 and 2000, 49,900 people were killed in Rio. http://odia.terra.com.br/brasil/htm/geral_126206.asp The numbers are comparable with war conflict zones like Baghdad and Kabul http://noticias.terra.com.br/brasil/interna/0,,OI1595166-EI316,00.html http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/04/17/brazil.rio.violence.ap/index.html.

Rio de Janeiro's low paid and ill-equipped police is violent as well. In 2006 the police killed 1,063 people in the state of Rio de Janeiro, 1.195 in 2003 and as of April 2007 the police was killing 3.7 people a day. In comparison the American police killed just 347 people in whole of the USA during 2006.http://renajorp.blogspot.com/2007/07/polcia-do-rio-mata-41-civis-para-cada.htmlhttp://www1.folha.uol.com.br/fsp/cotidian/ff1607200701.htm Rio's policeman earns on average only R$ 874 a month or R$ 10.488 (around US$ 5.500) a yearhttp://oglobo.globo.com/rio/ancelmo/reporterdecrime/post.asp?cod_Post=54810.Compounding the problem of violence is impunity. Only 3% of the murders are solved by Rio's policehttp://www.drclas.harvard.edu/brazil/news/cidades_violentas.

The Urban Warfare involves Illegal drug trade battle with police fighting against outlaws, or on their side in case of corrupt policemen.

A form of execution used by drug dealers in Rio is burning people standing inside a pile of tires. This form of execution is called microondas, "the microwave". {{cite web | author= Ronaldo França| title=Como na Chicago de Capone | work=Veja on-line (January 30, 2002) | url=http://veja.abril.com.br/300102/p_094.html |accessdate=2007-10-08--> The movie ''[Tropa de Elite'' depicts such an execution presenting [BOPE a elite urban warfigter group in daily battles.

Culture , in Corcovado mountain. One of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

Ethnic groups Most of Rio de Janeiro's population is of Portuguese Brazilian descent, with a large number of people of Afro-Brazilian descent and mulattos of mixed Portuguese and African descent. Other important ethnic groups are present in the city, such as Germans, Italians, Spaniards, Arabs, Jews, Asian peoples (mostly Koreans and Japanese Brazilian) and mixed Amerindians.

Official statistics indicate the following ethnic composition for Rio's population: 52.5% of Whites European ethnic groups descent, 35.6% of mixed-race (European/African/Amerindian) descent, 11.4% of Black African descent and 0.4% of Asian people or Amerindian descent.

Music The official song of Rio de Janeiro is "Cidade Maravilhosa", which means "marvelous city". The song is considered the "civic anthem" of Rio, and is always the favourite song during Rio's Brazilian Carnival in February.

Rio was eternalized in the super smash hit song "Garota de Ipanema" (The Girl from Ipanema) composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim and recognized worldwide and recorded by Astrud Gilberto and João Gilberto, Frank Sinatra, and Ella Fitzgerald. This is also the main key song of the Bossa Nova, a musical genre that was born in Rio. A genre unique to Rio and Brazil as a whole is Funk Carioca, a youth phenomenon originated in violent Funky black Balls in the poorer areas of greater Rio. After reaching all social classes and other Brazilian cities, the Brazilian Funk began attracting attention outside Brazil.

Carnaval

The Brazilian carnival is an annual celebration in Brazil held 40 days before Easter and marks the beginning of Lent.Rio de Janeiro has many Carnaval choices, including the famous Samba school (Samba schools) parades in the sambódromo exhibition centre and the popular 'blocos de carnaval', which parade in almost every corner of the city. The most famous ones are the following:



Cultural events in Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro is among the biggest cities in South America, but the city is more widely renowned for the various cultural celebrations that are held there every year. The most popular of these is the Carnaval, held two weeks before the traditional Christian fasting of Lent.

People from all over Brazil and from all parts of the world come to Rio to take part and witness the extravaganza. The Carnival brings a lot of people, good food, colour and of course the Samba dance. The celebration of Carnival ends on "Mardi Gras" Tuesday.

