Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro
Rio-Niteroi Bridge (background)
UTC−3 (BRT)
Postal Code	20000-001 to 23799-999
Area code	21
HDI (2010)	0.799 – high[4]
Nominal 2018 GDP (City)	US$ 93.9 billion (2nd)[5]
Per capita	US$14,046 (2nd)
Website	en.prefeitura.rio
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Rio de Janeiro: Carioca Landscapes between the Mountain and the Sea
Type	Cultural
Criteria	vi
Designated	2012 (36th session)
Reference no.	1100

Rio de Janeiro (Brazilian Portuguese:

in the Americas.

Founded in 1565 by the

.

Rio de Janeiro has the second largest municipal GDP in the country,^[8] and 30th-largest in the world in 2008.^[9] This is estimated at R$343 billion. In the city are the headquarters of Brazilian oil, mining, and telecommunications companies, including two of the country's major corporations, Petrobras and Vale, and Latin America's largest telemedia conglomerate, Grupo Globo. The home of many universities and institutes, it is the second-largest center of research and development in Brazil, accounting for 17 percent of national scientific output according to 2005 data.^[10] Despite the high perception of crime, the city actually has a lower incidence of crime than most state capitals in Brazil.^[11]

Rio de Janeiro is one of the most visited cities in the

History

The region of Rio was inhabited by the

Colonial period

Europeans first encountered Guanabara Bay on 1 January 1502 (hence Rio de Janeiro, "January River"), during a Portuguese expedition under explorer Gaspar de Lemos, captain of a ship in Pedro Álvares Cabral's fleet, or under Gonçalo Coelho.^[17] Allegedly the Florentine explorer Amerigo Vespucci participated as an observer at the invitation of King Manuel I in the same expedition.

In 1555, one of the islands of Guanabara Bay, now called Villegagnon Island, was occupied by 500 French colonists under the French admiral Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon. Consequently, Villegagnon built Fort Coligny on the island when attempting to establish the France Antarctique colony. Eventually this French settlement became too much of a threat to the established Portuguese colony and in 1560 the order was made to get rid of them. A years-long military aggression was then initiated by the new Governor General of Brazil Mem De Sa, and later continued by his nephew Estacio De Sa. On 20 January 1567, a final defeat was imposed on the French forces and they were decisively expelled from Brazil for good.

The city of Rio de Janeiro proper was founded on 1 March 1565 by the Portuguese, led by

In the late 17th century, still during the Sugar Era, the

moved

to Rio de Janeiro.

Portuguese royal period

The kingdom's capital was transferred to the city, which, thus, became the only European capital outside of

From the colonial period until the first independent era, Rio de Janeiro was a city of slaves. There was a large influx of African slaves to Rio de Janeiro: in 1819, there were 145,000 slaves in the captaincy. In 1840, the number of slaves reached 220,000 people.^[25] Between 1811 and 1831, 500,000 to a million slaves arrived in Rio de Janeiro through Valongo Wharf, which is now a World Heritage Site.^[26] The Port of Rio de Janeiro was the largest port of slaves in America.^[27]

When

As a political center of the country, Rio concentrated the political-partisan life of the Empire. It was the main stage of the abolitionist and republican movements in the last half of the 19th century.[24] At that time the number of slaves was drastically reduced and the city was developed, with modern drains, animal trams, train stations crossing the city, gas and electric lighting, telephone and telegraph wiring, water and river plumbing.^[24] Rio continued as the capital of Brazil after 1889, when the monarchy was replaced by a republic.

On 6 February 1889 the Bangu Textile Factory was founded, with the name of Industrial Progress Company of Brazil (Companhia Progresso Industrial do Brasil). The factory was officially opened on 8 March 1893, in a complex with varying architectural styles like Italianate, Neo-Gothic and a tower in Mansard Roof style. After the opening in 1893, workers from Great Britain arrived in Bangu to work in the textile factory. The old farms became worker villages with red-bricks houses, and a neo-gothic church was created, which still exists as the Saint Sebastian and Saint Cecilia Parish Church. Street cinemas and cultural buildings also appeared. In May 1894, Thomas Donohoe, a British worker from Busby, Scotland, arrived in Bangu.^[28]

Donohoe was amazed to discover that there was absolutely no knowledge of football among Brazilians. So he wrote to his wife, Elizabeth, asking her to bring a football when she joined him. And shortly after her arrival, in September 1894, the first football match in Brazil took place in the field beside the textile factory. It was a five-a-side match between British workers, and took place six months before the first game organized by Charles Miller in São Paulo. However, the Bangu Football Club was not formally created until 1904.^[29]

At the time Brazil's

In 1910, Rio saw the

.

Until the early years of the 20th century, the city was largely limited to the neighborhood now known as the historic city center (see below), on the mouth of Guanabara Bay. The city's center of gravity began to shift south and west to the so-called

military rule. At the time, Rio de Janeiro was a city-state, capital of Guanabara

Plans for moving the nation's capital city from Rio de Janeiro to the center of Brazil had been occasionally discussed, and when

In 1992, Rio hosted the

set around a natural environment.

