Top 20 Facts about the city of Rio de Janeiro

By Rafael Defavari – wikimedia

Top 20 Facts about the city of Rio de Janeiro

The city of Rio de Janeiro is a seaside city in Brazil. It is surrounded by mountains and islands, it has an abundance of natural attractions. 

Rio de Janeiro’s official language is Portuguese, and it is home to 6 million people.

This city is famous for its white sandy beaches, islands and the famous Christ the redeemer statue on top of Mount Corcovado. 

The sugar loaf mountain is also another famous site in Rio where cable cars transport tourists to the granite peak for a beautiful view of the city and islands down below.

The city lights up with colorful carnivals, samba dances and merry makers at the Copacabana beach. 

Here are some facts about the city.

1. The name Rio was from a non-existent river

This city was founded by Portuguese explorers in the 16th century. 

On arrival the explorers mistook the bay for a mouth of a river hence named it Rio meaning river, Janeiro meaning January (River of January, they had visited the bay in January).

2. The city  was once part of a colony called Antarctic France

Rio’s first settlers were the French who lived in Guanabara bay in 1555.

This fort was founded by a French noble Nicolas Durand de Villegagnon who was sponsored by king Henry IV. 

Back then Rio was a French  called France Antarctique, it was a strategic location for persecuted French protestants. 

The colony fell apart soon after a disagreement between settlers over whether the Eucharist wine should contain water.

The colony was completely destroyed by the Portuguese in 1567 who took over the land.

3. Rio once served as Portuguese Empire capital

Rio de Janeiro was the capital of Portugal from 1808 to 1821. This was after an invasion led by Napoleon in Portugal. 

The royal family fled from Portugal to Brazil in the 1800s and later established Rio as the capital of Portugal in 1815.

They transformed the city by establishing a national museum, a library, a medical school and a botanical garden. 

Rio ceased to be the capital after Brazil gained its Independence from Portugal in 1822. 

The history of the city is part of the national flag of Brazil with its night sky when Brazil was declared as a federal republic.

4. Rio the city of carnivals

Photo by Ugur Arpaci on Unsplash

Carnivals are said to have been Catholic events mixed with European pagan traditions.

According to the Catholic practice, a carnival was a feast session where people participated in a food festival before the start of the 40 days of Lent. 

The people ate to their fill since the lent period called for a fast or withdrawing from certain habits after Ash Wednesday.

It is believed that the word Carne vale is a Latin word meaning goodbye meat.

The carnival in Rio is a mix of two cultures, the African rhythms, music and dances and the Portuguese festival from Europe.

5. Rio’s colorful carnival is led by King Momo

The annual Rio carnival runs for five days and ends on Ash Wednesday. 

During this time the city of Rio gets flooded with energetic fans that fill the streets in their colorful costumes.

The festivities start on a Friday where the city mayor hands over the keys to the city to the newest  King in town, King Momo, who will be in charge of the festival for the next five days. 

King Momo’s duties end on Ash Wednesday after naming the winner of a samba dance contest. 

6. The 2016 Olympics was held in Rio

Photo by Bryan Turner on Unsplash

The journey to winning the ticket of hosting the Olympics in Rio was not an easy one.

It was in a pool with cities that had better facilities and infrastructure.

When it was selected in 2009 as the host, it was a welcomed surprise to many that celebrated at the Copacabana beach. 

The 28th Olympic Games was a first of such events to be held in South America. 

This was however marred with corruption allegations on the cost of the facilities, which have currently been abandoned due to lack of maintenance. 

7. The statue of Christ the Redeemer is one of the world’s seven wonders

Photo by Shot by Cerqueira on Unsplash

The City of Rio is circled with natural beauty from the beaches to the mountains and the islands. 

Interestingly, its most iconic feature is the Christ the Redeemer statue that stands at 98 feet (ca. 30 m) tall and 92 feet (ca. 28 m) wide, its base is 26 feet (ca. 8 m) high. 

This statue was named as one of the newest world wonders alongside the Taj Mahal in India and the Roman Colosseum.

The massive statue was completed in 1931 as a tribute to Rio’s 100th anniversary.

8. Rio’s carnival party is the biggest carnival in the world

In 2004, Rio de Janeiro hosted the largest Carnaval in the world with 400,000 people that participated in the party being foreigners. 

This party was recorded in the Guinness Book of Records as the biggest party held in one city at one time.

The carnival attracts at least 5 million participants that take part in street parties called blocos that is held by the samba groups.

9. Free recreation facilities at Copacabana beach

People in Rio de Janeiro enjoy sporting activities either for leisure or as a career. 

The Brazilian government has provided recreational facilities for its citizens for free along the beach in Rio.

Football court, volleyball nets, an open gym are all along the beach where one can choose a facility whether solo or in a group.

For runs, skating or cycling along the beach, there is a 4 km the promenade with a black and white wave design that was completed in 1970.

