RIO DE JANEIRO
Mention Rio to anyone and immediately the name evokes
images of sultry street parades, the Sugarloaf Mountain,
Corcovado Christ statue, and the 'itsy-bitsy teeny weeny'
bikinis on the beach at Ipanema. The exuberant cultural
capital of Brazil is tucked between the mountains and
the sea and is endowed with a natural beauty that ranges
from the beaches to the mountain peaks. It also contains
the biggest urban forest in the world, the Tijuca Forest,
that was completely replanted during the second half of
the 19th century.
The city throbs to the infectious beat of Brazilian
music, the choro, the samba and the bossa nova, and is
the main source of Brazil's national culture. Its annual
carnival, known simply as Carnaval, draws together the
population of the city (known as the 'Cariocas') ranging
from rich to very poor who take to the streets for the
world's largest samba parade on the Sambodromo.
The city is capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro,
which encompasses most of Brazil's major tourist
attractions.
Rio is a never-ending story made up of 150 districts
each characterised by unique features, like Santa
Teresa, which is reached by taking an old tram across an
ancient aqueduct called Arcos da Lapa. In the central
city area Rio boasts historic monuments and public
buildings like the Municipal Theatre, the National
Museum of Fine Art, the Itamaraty Palace, the National
History Museum and the National Library. There are also
beautiful examples of religious architecture such as the
Sao Bento Monastery. No matter how long you spend
exploring the city, it will always deliver new surprises.
To the north of the city is the Lakes region, which has
more than 62 miles (100km) of beaches and sea-water
lagoons and is the site of the main tourist resorts of
Búzios, Cabo Frio, Arrial do Cabo, Rio das Ostras,
Maricá and Saquarema. |