Geography

ISS

Rio de Janeiro is near the west end of a strip (from Cabo Frio to just east of Ilha Grande) of Brazil's Atlantic coast close to the Tropic of Capricorn where the shoreline is oriented east and west; the city thus faces largely south. It was founded at the entrance to an inlet, Guanabara Bay (Baía de Guanabara), which is marked by a point of land called Sugar Loaf (Pão de Açúcar) – a "calling card" of the city.^[37]

The population of the city of Rio de Janeiro, occupying an area of 1,182.3 km² (456.5 sq mi),^[38] is about 6,000,000.^[39] The population of the greater metropolitan area is estimated at 11–13.5 million. Residents of the city are known as cariocas. The official song of Rio is "Cidade Maravilhosa", by composer André Filho.

The city has parks and ecological reserves such as the Tijuca National Park, the world's first urban forest and

is the largest landfill in the city, extending from the center to the south zone, and containing museums and monuments, in addition to much vegetation.

Since 1961, the

Environment

Due to the high concentration of industries in the metropolitan region, the city has faced serious problems of environmental pollution. The Guanabara Bay has lost mangrove areas and suffers from residues from domestic and industrial sewage, oils and heavy metals. Although its waters renew when they reach the sea, the bay is the final receiver of all the tributaries generated along its banks and in the basins of the many rivers and streams that flow into it. The levels of particulate matter in the air are twice as high as that recommended by the World Health Organization, in part because of the large numbers of vehicles in circulation.^[43]

The waters of Sepetiba Bay are slowly following the path traced by Guanabara Bay, with sewage generated by a population of the order of 1.29 million inhabitants being released without treatment in streams or rivers. With regard to industrial pollution, highly toxic wastes, with high concentrations of heavy metals – mainly zinc and cadmium – have been dumped over the years by factories in the industrial districts of Santa Cruz, Itaguaí and Nova Iguaçu, constructed under the supervision of State policies.^[44]

The Marapendi lagoon and the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon have suffered with the leniency of the authorities and the growth in the number of apartment buildings close by. The illegal discharge of sewage and the consequent deaths of algae diminished the oxygenation of the waters, causing fish mortality.^[45][46]

There are, on the other hand, signs of decontamination in the lagoon made through a

Climate

Copacabana Beach

on a sunny day

Rio has a tropical savanna climate (Aw) that closely borders a tropical monsoon climate (Am) according to the Köppen climate classification, and is often characterized by long periods of heavy rain between December and March.^[48] The city experiences hot, humid summers, and warm, sunny winters. In inland areas of the city, temperatures above 40 °C (104 °F) are common during the summer, though rarely for long periods, while maximum temperatures above 27 °C (81 °F) can occur on a monthly basis.

Along the coast, the breeze, blowing onshore and offshore, moderates the temperature. Because of its geographic situation, the city is often reached by cold fronts advancing from

Drought is very rare, albeit bound to happen occasionally given the city's strongly seasonal tropical climate. The Brazilian drought of 2014–2015, most severe in the Southeast Region and the worst in decades, affected the entire metropolitan region's water supply (a diversion from the Paraíba do Sul River to the Guandu River is a major source for the state's most populous mesoregion). There were plans to divert the Paraíba do Sul to the Sistema Cantareira (Cantareira system) during the water crisis of 2014 in order to help the critically drought-stricken Greater São Paulo area. However, availability of sufficient rainfall to supply tap water to both metropolitan areas in the future is merely speculative.^[53][54][55]

Roughly in the same suburbs (Nova Iguaçu and surrounding areas, including parts of Campo Grande and Bangu) that correspond to the location of the March 2012, February–March 2013 and January 2015 pseudo-hail (granizo) falls, there was a tornado-like phenomenon in January 2011, for the first time in the region's recorded history, causing structural damage and long-lasting blackouts, but no fatalities.^[56][57] The World Meteorological Organization has advised that Brazil, especially its southeastern region, must be prepared for increasingly severe weather occurrences in the near future, since events such as the catastrophic January 2011 Rio de Janeiro floods and mudslides are not an isolated phenomenon. In early May 2013, winds registering above 90 km/h (56 mph) caused blackouts in 15 neighborhoods of the city and three surrounding municipalities, and killed one person.^[58] Rio saw similarly high winds (about 100 km/h (62 mph)) in January 2015.^[59]

Temperature also varies according to elevation, distance from the coast, and type of vegetation or land use. During the winter, cold fronts and dawn/morning sea breezes bring mild temperatures; cold fronts, the

According to data from the Brazilian National Institute of Meteorology (INMET), since 1931, the absolute minimum temperature recorded in Rio de Janeiro was 6.4 °C on August 18, 1933,[64] at the meteorological station in the Bangu neighborhood (deactivated in March 2004). This same station, located in the city's hottest neighborhood,^[65] recorded a maximum temperature of 43.1 °C on January 14, 1984, which held the record for the highest temperature in the city until December 26, 2012, when 43.2 °C was recorded at the Santa Cruz station.^[66] The record for rainfall within 24 hours is 349.4 mm, recorded on February 26, 1971, at the former station in the Engenho de Dentro neighborhood.^[67]

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1872	274,972	—
1890	522,651	+90.1%
1900	811,443	+55.3%
1920	1,157,873	+42.7%
1940	1,764,141	+52.4%
1950	2,377,451	+34.8%
1960	3,281,908	+38.0%
1970	4,251,918	+29.6%
1980	5,090,700	+19.7%
1991	5,336,179	+4.8%
2000	5,851,914	+9.7%
2010	6,320,446	+8.0%
2022	6,211,223	−1.7%
[91]

According to the 2010 IBGE Census, there were 5,940,224 people residing in the city of Rio de Janeiro.^[92] Since 1960, when it was surpassed by São Paulo, the city of Rio de Janeiro has been the second-most populous city in Brazil.^[93]

The

The

Amerindians

(which are called caboclos as well), being more of a skin color rather than a racial group in particular.

