Rio de Janeiro (city)

I

Introduction

Rio de Janeiro (city), city in southeastern Brazil, on the Atlantic Ocean, and the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro. Its name is Portuguese for “river of January.” This refers to its location near the entrance to Guanabara Bay, which appeared to be a large river estuary to early 16th-century explorers, and to the date it was discovered—January 1, 1502.

Rio is the second most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo, and ranks second only to São Paulo in industrial production. Rio also boasts one of the busiest ports and airports in the nation. Internationally, it is still the nation’s best-known city, and it was the site of the United Nations Environmental Conference in 1992. The city’s inhabitants are called cariocas and are characterized within Brazil as fun-loving, sensual, and easygoing.

Rio’s climate is tropical and rainfall is common, averaging 1,170 mm (46 in) per year. Temperatures during the humid summer months—December to March—can top 35° C (95° F), but typically drop to between 20° C and 30° C (68° F and 86° F) during the rest of the year. Sea breezes moderate temperatures throughout the year.

II

Rio and Its Metropolitan Area

In Brazil Rio is known as the Marvelous City, a name which reflects the city’s stunning natural setting between the mountains and the sea. Rio is located on the western side of Guanabara Bay on a flat, narrow coastal plain adjacent to the foothills of the Brazilian Highlands. As the city has expanded, it has occupied the spurs of these coastal mountains, often with the homes of the poor.

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The municipality of Rio, the city proper, occupies a comparatively small area, about 1,170 sq km (about 450 sq mi). The metropolitan region outside the city is vast, however. It includes 13 other municipalities, making the total metropolitan region about 6,500 sq km (about 2,500 sq mi). This urbanized area even spans Guanabara Bay, to include the suburban areas of Niterói, Neves, and São Gonçalo located on its eastern shores. These suburbs are connected by the Rio-Niterói Bridge, a 14 km (9 mi) span constructed in 1974.

The local topography has been reengineered considerably to expand the city and facilitate transportation within it. The site of the city’s original founding, a low hill known as Morro do Castelo, was leveled in the early years of the 20th century to expand the central business district. In the 20th century, San Antonio Hill was removed, a number of tunnels were constructed to facilitate traffic, and several large landfill projects have extended the city into Guanabara Bay and widened its beaches.

The city of Rio can be thought of as being divided into three principal areas: the traditional historical core at the eastern base of the Serra da Carioca, a small coastal mountain range running east to west; the northern zone situated to the northwest of the core; and the southern zone located to the south and southwest of the core. The Serra da Carioca provides a natural physical boundary between the northern and southern zones.

The commercial area of the city is compact, centering on Avenida Rio Branco and Avenida Presidente Vargas. The city’s subway system follows these two avenues through the downtown area. The center includes many tall office buildings, and on weekdays its streets are clogged with motor vehicles and pedestrians. Most government offices, banks, financial institutions, major airline offices, and commercial buildings are located in the city’s core. Museums, colonial churches, and notable public buildings are also located in this area.

The metropolitan area’s industrial districts and extensive lower-income suburbs, like the municipalities of Nova Iguaçu, São João Meriti, and Duque de Caxias, are found in the city’s northern zone. The city’s southern zone is largely the home of Rio’s upper classes. Traditionally these wealthy residents have lived in the coastal neighborhoods of Copacabana, Ipanema, Leblon, and Gávea. While these areas are still popular upscale locations, Barra da Tijuca, further west along the coast, has perhaps become Rio’s most fashionable neighborhood. Squatter settlements, known in Brazil as favelas, cover the steep slopes of many of the hills throughout the city, often in close proximity to wealthy residential neighborhoods. Rocinha, the city’s largest favela with 150,000 to 300,000 residents, sits in the southern zone adjacent to the wealthy neighborhood of Gávea.

Urban transportation in Rio is dominated by buses, which account for nearly 70 percent of all passenger trips, while automobiles and taxis represent slightly less than 20 percent of such trips. Suburban trains, the subway, and ferries account for a limited proportion of passenger trips—about 7 percent, 3 percent, and 2 percent respectively.

III

Population

The municipality of Rio, the city proper, had a population of 6,051,399 in 2004. The vast metropolitan region, however, was home to a population of 11.2 million (2003). Although population growth had been rapid during most of the 20th century, it slowed significantly between 1980 and 1990; during this period, the metropolitan region posted the lowest annual population growth rate, only 0.7 percent, since modern census taking began. That growth has been uneven, with the municipality of Rio posting only a 0.4 percent annual gain, while outlying suburban municipalities have averaged about 1.5 percent annually.

Rio’s ethnic makeup mirrors its history, which has included people of African, European, and Native American origin. Nearly two-thirds of the population is of African descent, although this group reflects the widespread racial mixing and intermarriage that have characterized Brazilian society. While racial tolerance and acceptance are often heralded as characteristics of Brazilian society, whites typically enjoy more privileged social and economic positions than people of African or native descent.

IV

Education and Culture

Although Rio is not Brazil’s largest city, nor its capital, its historical role as the nation’s preeminent urban center makes it the single most important city in the country in terms of education, culture, and the arts. The city is well endowed with both public and private universities. Public universities include the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (1920), the State University of Rio de Janeiro (1961), and the University of Rio de Janeiro (1969). Cándido Mendes University Conglomerate (1981), Gama Filho University (1972), Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (1941), and University Santa Úrsula (1938) are all private universities.

Rio contains the National Library, housed in an impressive neoclassical building, and the National Archive. Another important part of the city’s cultural offerings are its museums, including the National Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, the National Fine Arts Museum, the National Historical Museum, the Museum of the Indian, and the Carmen Miranda Museum. The Municipal Theater, built in 1905 and modeled on the Paris Opera House, is in the core of the city and is home to Rio’s ballet troupe and opera company.

Architecture is an important component in the city’s landscape. Religious architecture includes the Convent of San Antonio, which was built in 1608 and is thought to be the oldest religious structure in the city; the Monastery of St. Bento with an impressive Baroque-style chapel; Our Lady of Carmo Church where both Brazil’s emperors were coronated; and Our Lady of Candelária Church, thought by some to be the city’s most beautiful church.

Another building of interest is the Imperial Palace, located several blocks west of Santos Dumont Airport. Originally constructed as Brazil’s colonial governor’s capitol in 1743, it was converted to the royal palace during the city’s period as an imperial capital. It has recently been restored and now houses a cultural center. Other impressive 19th-century palaces include Itamaraty and Catete, both located in the city center. The latter was occupied by the country’s presidents between 1896 and 1954 and now houses the Museum of the Republic. The state legislature meets in the Palácio Tiradentes, formerly the home of the federal assembly when Rio was the nation’s capital. The city’s architecture from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries stands in dramatic contrast with its ultramodern Petrobras building, headquarters of the state petroleum company, and the avant-garde Metropolitan Cathedral. The city’s most famous landmarks are Pão de Açúcar (404 m/1,325 ft), which is situated on a peninsula jutting into Guanabara Bay and is known as Sugar Loaf Mountain in English, and the massive (40 m/131 ft) Christ the Redeemer statue, which overlooks the city from the top of Corcovado Mountain (704 m/2,310 ft) in the Serra da Carioca coastal range.