Rio de Janeiro is the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil’s third-most populous state. Founded in 1565 by the Portuguese, the city was initially the seat of the Captaincy of Rio De Janeiro, a domain of the Portuguese Empire. The city has the second largest municipal GDP in the country, and 30th largest in the world in 2008, estimated at about R$343 billion.
About Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in brief
Rio de Janeiro is the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil’s third-most populous state, after São Paulo and Minas Gerais. Founded in 1565 by the Portuguese, the city was initially the seat of the Captaincy of Rio De Janeiro, a domain of the Portuguese Empire. It is the second-largest center of research and development in Brazil, accounting for 17 percent of national scientific output according to 2005 data. The Maracanã Stadium held the finals of the 1950 and 2014 FIFA World Cups, the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, and the XV Pan American Games. It was the host of the 2016 Summer Olympics and 2016 Summer Paralympics, making the city the first South American and Portuguese-speaking city to ever host the events. The city has the second largest municipal GDP in the country, and 30th largest in the world in 2008, estimated at about R$343 billion. It is headquarters to 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. Rio is known for its natural settings, Carnival, samba, bossa nova, and balneario beaches such as Barra da Tijuca, Copacabana, Ipanema, and Leblon. Some of the most famous landmarks include the giant statue of Christ the Redeemer atop Corcovado mountain, named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World; Sugarloaf Mountain with its cable car; the Sambódromo, a permanent grandstand-lined parade avenue which is used during Carnival; and Maracanão Stadium, one of world’s largest football stadiums.
Despite the high perception of crime, Rio actually has a lower incidence of crime than most state capitals in Brazil. Rio de Rio was the first city in the Southern Hemisphere to host the Olympics and the third time the Olympics were held in a Southern Hemisphere city. Until early in the 18th century, Rio was threatened or invaded by several French pirates and buccaneers, such as Jean-François Duclerc and René René Duguay-Tercé. The name of the city is derived from St. Sebastian, the patron of the then-monarchião Sebastião, who was the namesake of St. Sebastão de Janeiro. Rio was named São Sebastão do Janeiro, in honour of the saint who was born in the city in 16th century and died in 17th century. It has been the home of many universities and institutes, including the University of São Sebastian and the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio, which was founded in 1763. Rio has been home to the World Heritage Site, named Carioca Landscapes between the Mountain and the Sea by UNESCO on 1 July 2012 as a Cultural Landscape. In 1808, when the Portuguese Royal Court transferred itself from Portugal to Brazil, Rio became the chosen seat of. Queen Maria I of Portugal, who raised Brazil to the dignity of a kingdom.
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This page is based on the article Rio de Janeiro, Brazil published in Wikipedia (as of Dec. 28, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
