Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro
Municipality of Rio de Janeiro
Coat of arms of Rio de Janeiro
Nicknames: 
Cidade Maravilhosa (Marvellous City), Princesa Maravilhosa (Marvellous Princess), Cidade dos Brasileiros (City of Brazilians)
Location in the state of Rio de Janeiro
Location in the state of Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro is located in Brazil
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Location within Brazil
Rio de Janeiro is located in South America
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Location within South America
Coordinates: 22°54′40″S 43°12′20″W / 22.91111°S 43.20556°W / -22.91111; -43.20556
CountryBrazil
RegionSoutheast
StateRio de Janeiro
Historic countriesKingdom of Portugal
United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves
Empire of Brazil
Settled1555; 469 years ago (1555)
Founded1 March 1565; 459 years ago (1565-03-01)[1]
Named forSaint Sebastian
Guanabara Bay
Government
 • TypeMayor-council
 • BodyMunicipal Chamber of Rio de Janeiro
 • MayorEduardo Paes (PSD)
 • Vice MayorNilton Caldeira (PL)
Area
1,221 km2 (486.5 sq mi)
 • Metro
4,539.8 km2 (1,759.6 sq mi)
Elevation
2 m (7 ft)
Highest elevation
1,020 m (3,349 ft)
Lowest elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Population
 (2022)[2]
6,211,223
 • Rank4th in South America
2nd in Brazil
 • Density5,174.6/km2 (13,402/sq mi)
 • Urban
11,616,000[needs update]
 • Metro
12,280,702[needs update] (2nd)
 • Metro density2,705.1/km2 (7,006/sq mi)
DemonymCarioca
GDP (PPP, constant 2015 values)
 • Year2023
 • Total (Metro)$285.9 billion[3]
 • Per capita$23,700
Time zoneUTC−3 (BRT)
Postal Code
20000-001 to 23799-999
Area code21
HDI (2010)0.799 – high[4]
Nominal 2018 GDP (City)US$ 93.9 billion (2nd)[5]
Per capitaUS$14,046 (2nd)
Websiteen.prefeitura.rio
Official nameRio de Janeiro: Carioca Landscapes between the Mountain and the Sea
TypeCultural
Criteriavi
Designated2012 (36th session)
Reference no.1100

Rio de Janeiro (Portuguese: [ˈʁi.u d(ʒi) ʒɐˈne(j)ɾu] [6]), or simply Rio,[7] is the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the sixth-most-populous city in the Americas.

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. In 1763, it became the capital of the State of Brazil, a state of the Portuguese Empire. In 1808, when the Portuguese Royal Court moved to Brazil, Rio de Janeiro became the seat of the court of Queen Maria I of Portugal. She subsequently, under the leadership of her son the prince regent John VI of Portugal, raised Brazil to the dignity of a kingdom, within the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil, and Algarves. Rio remained as the capital of the pluricontinental monarchy until 1822, when the Brazilian War of Independence began. This is one of the few instances in history that the capital of a colonizing country officially shifted to a city in one of its colonies. Rio de Janeiro subsequently served as the capital of the independent monarchy, the Empire of Brazil, until 1889, and then the capital of a republican Brazil until 1960 when the capital was transferred to Brasília.

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 Southern Hemisphere and is known for its natural settings, carnival, samba, bossa nova, and balneario beaches[12] such as Barra da Tijuca, Copacabana, Ipanema, and Leblon. In addition to the beaches, 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 (Sambadrome), a permanent grandstand-lined parade avenue which is used during Carnival; and Maracanã Stadium, one of the world's largest football stadiums. Rio de Janeiro was the host of the 2016 Summer Olympics and the 2016 Summer Paralympics, making the city the first South American and Portuguese-speaking city to ever host the events, and the third time the Olympics were held in a Southern Hemisphere city.[13] 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. The city will host the G20 summit in 2024, and the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2027.[14][15]

  1. ^ "Rio de Janeiro Info". paralumun.com. Archived from the original on 27 December 2008. Retrieved 6 August 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. ^ "Rio de Janeiro (RJ) | Cidades e Estados | IBGE". www.ibge.gov.br. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  3. ^ "TelluBase—Brazil Fact Sheet (Tellusant Public Service Series)" (PDF). Tellusant. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 January 2024. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  4. ^ "IDNM Ranking" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 April 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  5. ^ "Gross Domestic Product of Municipalities". ibge.gov.br. Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics. Archived from the original on 5 November 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  6. ^ Larousse Concise Dictionary: Portuguese-English, 2008, p. 339.
  7. ^ "Rio de Janeiro: travel guide". Archived from the original on 13 June 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  8. ^ "Posição ocupada pelos 100 maiores municípios em relação ao Produto Interno Bruto" (PDF). Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE). 16 December 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 April 2009. Retrieved 16 December 2008.
  9. ^ "The 150 richest cities in the world by GDP in 2005". City Mayors Statistics. 11 March 2007. Archived from the original on 18 September 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2008.
  10. ^ "Assessoria de Comunicação e Imprensa". Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp). 17 June 2005. Archived from the original on 17 June 2008. Retrieved 8 September 2008.
  11. ^ "Veja o ranking das capitais mais violentas do Brasil". www.estadao.com.br. O Estado de Sao Paulo. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  12. ^ "Rio de Janeiro's Beach Culture" Archived 5 July 2018 at the Wayback Machine Tayfun King, Fast Track, BBC World News (11 September 2009)
  13. ^ "BBC Sport, Rio to stage 2016 Olympic Games". BBC News. 2 October 2009. Archived from the original on 13 February 2019. Retrieved 4 October 2009.
  14. ^ "Rio de Janeiro sediará cúpula do G20 em 2024". CNN Brazil (in Portuguese). 9 May 2023. Archived from the original on 19 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  15. ^ "Rio de Janeiro sediará cúpula dos chefes de Estado do G20 em 2024". G1 (in Portuguese). 9 May 2023. Archived from the original on 19 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.