Rio de Janeiro (abbreviated as Rio, port. Rio de Janeiro – January River) is a city in Brazil. The administrative center of the eponymous state of Rio de Janeiro.
The population is 6.7 million people (2018), and it is the second-largest city in the country and the fourth in South America. Forms an agglomeration with a population of more than 12.5 million people (2018). A major financial center and seaport on the continent, and a scientific center.
Located on the shores of the Gulf of Guanabara of the Atlantic Ocean, on a narrow plain, sandwiched on both sides by mountains and the sea. The climate is tropical. The Portuguese navigator Gaspar di Lemos discovered the area when he mistook Guanabara Bay for the mouth of the river, which was called the January River. In 1531, the Portuguese fort of San Sebastian de Rio de Janeiro was founded. From1763 – the capital of the Viceroyalty of Brazil, from1822 – the capital of the independent Brazilian Empire, in 1889-1960 – the capital of the Republic of the United States of Brazil.
Rio de Janeiro city views. 2006
The historic center with buildings of the 16th-19th centuries, the coast, along with Copacabana Beach, Sugar Loaf Mountain and the statue of Christ, are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