Immigration and migration

Different ethnic groups contributed to the formation of the population of Rio de Janeiro. Before European colonization, there were at least seven different

Rio de Janeiro is home to the largest

Portuguese city" outside Portugal^[101]

The Portuguese cultural influence is still seen in many parts of the city (and many other parts of the state of Rio de Janeiro), including architecture and

Rio de Janeiro city (1890)

Group	Population	Percentage[103]
Portuguese immigrants	106,461	20.4%
Brazilians with at least one Portuguese parent	161,203	30.8%
Portuguese immigrants and their descendants	267,664	51.2%

As a result of the influx of immigrants to Brazil from the late 19th to the early 20th century, also found in Rio de Janeiro and

Genomic ancestry of non-related individuals in Rio de Janeiro[105]
Race or skin color	Number of individuals	Amerindian	African	European
White	107	6.7%	6.9%	86.4%
Pardo (Mixed race)	119	8.3%	23.6%	68.1%
Black	109	7.3%	50.9%	41.8%

According to an autosomal DNA study from 2009, conducted on a school in the poor suburb of Rio de Janeiro, the "pardos" there were found to be on average about 80% European, and the "whites" (who thought of themselves as "very mixed") were found to carry very little Amerindian and/or African admixtures. The results of the tests of genomic ancestry are quite different from the self made estimates of European ancestry. In general, the test results showed that European ancestry is far more important than the students thought it would be. The "pardos" for example thought of themselves as 1⁄3 European, 1⁄3 African and 1⁄3 Amerindian before the tests, and yet their ancestry on average reached 80% European.[106]^[107] Other studies showed similar results^[105][108]

Religion in Rio de Janeiro is diverse, with

Rio de Janeiro has had a rich and influential Catholic tradition. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro is the second largest archdiocese in Brazil after São Paulo.^[110] The Rio de Janeiro Cathedral was inaugurated in 1979, in the central region of the city. Its installations have a collection of great historical and religious value: the Archdiocesan Museum of Sacred Art and the Archdiocesan Archive.^[111] In a Contemporary architecture, it has a conical shape, with 96 meters of internal diameter and capacity to receive up to 20 thousand faithful. The splendor of the building, with straight and sober lines, is due to the changing stained glass windows carved on the walls up to the dome. Its design and execution was coordinated by Monsignor Ivo Antônio Calliari (1918–2005).^[111] Saint Sebastian is recognized as the city's patron saint, which is why it received the canonical name of "Saint Sebastian of Rio de Janeiro."^[112]

Many

Afro-Brazilian religions such as Umbanda and Candomblé find support in various social segments, although professed by less than 2% of the population, many Cariocas simultaneously observe those practices with Roman Catholicism.^[109][113]

The

The

The city is home to various

Seventh-day Adventist churches, and those of Pentecostal origin: Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, Assembly of God, Christian Congregation in Brazil, Foursquare Gospel, House of Blessing, God is Love Pentecostal Church, Christian Maranatha, and New Life.^[117]

Education

Main article: List of Rio de Janeiro schools, colleges, universities and research centers

The Portuguese language is the official and national language, and thus the primary language taught in schools. English and Spanish are also part of the official curriculum. There are also international schools, such as the American School of Rio de Janeiro, Our Lady of Mercy School, SIS Swiss International School, the Corcovado German School, the Lycée Français and the British School of Rio de Janeiro.^[118]

The city has several universities and research institutes. The Ministry of Education has certified approximately 99 upper-learning institutions in Rio.^[119] The most prestigious university is the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. It is the fifth-best in Latin America; the second-best in Brazil, second only to the University of São Paulo; and the best in Latin America, according to the QS World University Rankings.^[120][121]

Some notable higher education institutions are

Federal Center of Technological Education Celso Suckow da Fonseca (CEFET/RJ). There are more than 137 upper-learning institutions in whole Rio de Janeiro state.^[122]

The Rio de Janeiro State University (public), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (public), Brazilian Institute of Capital Markets (private) and Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (private) are among the country's top institutions of higher education. Other institutes of higher learning include the Colégio Regina Coeli in Usina, notable for having its own 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge^[123] funicular railway on its grounds.^[124]

Primary schools are largely under municipal administration, while the state plays a more significant role in the extensive network of secondary schools. There are also a small number of schools under federal administration, as is the case of Pedro II School, Colégio de Aplicação da UFRJ and the Centro Federal de Educação Tecnológica of Rio de Janeiro (CEFET-RJ). In addition, Rio has an ample offering of private schools that provide education at all levels. Rio is home to many colleges and universities. The literacy rate for cariocas aged 10 and older is nearly 95 percent, well above the national average.^[125] In Rio, there were 1,033 primary schools with 25,594 teachers and 667,788 students in 1995. There are 370 secondary schools with 9,699 teachers and 227,892 students. There are 53 University-preparatory schools with 14,864 teachers and 154,447 students. The city has six major universities and 47 private schools of higher learning.^[126]

Social issues

Main articles: Social issues in Brazil, Social apartheid in Brazil, and Favela

There are significant disparities between the rich and the poor in Rio de Janeiro, and different socioeconomic groups are largely segregated into different neighborhoods.^[127] Although the city clearly ranks among the world's major metropolises, large numbers live in slums known as favelas, where 95% of the population are poor, compared to 40% in the general population.^[128]

There have been a number of government initiatives to counter this problem, from the removal of the population from favelas to

Cidade de Deus to the more recent approach of improving conditions in the favelas and bringing them up to par with the rest of the city, as was the focus of the "Favela Bairro" program and deployment of Pacifying Police Units

.