Apart from the Carnival, New Year is also a big deal in Rio and is also one of the other major festivals. It's celebrated with several concerts and fireworks all around Rio, the largest one being in Copacabana beach. People wear white clothes, and some of them make offerings to a Candomblé deity called Iemanjá.

Rio also has one of the world's most talked-about nightlife. Rio has a lot of nightclubs where the rich enjoy themselves and party the night away. Clubs like Baronneti, Nuth and Catwalk are some of the country's best known and frequented by celebrities such as Ronaldo, Calvin Klein, Mick Jagger and Naomi Campbell.

Sports under construction for the 2007 Pan American Games.

More notable sports events in Rio include the MotoGP Brazilian Grand Prix and the World Beach volleyball finals. Jacarepaguá was the place of Formula One Brazilian Grand Prix into 1978-1990 and the Champ Car event into 1996-1999. World championship tour (WCT) surfing Surf championships were contested on the beaches from 1985-2001. The city has built a new stadium near the Estádio do Maracanã, to hold 45,000 people. It was named after Brazilian ex-FIFA president João Havelange.

Rio de Janeiro was an applicant city for the 2012 Summer Olympics but failed to make the shortlist of official candidate cities. Copacabana beach would have been the site of the triathlon and beach volleyball, while yachting competitions would have been held in Guanabara Bay. On September 2006, it was announced that Rio would bid for 2016 Summer Olympics. Depending on quantity and quality of bids that the IOC will receive from other NOCs, the IOC will probably announce a shortlist of official candidate cities (Rio was cut at this stage for the 2012 Games) in early 2008, and conduct voting for the host city in 2009.

Sports are a very popular pastime in Rio de Janeiro. The most popular is futebol (Football (soccer)). Rio de Janeiro is home to four traditional Brazilian football clubs:Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas, Clube de Regatas do Flamengo, Fluminense Football Club and Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama.

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Other popular sports are beach football, beach american football, beach volleyball, surfing, kitesurfing, hang gliding, motor racing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, recreational sailing, beach Rugby football and competitive rowing (sport). The Brazilian dance/sport/martial art capoeira is also popular. Another sport that is highly popular on the beaches of Rio is called "frescobol" (, matkot), a type of beach tennis.

Rio de Janeiro is also a paradise for rock climbing, with hundreds of routes all over the town, ranging from easy boulders to highly technical big wall climbs, all inside the city. The most famous, Rio's granite mountain, the Sugarloaf Mountain, Brazil (Sugarloaf Mountain, Brazil), is an example, with routes from the easy 3rd grade (American 5.4, French 3) to the extremely difficult 9th grade (5.13/8b), up to 280 metres.

Hang gliding in Rio de Janeiro started in the mid 1970s and quickly proved to be perfectly suited for this town, because of its geography: steep mountains encounter the Atlantic Ocean, which provide excellent take-off locations and great landing zones on the beach. Starting with amateur flights, this activity soon turned into a profitable industry of tandem hang gliding with some very experienced pilots at a cost for a ride around US$100. In the Summer, between December and March, booking in advance is recommended.

Fishing is a very popular activity in Brazil. In Rio de Janeiro, one can expect to catch a plethora of famous Brazilian copperfish, known as peixe de cobre. Many markets sell peixes de cobre and these fish are quite popular for traditional meals.

Transportation In Rio de Janeiro, buses are the main means of mass transportation. There are nearly 440 municipal bus lines serving over four million passengers each day, in addition to intercity lines. Although cheap and frequent, Rio's transportation policy has been moving towards trains and subway in order to reduce traffic jams and increase capacity.

Rio de Janeiro has two Rapid transit lines (Metro Rio) and several commuter rail lines. Future plans include building a third subway line to Niterói and São Gonçalo, Rio de Janeiro, including an underwater tunnel beneath Guanabara Bay to supplement the ferry service currently there.

