Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro is the second largest city of Brazil and South America, behind São Paulo, and the second largest metropolitan area in South America, behind São Paulo. It is the state capital of Rio de Janeiro. The city was the capital of Brazil for nearly two centuries, from 1763 to 1822 during the Portuguese colonial era, and from 1822 to 1960 as an independent nation. It is also the former capital of the Portuguese Empire (1808–1821). Commonly known as just Rio, the city is also nicknamed A Cidade Maravilhosa, or "The Marvelous City".


Rio de Janeiro is one of the most spectacular cities in the world. Even the well-traveled individuals will love what the city has to offer. One of the best ways to appreciate the setting is by going up Sugar Loaf Mountain (Pao de Acucar), where you'll get a fantastic 360 degree view of Rio and Guanabara Bay. Across the Bay, you will see the Rio-Niteroi bridge (13,9 km long). Cariocas (Rio natives) disagree on which point gives the most wonderful view: Pao de Acucar (Sugar Loaf) or Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer), elected one of the "New 7 Wonders of the World". It is well worth experiencing both and deciding afterwards which view is better. Notice how the natural harbour is surrounded by lush, high mountains that meet the sea in the world-famous beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema.


Rio de Janeiro is famous for its natural settings, its Carnival celebrations, samba and other music, and hotel-lined tourist beaches, such as Copacabana and Ipanema. Some of the most famous landmarks in addition to the beaches include the giant statue of Christ, known as Christ the Redeemer ('Cristo Redentor') atop Corcovado mountain, named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World; Sugarloaf mountain (Pão de Açúcar) with its cable car; the Sambódromo, a giant permanent parade stand used during Carnival and Maracanã stadium, one of the world's largest football stadiums.


The city also boasts the largest and second largest urban forests in the world: Floresta da Tijuca, or "Tijuca Forest". and the forest in Parque Estadual da Pedra Branca, or White Stone State Park. Galeão - Antônio Carlos Jobim International Airport connects Rio de Janeiro with many Brazilian cities and also operates several international flights.


Despite its charm and beauty, Rio is reputed to be one of the most violent cities in the world and motivated movies such as Bus 174, City of God and Elite Squad portraying severe social issues. Much of the violent crime is concentrated in the favelas or shantytowns but it also spills into middle- and upper-income neighborhoods. In Rio, unlike other major cities, many of the slums are directly adjacent to some of the wealthiest areas of the city.


There are enormous disparities between rich and poor in Rio de Janeiro. Although the city clearly ranks among the world's major metropolises, a large proportion of the city's 6.1 million inhabitants live in poverty. The poorest of the areas are the slums and shanty towns known as favelas; often crowded onto the hillsides, where sturdy buildings are difficult to build, accidents from heavy rainfall are frequent, and access to the sanitation and electricity can be inconsistent. A unique aspect of Rio's favelas is their close proximity to the city's wealthiest districts. Upper-class neighbourhoods such as Ipanema and Lagoa and others, like Jardim Botânico, Joá e Gávea 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 of the favelas. But the North Side, the poorest area of Rio that tourists rarely see, gathers the vast majority of Rio's impoverished masses. This social contrast creates a clash between rich and poor.


Christ Redeemer, symbol of the city of Rio de Janeiro, is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, The carioca, original from the city of Rio de Janeiro, postal card standing 38 meters high, had its corner stone established in 1922 and its opening on October 12, 1931. The choice was well deserved. From its 38 meter of height, and 710 meters of the Corcovado Hill, the Christ is the image of the carioca people faith and sympathy and celebrates, in 2008, 77 years of existence. Since May 2000, when it received new lighting, the monument and its accesses have been enduring a revitalization process. The high point was the opening of the mechanized access in 2002, with panoramic elevators and escalators. Thus, there is no longer the need to climb 220 steps of stairs that lead to the statue's feet.

The Christ Redeemer (Cristo Redentor) counts now on three panoramic elevators, each one capable of taking 14 people. The access is through an area that assists both the visitors that arrive by car and the visitors that come from the railroad platform of the Corcovado station. Metallic footbridges were also built, sustained by another structure with approximately four meters wide and four escalators, with traffic capacity of 9 thousand people per hour. The trip starts there, for the tower, with 31 meters in height, will uncover the first view of the city. To complete the access to the statue, four escalators were installed.