Rio has more people living in slums than any other city in Brazil, according to the 2010 Census.[129] More than 1,500,000 people live in its 763 favelas, 22% of Rio's total population. São Paulo, the largest city in Brazil, has more favelas (1,020), but proportionally has fewer people living in favelas than Rio.

Rio also has a large proportion of state-sanctioned violence, with about 20% of all killings committed by state security.^[130] In 2019, police killed an average of five people each day in the state of Rio de Janeiro, with a total of 1,810 killed in the year. This was more police killings than any year since official records started in 1998.^[131]

Politics

Municipal government

São Sebastião Administrative Center, seat of City Hall

Palácio Pedro Ernesto, in Cinelândia, seat of Municipal Council

In Rio de Janeiro, the executive power is represented by the mayor and the cabinet of secretaries, in accordance with the model proposed by the Federal Constitution. The Organic Law of the Municipality and the current Master Plan, however, stipulate that the public administration must provide the population with effective tools for the exercise of participatory democracy. In this way, the city is divided into subprefectures, each of which is headed by a sub-mandatory appointed directly by the mayor.^[132]

Legislative power is constituted by the municipal council, composed of 51 councilors^[133] elected for four-year terms (in compliance with the provisions of article 29 of the Constitution, which disciplines a minimum number of 42 and a maximum of 55 for municipalities with more than five million inhabitants).^[134] It is up to the House to prepare and vote on fundamental laws for the administration and the Executive, especially the participatory budget (Lei de Diretrizes Orçamentárias). Although the veto power is granted to the mayor, the process of voting on the laws that oppose him usually generates conflicts between the Executive and the Legislative.^[135]

There are also municipal councils, which complement the legislative process and the work engendered in the secretariats. Compulsorily formed by representatives of various sectors of organized civil society, they are on different fronts — although their effective representation is sometimes questioned. The following are currently in operation: Municipal Council for the Protection of Cultural Heritage (CMPC), Defense of the Environment (CONDEMAM), Health (CMS), the Rights of Children and Adolescents (CMDCA), Education (CME), Social Assistance (CMAS) and Anti-Drugs.^[136]

State government

Guanabara Palace, seat of the state government

Tiradentes Palace, seat of the Legislative Assembly

As the capital of the homonymous state, the city is the seat of the state government. The Guanabara Palace (formerly known as Paço Isabel) is located in the Laranjeiras neighborhood, in the south zone, and is the official seat of the Rio de Janeiro executive power. Not to be confused with Palácio Laranjeiras, situated in the same neighborhood, which is the official residence of the governor of Rio de Janeiro.^[137]

The

Chamber of Deputies of Brazil previously functioned.^[140]

The Court of Justice of the State of Rio de Janeiro (TJRJ) is the highest body of the judiciary in the state. Its central court is located in downtown Rio de Janeiro, but, from 2013 to July 2018, some of the courts of this court were moved to Cidade Nova.[141]

Federal government

The city of Rio de Janeiro was successively the capital of the Portuguese colony of the State of Brazil (1621–1815), after the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves (1815–1822), the Empire of Brazil (1822–1889) and from the Republic of the United States of Brazil (1889–1968) until 1960, when the seat of government was definitively transferred to the then newly built Brasília.^[142]

Despite the change in the federal capital, 59% of civil servants in the Executive Branch of federal agencies and public companies remained in the city. Rio de Janeiro is also the only Brazilian state where the number of federal employees exceeds the number of state employees. About a third of all federal public bodies and companies remain in the former capital, with 50 public offices, including agencies, autarchies, foundations and public companies, such as the

IBGE, Casa da Moeda, the National Archives, among others.^[142]

Subdivisions

The city is commonly divided into the historic center (Centro); the tourist-friendly wealthier South Zone (Zona Sul); the residential less wealthy North Zone (Zona Norte); peripheries in the West Zone (Zona Oeste), among them Santa Cruz, Campo Grande and the wealthy newer Barra da Tijuca district. Rio de Janeiro is administratively divided into 33 distritos (districts) named Regiões Administrativas ("Administrative Regions") and 165 bairros (neighborhoods).^[143]

Subprefectures are officially grouped into four regions (or "zones"), taking into account geographic position and occupation history; however these do not have any administrative or political power over the municipality. The official political division of the municipality takes into account historical-cultural characteristics to divide the neighborhoods.^[144] Most of its population is concentrated in the neighborhoods of Campo Grande, Santa Cruz, Bangu, Tijuca, Realengo, Jacarepaguá, Copacabana, Barra da Tijuca, Maré, Guaratiba and Taquara together, these eleven neighborhoods concentrate a population of 1.5 million inhabitants, according to the 2010 census.^[145]

Municipal Theatre and the National Library building. Among its several museums, the Museu Nacional de Belas Artes (National Museum of Fine Arts) and the Museu Histórico Nacional

(National Historical Museum) are the most important.