It was designed by  Roberto Burle Marx.

10. Sugarloaf Mountain in Rio

By Ccarelo – wikimedia

The monolith that is now referred to as sugarloaf mountain was given the name by Portuguese explorers in the 16th century.

This was during the sugar trade between Brazil and Portugal.

Back then, blocks sugar was placed in conical containers that were made of clay during transportation by ship.

The shape of the mountain resembled the sugar containers hence its name. The mountain is believed to be more than 600 million years old.

11. Street art is allowed in Rio de Janeiro

The city of Rio has a Graffiti day marked on the 27th of March annually. This date is a commemoration of a Brazilian graffiti pioneer  Vallauri Alex who died in1987.

Street art was legalized in 2014 on properties and on the streets, turning the streets into an outdoor gallery. 

Graffiti artists are however not allowed to paint or draw their art on historical monuments.

There is a government agency that regulates the works of the artists.

12. The Largest library in the world is in Rio de Janeiro

This city is home to the eight biggest libraries in the world.  The library was built in 1807 by the royal family that moved to Brazil from Portugal. 

The royal family moved in 14 ships with at least 15,000 people both family and servants. The family moved with its library with 60,000 items.

The national library that was constructed by prince Dom João VI currently has more than 15 million literary items.

13. People from Rio are among the fastest commuters

Photo by Charlie Egan on Unsplash

Catching your bus to a certain destination while in Rio can be an extreme sport. One needs to be quick on their feet since the bus drivers have little patience. 

Buses in Rio do not have a schedule as one may be used to.  Bus drivers in Rio leave passengers that are not quick enough to get on the bus. 

This made most city dwellers learn to be fast enough to get on or get off a bus at their designated pick up and drop off points. 

It takes 1.85 seconds to get on a bus in Rio de Janeiro, this is due to the fear of being left behind. 

14. Keeping up with conservation; a forest in the city

The city of Rio has one of the largest urban forests in the world called Floresta da Tijuca.

This forest resulted from reforestation of a coffee plantation to avoid soil erosion of the hills surrounding the city.

This was ordered by the then Brazil’s emperor Don Pedro II.

The forest covers an area of 33 kilometer square with cascading waterfalls.

A favorite spot by many visitors is the botanical gardens,  Parque Lage, and the Corcovado Mountain.

15. Carioca’s, the locals in Rio de Janeiro

The local people living in Rio have a name that they go by. Carioca, meaning a white man’s house.

It is the name given Portuguese colonizers by the native Indians when they were building in their land. 

The word originated from the Tupi-Guaraní language widely spoken by the indigenous people that owned the land. 

16. Rio’s decline in natural resources that drove the economy

When Rio was the capital city of Brazil, its main economic drivers were agriculture, mainly sugarcane farming.

Later on, discoveries of precious metal were done at the Minas Gerais are where they had mines for gold in 1698and diamonds in 1729.

The sugarcane production got stiff competition from other South American producers and the minerals became scarce. 

This put Rio in an economic crisis pushing it to try a hand in coffee exportation. Soon after the royal family from Portugal settled in Rio and salvaged the situation. 

17. The world’s biggest football match of the 20th century was held here

On the 16th of July 1950, the city of Rio de Janeiro recorded a historical event that is remembered to date.

On that day, the Brazilian football team was playing against Uruguay in the finals of the world cup.

The match was held at the then biggest stadium in the world, the  Maracanã stadium.

The stadium had more than 170,000 spectators with tickets and at least 20,000 spectators that did not have tickets.

The reason this is not a fond memory amongst the Brazilians is that they lost to Uruguay, what followed was a deafening silence from the Brazilian spectators. 

18. Home to famous personalities

Rio de Janeiro is home to some famous personalities known globally. 

Some of them are the famous lyricist and novelist Paolo Coelho, mixed martial artists Rafael dos Anjos and Royce Gracie, former football star Romario, actress and model Chrysti Ane, singer Anitta among many others.

19. It has a Carmen Miranda Museum

The Carmen Miranda museum in Rio de Janeiro pays tribute to the singer and actress, it is open to the public.

The museum is located near Rio’s Flamengo Beach and was opened on the 21sy anniversary of the singer.

First opened in 1976, the museum displays her iconographic costumes; her famous tall fruit hats and platform-heeled shoes. 

Other exhibits in the museum are artifacts that belonged to her together with her music records and films.

20. The biggest slave port in the world is in Rio

Valongo Wharf is one of the biggest slave port of Brazil colonial times in the port area of Rio de Janeiro

It is an archeological site in central RIO. Valogo used to be a harbor where slaves would disembark from Africa on reaching the South America continent from 1811.

The slave trade left Rio de Janeiro with an African heritage footprint that brought forth the samba dance, African religions as well as African cuisine, most which trace back to West Africa.