In Brazil, most interstate transportation is done by road. A large terminal for long-distance buses is in the Santo Cristo neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro. There are also two port facilities for cargo and passenger ships (Rio de Janeiro and Sepetiba port).

Airports , located in the North Zone.

The City of Rio de Janeiro has five airports.

Lists Parks and squares in the central Cinelândia square.

Famous Cariocas

Cariocas, as residents of Rio de Janeiro are called in Brazil, have made extensive contributions to Brazil's history, culture, music, literature, education, science, technology etc. – particularly when Rio de Janeiro was the federal capital and a great hub of Brazilian growth and innovation in all these areas. Some important Cariocas, who were born in Rio, are:

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Education Miscellaneous In 1992 the city hosted the UNCED Earth Summit on sustainable development.

Rio has also been used as a backdrop for many films, such as Flying Down to Rio (1933), Notorious (1946 film) (1946), Black Orpheus (1959), L'Homme de Rio (1964), Moonraker (film) (1979), Blame It on Rio (1984), Wild Orchid (film) (1990), Bossa Nova (2000), The Girl from Rio (2002) and City of God (movie) (2002). The film The Brazilian Job, a sequel for The Italian Job (2004) as well as the sequel to Hulk (film) (2003), The Incredible Hulk (film) are being filmed in the city.

In The Simpsons episode "Blame it on Lisa", the family visited Rio de Janeiro, only to encounter a myriad of ludicrously exaggerated problems. The episode infuriated Brazilian tourist officials who threatened to sue the producers of the show.

In CSI: Miami episode "Rio (CSI episode)" the cops arrived in the city to hunt down a traffic leader.

Featured/recreated in the video games Driver 2, Forza Motorsport, SOCOM II: U.S. Navy SEALs Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3, Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam. The popular Half-life game mod, Counter-strike featured a level (cs_rio) that pictured a favela in Rio de Janeiro. . In the game World of Warcraft there is a place in Stranglethorn Vale called Janerio's Point, with a statue of a goblin in the same pose as the Redeeming Christ statue.

The Harbour of Rio de Janeiro was declared one of the Seven Wonders of the World by CNN.

Rio de Janeiro was also mentioned in both versions of The Producers as being the place the Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom would escape to after their sure-fire-flop musical. In the 2005 version, they sing a song about Rio entitled "You'll Find Your Happiness in Rio".

In the popular Ender's Shadow series, Rio de Janeiro is the location of Peter Wiggin's Hegemon Headquarters.

In the series Lupin III, Rio is visited on many occasions. One time for a robbery of the Maracana Stadium, where they stuffed the ticket money inside the famous Christ the Redeemer statue and nearly escaped.

Gallery Image:CopacabanaPavement.jpg|Famous Portuguese pavement at Copacabana BeachImage:Brasil.RioDeJaneiro.Corcovado.jpg]Image:Cinelandia-CCBY.jpg|View of Cinelândia square towards Guanabara bay and the Sugarloaf Mountain, BrazilImage:FIOCRUZ-Palace-CCBYSA.jpg|Façade of the Moorish Revival The Instituto Oswaldo Cruz in Rio de JaneiroImage:Museu Nacional RJ.jpg]Image:View of MAC.jpg|The Niterói Contemporary Art MuseumImage:Leblon3.jpg]Image:PaodeAcucar.JPG|Sugarloaf Mountain, Brazil in the GuanabaraImage:rio_v_16.jpg]Image:Pao_de_açucar_034.jpg|BotafogoImage:Visao Aerea Copacabana.jpg]Image:Leblon_and_Ipanema.jpg|View of beaches of Ipanema and Leblonimage:Rio_de_janeiro.jpg]Image:Pedra da Gavea éloignée.jpg|Pedra da Gávea in Rio de JaneiroImage:FlorestaTijucaRJ.jpg]



References See also

Sister cities Rio de Janeiro's Town twinning are:

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External links {{sisterlinks|Rio de Janeiro-->

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