Within the Cultural Corridor, one of the districts with the highest level of architectural and historical preservation in Rio's City Center is the Sociedade de Amigos das Adjacências da Rua da Alfândega (In English: Society of Friends of the Adjacencies of Alfândega Street.), the famous "SAARA". It is an association formed by merchants who operate near Rua da Alfândega, in Historic Center of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The area is famous for housing stores specializing in popular home goods and fabrics, with several historic buildings. The name comes from the occupation of the region by Muslim, Jewish and Maronite Christian immigrants from the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century, for commercial purposes. The region preserves examples of various architectural styles, from Portuguese colonial, through Neoclassical, Eclectic, Art Deco and Modernism, making the region a rich tapestry of historical architecture that refers to the city's colonial and imperial past.

Copacabana (right) and Ipanema

(left, background)

The

Leme, which compose Rio's Atlantic beach coastline.^[146] The neighborhood of Copacabana beach hosts one of the world's most spectacular New Year's Eve parties ("Reveillon"), as more than two million revelers crowd onto the sands to watch the fireworks display. From 2001, the fireworks have been launched from boats, to improve the safety of the event.^[147]

The North Zone (Zona Norte) begins at Grande Tijuca (the middle class residential and commercial bairro of

West Zone (Zona Oeste) of Rio de Janeiro is a vaguely defined area that covers some 50% of the city's entire area, including Barra da Tijuca and Recreio dos Bandeirantes neighborhoods. The West Side of Rio has many historic sites because of the old "Royal Road of Santa Cruz" that crossed the territory in the regions of Realengo, Bangu, and Campo Grande, finishing at the Royal Palace of Santa Cruz in the Santa Cruz region. The highest peak of the city of Rio de Janeiro is the Pedra Branca Peak (Pico da Pedra Branca) inside the

International relations

Rio de Janeiro is

with:

Rio de Janeiro has the following partner/friendship cities:

Rio de Janeiro is a part of the Union of Ibero-American Capital Cities.^[197]

Downtown Rio

, in the financial district of the city

Sugarloaf Mountain

Rio de Janeiro has the second-largest GDP of any city in Brazil, surpassed only by São Paulo. According to the IBGE, it was approximately US$201 billion in 2008, equivalent to 5.1% of the national total. Taking into consideration the network of influence exerted by the urban metropolis (which covers 11.3% of the population), this share in GDP rises to 14.4%, according to a study released in October 2008 by the IBGE.^[198]

Greater Rio de Janeiro, as perceived by the IBGE, has a GDP of US$187 billion, constituting the second largest hub of national wealth. Per capita GDP is US$11,786.^[199] It concentrates 68% of the state's economic strength and 7.9% of all goods and services produced in the country.^[200] The services sector comprises the largest portion of GDP (65.5%), followed by commerce (23.4%), industrial activities (11.1%) and agriculture (0.1%).^[201][202]

Benefiting from the federal capital position it had for a long period (1763–1960), the city became a dynamic administrative, financial, commercial and cultural center. Rio de Janeiro became an attractive place for companies to locate when it was the capital of Brazil, as important sectors of society and of the government were present in the city. The city was chosen as headquarters for

(BVRJ), which currently trades only government securities, was the first stock exchange founded in Brazil in 1845.

The off-shore oil exploration in the

pharmaceutical

, textile, processed foods and furniture industries.

Major international pharmaceutical companies have their Brazilian headquarters in Rio such as:

, Mayne, and Mappel.

Recent decades have seen a sharp transformation in its economic profile, which is becoming more and more one of a major national hub of services and businesses.

, and Business Rio.

Tourism and entertainment are other key aspects of the city's economic life. The city is the nation's top tourist attraction for both Brazilians and foreigners.[205]

In Greater Rio, which has one of the highest per capita incomes in Brazil, retail trade is substantial. Many of the most important retail stores are located in the center, but others are scattered throughout the commercial areas of the other districts, where shopping centers, supermarkets, and other retail businesses handle a large volume of consumer trade.^[206]

Rio de Janeiro is (as of 2014^[update]) the second largest exporting municipality in Brazil. Annually, Rio exported a total of $7.49B (USD) worth of goods.^[207] The top three goods exported by the municipality were crude petroleum (40%), semi finished iron product (16%), and semi finished steel products (11%).^[208] Material categories of mineral products (42%) and metals (29%) make up 71% of all exports from Rio.^[209]

Compared to other cities, Rio de Janeiro's economy is the second-largest in Brazil, behind

Highlighted Sectors

This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (August 2024)

Rio de Janeiro is home to many of Brazil's largest business conglomerates. Among them are the three largest multinationals in the energy and mining sectors:

In the petrochemical sector, there are more than 700 companies, including Brazil's largest (

Projac, the second-largest television complex in Latin America^[224]

Rio de Janeiro has inherited a strong cultural vocation from its past. It currently hosts the main production centers of Brazilian television: the

Many state-owned companies, public foundations, and federal autarchies have their headquarters in the city, including the

Tourism

Ipanema beach

Rio de Janeiro is Brazil's primary tourist attraction and resort. It receives the most visitors per year of any city in South America with 2.82 million international tourists a year.^[239]

Attractions in the city include approximately 80 kilometers of beaches,

Rio de Janeiro's government has since undertaken to modernize the city's economy, reduce its chronic social inequalities, and improve its commercial standing as part of an initiative for the regeneration of the tourism industry.[241]

