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Rio de Janeiro

Welcome to the Rio de Janeiro Website of pictures within the World from the Web Home page. Located on the southeast coast of Brazil, this city is the 2nd largest city in Brazil next to Sao Paulo. Rio, as it is commonly known, is the capital of The Rio de Janeiro State.

Renowned for its lush forests, towering mountains and beautiful beaches, it is still Brazils leading cultural and tourist center. It is a world class city being one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Called 'Cidade Maravilhosa' (Marvellous City) by the 'Cariocas' whose friendly, carefree attitude to life is infectious. Rio's population is over 10 million people. The predominant language here is Portuguese. Spanish (and other Romance languages) is likely to be understood due to some similarities between the two languages, but is not as widely spoken as English or French.

A third of the people live in the favelas (shanty towns) that blanket many of the hillsides; Rio does have a reputation as a violent city. Special police are assigned to areas frequented by gringos in an effort to keep them safe - recent reports suggest they have been pretty successful. I spent over 1 week in Rio, and once I adjusted to it, I felt completely safe and had no problems.

The view from the top of Corcovado, the 750m (2460ft) mountain peak with the statue of Christ the Redeemer at its summit, offers the best way to become geographically familiar with the city. Favelas crowd against the hillsides on both sides of town.

Copacabana is probably the world's most famous beach, and runs for 4.5km (3mi) in front of one of the most densely populated residential areas on the planet. From the scalloped beach you can see the granite slabs that surround the entrance to the bay. Ipanema is Rio's richest and most chic beach. Other beaches within and near the city include Pepino, Barra da Tijuca, Flamengo and Arpoador.

Pão de Açúcar (Sugar Loaf) is picture-postcard perfect. Two cable cars climb 396m (1300ft) above Rio and the Baía de Guanabara and, from the top, Rio looks the most beautiful city in the world. Parque Nacional de Tijuca, 15 minutes from the concrete jungle of Copacobana, is all that's left of the tropical jungle that once surrounded Rio. The forest is an exuberant green, with beautiful trees and waterfalls.

Tourism is a main staple of the economy. It is also a service industry center, a key financial center, and the producer of foodstuffs, building materials, electrical equipment, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, beverages, and textiles.

In the year of 1502 Portuguese explorers sailed over to Brazil. This second journey was headed by André Gonçalves. He was the one who found the bay today known as Guanabara. Apparently he mistook it for the mouth of a river, Rio, in Portuguese. The month was January (Janeiro), and he brightly concluded: Rio de Janeiro! With a military coupe in 1889 the first Republic was born, under the rule of Marshal Deodoro da Fonseca, the first president. Rio was the capital of Brazil until the year of 1960, when President Juscelino Kubitschek inaugurated what was his dream vision of a model capital. The federal district was then transferred to Brasilia.

Carnaval is a popular event that occurs to open the Lent season. Carnaval, as spelled in Portuguese, is a 4-day celebration. It starts on Saturday, and ends on Fat Tuesday (Mardi-Gras). Dates change every year. It's 40 days before the Lent, a Catholic holiday.

All pictures are from Rio de Janeiro or very near the city, using film and digital cameras. The pictures from this page are from Sugarloaf and the Botantical Gardens. The top of this mountain is an impressive 1300' above sea level and offers a spectacular view of Guanabara Bay and the city. Cable cars take visitors up the mountain in two stages, stopping on the way to the summit at Morro da Urca. Jardin Botanico (Botanical Garden) has a beautifully arranged collection of more that 5000 tropical and subtropical plants. Subsequent pages are found directly below. A total of 6 pages make up this Rio de Janeiro site.