A city of Rio de Janeiro turns 458 today, March 1st. Also known as the wonderful city, it is the main tourist center in Brazil and one of the main ones in the world.
To celebrate the date, various activities will be carried out in the city, such as the Carioca Cultural Marathon, which runs until the end of the month. Other highlights for the population include museum visits free. The Rio Art Museum (MAR) and the Museum of Tomorrow are some of them.
At the birthday of Rio de Janeiro 2023, we also remember the beauty of the city, which has already been highlighted in several songs of Brazilian Popular Music (MPB). The main one is the song Garota de Ipanema, an anthem of the musical movement Bossa nova.
General data
A city of Rio de Janeiro It is the second largest metropolis in Brazil. It's just behind city of São Paulo, which completed 469 years on January 25.
Important city also in Brazil's economy, Rio de Janeiro is home to several companies, such as, for example, Petrobras, a Brazilian state-owned company that operates mainly in the exploration and production of
Petroleum and its derivatives and natural gas.According to data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) released in 2020, Rio de Janeiro has a total area of 1200.329 km² and 6,747,815 inhabitants.
Among the main sights of Rio de Janeiro, they are:
Christ the Redeemer
Sugar Loaf
Beaches, especially those in the south zone, such as Copacabana and Ipanema
Bohemian neighborhood of Lapa
Botanical Garden
Maracana Stadium
Historic centers such as the Museum of the Republic (Palácio do Catete) and the National museum
Center of the city that includes museums, Theatro Municipal, Brazilian Academy of Letters (ABL), Banco do Brasil Cultural Center (CCBB), Royal Cabinet of the Portuguese Language, etc.
Do not stop now... There's more after the publicity ;)
History of Rio de Janeiro
The history of Rio de Janeiro begins in 1565, when the city was founded after a clash between Portuguese and French forces for control of the region. Initially, the city was enabled by traditional indigenous populations, but the arrival of Portuguese settlers in the region changed the history of the region.
As a port city, it gained great economic importance. Rio de Janeiro became the second capital of Brazil in 1763. Before, the position was occupied by the city of Salvador (BA).
Another important moment in the history of Rio de Janeiro was the transfer of the Portuguese royal family to the city, in 1808, becoming, shortly afterwards, in 1822, the capital of the Brazilian empire.
Even after the independence of Brazil, in the year 1822, the city of Rio de Janeiro continued to be the main political and economic center of the country. In 1960, Rio de Janeiro ceased to be the capital of Brazil. The post is now occupied by Brasilia (DF), planned specifically for this purpose.
Geography of Rio de Janeiro
The geography of Rio de Janeiro has specific characteristics. Among them, stand out:
The climate is tropicaldamp, with summers hot and rainy and winters mild and dry;
The average annual temperature is around 22ºC;
In summer, thermometers can mark 30 ºC and winters record averages of 18 ºC;
The annual rainfall varies between 1200 mm and 1800 mm;
Hills and mountains are quite common;
The biome isAtlantic forest;
It has one of the largest urban forests in the world, the Tijuca forest, inserted in the Tijuca National Park;
The main watercourse in the municipality is the Guandu, responsible for its supply.
See too: natural aspects of the state of Rio de Janeiro
Image credit:
[1] Anna ART/ Shutterstock
[2] Daniel Basil
By Silvia Tancredi
Journalist