Rio de Janeiro is an international hub of highly active and diverse

The Farme de Amoedo Street "Rua Farme de Amoedo" is located in Ipanema, a neighborhood in the South Zone of the city. The street and the nearby beach are popular in the LGBT community.^[citation needed]

The city of Rio de Janeiro is served by the following airports:

• Galeão–Antônio Carlos Jobim International Airport: used for all international and most domestic flights. The airport is connected to local and intercity buses and BRT.^{[244][245][246][247]}
• Santos Dumont Airport: used mainly for services to São Paulo, some short and medium-haul domestic flights, and general aviation.^[248] As of 2025, the airport's passenger capacity is capped by the federal government at 6.5 million per year.^[249] The airport is connected to the city's light rail system, which connects it to several other transport modes in the city centre.^[250]
• Jacarepaguá-Roberto Marinho Airport: used by general aviation and home to the Aeroclube do Brasil (Brasil Flying club).^[251] It also has some short-haul commercial flights.^[252] The airport is located in the district of Baixada de Jacarepaguá [pt].^[253]

Military airports include:

• Galeão Air Force Base: A Brazilian Air Force airbase, sharing some facilities with Galeão - Antônio Carlos Jobim International Airport;
• Santa Cruz Air Force Base: A Brazilian Air Force airbase. Formerly called Bartolomeu de Gusmão Airport, it was built by the Luftschiffbau Zeppelin. Today it is one of the most important Air Force Bases in Brazil;
• Afonsos Air Force Base: One of the historical Brazilian Air Force airbases. It is also the location of the University of the Air Force (Universidade da Força Aérea),^[254] the Museu Aeroespacial,^[255] and where air shows take place.

The

At Gamboa Wharf, leaseholders operate terminals for sugar, paper, and iron and steel products. Leaseholders at Caju Wharf operate terminals for roll-on/roll-off cargoes, containers, and liquid bulk. In 2004, the Port of Rio de Janeiro handled over seven million tons of cargo on almost 1700 vessels. In 2004, the Port of Rio de Janeiro handled over two million tons of containerized cargo in almost 171 thousand TEUs. The port handled 852 thousand tons of wheat, more than 1.8 million tons of iron and steel, over a million tons of liquid bulk cargo, almost 830 thousand tons of dry bulk, over five thousand tons of paper goods, and over 78 thousand vehicles. In 2003, over 91 thousand passengers moved through the Port of Rio Janeiro on 83 cruise vessels.^[257]

Rio de Janeiro's

In 2022, the average amount of time people spent commuting with public transit in Rio de Janeiro on a weekday was 67 minutes. 12% of public transit riders had commutes that took more than two hours per day. The average amount of time people waited at a stop or station for public transit was 21 minutes, with 12% of riders waiting less than 5 minutes and 41% of riders waiting for over 20 minutes. The average distance people usually traveled in a single trip with public transit was 11.4 km (7.1 mi). The average distance people walked on their commute was 634 m (0.39 miles). 11% of people made exactly two transfers during their commute, and 2% of commuters made 3 or more transfers.[262]

TransOeste

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)

As of 2023, there are 354 municipal bus lines serving over 1.75 million passengers per day, in addition to intercity lines.^[263]

City buses, which come in both non-air conditioned and air conditioned versions, cost about R$4,30 to ride.^[264] The system may be relatively safe by day but less so at night.^[265] Integration of bus lines has been recently implemented, allowing users to take two non-air conditioned bus rides in two hours paying just one ticket. It is necessary to have a registered electronic card (the "Bilhete Único Carioca (BUC)") in order to benefit of this system.

Another type of local bus is called the "Frescão" (air-conditioned). These buses run several routes, the main being from Centro through Botafogo, Copacabana and Ipanema to Leblon (and vice versa), and from the International Airport to Barra, through the beach road. They are air conditioned – about 22 °C (72 °F) – more upscale/comfortable and cost between R$13.35–R$19.95.^[266] However, it is only available during weekdays. The buses also run more frequently during the rush hours in the morning and evening. Going in the direction of Centro (city center), the bus can be flagged down on the beach road (buses with plaques showing "Castelo").

Rio de Janeiro nominally has three metro lines, though two of them (Lines 1 and 4) are operationally run as a single line.^[267] The system runs on 58 km (36 mi) of track and has 41 stations.^[268] Line 1/4 runs from Uruguai/Tijuca station in Tijuca to Jardim Oceânico/Barra da Tijuca station in Barra da Tijuca; Line 2 runs from Pavuna station in Pavuna to Botafogo station in Botafogo.

The city also has a

The Rio de Janeiro Light Rail is a modern light rail system that runs on 28 km (17 mi) of track with 30 stations distributed along 4 lines.^[271][272] The trams are the first in the world to use a combination of ground-level power supply (APS) and on-board supercapacitor energy storage (SRS), in order to eliminate overhead lines along the entire route.^[273][274] The network uses 32 Alstom Citadis 402 low-floor trams carrying 420 passengers each. They are bi-directional, air-conditioned, have seven sections, and eight doors per side.^[275][276]

The Santa Teresa Tram is the oldest operating electric tramway in Latin America,^[277] commenced electric operation in 1896, replacing horse-drawn trams and extending the route.^[278] At this time the gauge was altered to 1,100 mm (3 ft 7+5⁄16 in).^[278] It was designated a national historic monument in 1985.^[278]: 111 After a derailment occurred on 27 August 2011,^[279] which left six dead, tram service was suspended to improve the system. The elderly tramcars, which dated from the 1950s,^[280] were retired and replaced with newly built replicas that have the appearance of the old fleet but with new mechanical equipment and additional safety features;^[281] delivery began in 2014.^[282] The line's track was also rebuilt, and after some delays, about one-third of the line reopened in July 2015. More sections reopened later in stages, following repair of additional sections of track. The line was restored to its full pre-2011 length of 6 km (4 mi) in January 2019.^[283]

The most geographically close sister city to Rio that is on the other side of

.

Road transport

Rio-Niterói Bridge

Driving in Rio de Janeiro, as in most large cities of Brazil, might not be the best choice because of the large car numbers. The city is served by a number of expressways, like Linha Vermelha, Linha Amarela,

, over Avenida das Américas).

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

BR-324

/BR-116/BR-393/BR-040.

Bicycles

The city has 160 km (99 mi) of cycle paths that, wherever they exist, are very much preferable to riding in the city's traffic. Most paths run alongside beaches and extend intermittently from the

The

Water and sanitation

As of 2021^[update] only 65% of sewage was properly treated, leaving 35% to be improperly discharged.^[288] As of 2022^[update] there were at least 400 illicit sewage disposal points in the drainage network.^[289]

National policy changes in 2020–2021 for the universalization of sanitation kept the 2007 policy defining the municipality as the provider of sanitation service, delegating the organization, supervision, and provision of services to third parties.^[290][291] The National Water and Basic Sanitation Agency [pt] (ANA) is responsible for the setting standards regulating basic public sanitation services.^[291] In 2021–2022, distribution and treatment of sewage of the Rio State Water and Sewage Company [pt] (CEDAE) was divided into four blocks and auctioned to Aegea (Águas do Rio) and Iguá; CEDAE remained in control of water collection and treatment of drinking water.^[288][292] The Rio State Environmental Institute [pt] (INEA) has primary responsibility for water pollution monitoring and enforcement.^[289]

Rio de Janeiro is a main cultural hub in Brazil. Its architecture embraces churches and buildings dating from the 16th to the 19th centuries, blending with the world-renowned designs of the 20th century. Rio was home to the

Rio de Janeiro has inherited a strong cultural role from the past. In the late 19th century, there were sessions held of the first Brazilian film and since then, several production cycles have spread out, eventually placing Rio at the forefront of experimental and national cinema. The Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival^[294] has been held annually since 1999.^[295]

Rio currently brings together the main production centers of Brazilian television.

.

Rio has many important cultural landmarks, such as the Biblioteca Nacional (National Library), one of the largest libraries in the world with collections totalling more than 9 million items; the

.

Literature

Main article:

Literature of Brazil

After Brazilian independence from Portugal in 1822, Rio de Janeiro quickly developed a European-style bourgeois cultural life, including numerous newspapers, in which most 19th-century novels were initially published in serial. Joaquim Manuel de Macedo's A Moreninha (1844) was perhaps the first successful novel in Brazil and inaugurates a recurrent 19th-century theme: a romantic relationship between idealistic young people in spite of cruelties of social fortune.

The first notable work of realism focusing on the urban

. Amado, himself, went on to be one of the 40 members of the academy.

The Biblioteca Nacional (National Library of Brazil) ranks as one of the largest libraries in the world. It is also the largest library in all of Latin America.^[301] Located in Cinelândia, the National Library was originally created by the King of Portugal, in 1810. As with many of Rio de Janeiro's cultural monuments, the library was originally off-limits to the general public. The most valuable collections in the library include: 4,300 items donated by Barbosa Machado including a precious collection of rare brochures detailing the History of Portugal and Brazil; 2,365 items from the 17th and 18th centuries that were previously owned by Antônio de Araújo de Azevedo, the "Count of Barca", including the 125-volume set of prints "Le Grand Théâtre de l'Univers;" a collection of documents regarding the Jesuítica Province of Paraguay and the "Region of Prata;" and the Teresa Cristina Maria Collection, donated by Emperor Pedro II. The collection contains 48,236 items. Individual items of special interest include a rare first edition of Os Lusíadas by Luis de Camões, published in 1584; two copies of the Mogúncia Bible; and a first edition of Handel's Messiah.^[302]

The Real Gabinete Português de Leitura (Portuguese Royal Reading Library) is located at Rua Luís de Camões, in the Centro (Downtown). The institution was founded in 1837 by a group of forty-three

Music

Tom Jobim in 1972. Considered one of the great exponents of Brazilian music, Jobim internationalized bossa nova

and, with the help of important American artists.

The official song of Rio de Janeiro is "

"Rio was popularized by the hit song "

Brazil's return to democracy in 1985 allowed for a new music expression which promoted creativity and experimentation in expressive culture, in a wave of Rock'n'roll that swept the 80s.

Some of the best artists in the history of Brazilian popular music hail from Rio de Janeiro, including aforementioned Lobão, Tim Maia, Agepê, Emílio Santiago, Evandro Mesquita, Byafra, Erasmo Carlos, Elymar Santos, Kátia Cega, Ivan Lins, Marcos Valle, Jorge Ben Jor e Wilson Simonal.

Municipal Theatre of Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro's Theatro Municipal is one of the most attractive buildings in the central area of the city. Home of one of the largest stages in Latin America and one of Brazil's best-known venues for opera, ballet, and classical music, the building was inspired by the Palais Garnier, home of the Paris Opera. Construction of the Theatro Municipal began in 1905 following designs of the architect Francisco Pereira Passos. The statues on the top, of two women representing Poetry and Music, are by Rodolfo Bernardelli, and the interior is rich with furnishings and fine paintings. Inaugurated in 1909, the Teatro Municipal has close to 1,700 seats. Its interior includes turn of the century stained glass from France, ceilings of rose-colored marble and a 1,000 pound crystal bead chandelier surrounded by a painting of the "Dance of the Hours". The exterior walls of the building are dotted with inscriptions bearing the names of famous Brazilians as well as many other international celebrities.^[308]

(City of Arts) is a cultural complex in Barra da Tijuca in the Southwest Zone of Rio de Janeiro, which was originally planned to open in 2004. Formally known as "Cidade da Música" (City of Music), it was finally inaugurated at the beginning of 2013. The project will host the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra becoming a main center for music as will be the largest modern concert hall in South America, with 1,780 seats. The complex spans approximately 90×10^³ m² (1×10^⁶ sq ft) and also features a chamber music hall, three theaters, and 12 rehearsal rooms. From the terrace there is a panoramic view of the zone. The building was designed by the French architect Christian de Portzamparc and construction was funded by the city of Rio de Janeiro.

A series of covered theaters collectively known as Lona Cultural, administered by the city's Municipal Secretary of Culture, serve throughout the city as venues for cultural activities such as concerts, plays, workshops, art and craft fairs, and courses.

Every 31 December, 2.5 million people gather at

Rio Carnival is an annual celebration in the Roman Catholic tradition that allows merry-making and red meat consumption before the more sober 40 days of Lent penance which culminates with Holy or Passion Week and Easter. The tradition of Carnaval parades was probably influenced by the French or German courts and the custom was brought by the Portuguese or Brazilian Imperial families who had French and Austrian German ancestors. Up until the time of the marchinhas, the revelry was more of a high class and Caucasian-led event. The influence of the African-Brazilian drums and music became more noticeable from the first half of the 20th century. Rio de Janeiro has many Carnaval choices, including the samba school (Escolas de Samba)^[310] parades in the sambadrome exhibition center and the popular blocos de carnaval, street revelry, which parade in almost every corner of the city.^[311] In 1840, the first Carnival was celebrated with a masked ball. As years passed, adorned floats and costumed revelers became a tradition among the celebrants. Carnival is known as a historic root of Brazilian music.^[312]

Rock in Rio is a music festival conceived by entrepreneur Roberto Medina for the first time in 1985, and since its creation, recognized as the largest music festival in the Latin world and the largest in the world, with 1.5 million people attending the first event, 700,000 attending the second and fourth, about 1.2 million attending the third, and about 350,000 people attending each of the 3 Lisbon events. It was originally organized in Rio de Janeiro, from where the name comes from, has become a world level event and, in 2004, had its first edition abroad in Lisbon, Portugal, before Madrid, Spain and Las Vegas, United States. The festival is considered the eighth best in the world by the specialized site Fling Festival.^[313]

As in the rest of Brazil,

On 2 October 2009, the International Olympic Committee selected Rio de Janeiro to host the 2016 Summer Olympics.^[316] Rio made their first bid for the 1936 Summer Olympics, but lost to Berlin. They later made bids for the 2004 and 2012 Games, but failed to become a candidate city both times. Those games were awarded to Athens and London respectively.^[317] Rio is the first Brazilian and South American city to host the Summer Olympics. Rio de Janeiro also became the first city in the southern hemisphere outside of Australia to host the games – Melbourne in 1956 and Sydney in 2000. In July 2007, Rio successfully organized and hosted the XV Pan American Games. Rio de Janeiro also hosted the 2011 Military World Games from 15 to 24 July 2011. The 2011 Military World Games were the largest military sports event ever held in Brazil, with approximately 4,900 athletes from 108 countries competing in 20 sports.^[318] Rio de Janeiro hosted the 2016 Olympics and Paralympics. The Olympic Games were held from 5 to 21 August 2016. The Paralympics were held from 7 to 18 September 2016.

The city has a history as host of major international sports events. The

.

The Brazilian

is an example, with routes from the easy third grade (American 5.4, French 3) to the extremely difficult ninth grade (5.13/8b), up to 280 m (919 ft).

• List of people from Rio de Janeiro
• Outline of Rio de Janeiro

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Rio de Janeiro (category)

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Rio de Janeiro.

• Rio de Janeiro City Hall website (in Portuguese)
• back to Rio!. Royal Geographical Society of South Australia historical piece containing images of Rio, 1914.
• Rio de Janeiro Photo Gallery – Year of Brazil. Archived 28 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Queens College, CUNY.
• Rio de Janeiro clínica medica Archived 19 September 2021 at the Wayback Machine
• Images of Rio. Hundreds of images from the 1920s to the present.
• Rio de Janeiro – The Marvellous City. Archived 13 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine, AboutBrasil.
• Geographic data related to Rio de Janeiro at OpenStreetMap
• Explore Rio de Janeiro: Carioca Landscapes between the Mountain and the Sea in the UNESCO collection on
  Google Arts and Culture

Preceded by Salvador

Capital of Brazil 1763–1960

Succeeded by Brasília