Rio de Janeiro

This article is about the city of Rio de Janeiro. For the Brazilian state, see Rio de Janeiro (state).

Rio de Janeiro
Municipality
Municipality of Rio de Janeiro
Christ the Redeemer on Corcovado with Sugarloaf Mountain and Guanabara Bay (background) Sugarloaf Cable Car Theatro Municipal Museum of Tomorrow Maracanã Stadium Barra da Tijuca Downtown Rio from Santa Teresa, with the Metropolitan Cathedral (center), Carioca Aqueduct (right) and Rio-Niteroi Bridge (background)
Flag Coat of arms
Nicknames:  Cidade Maravilhosa (Marvellous City) Princesa Maravilhosa (Marvellous Princess) Cidade dos Brasileiros (City of Brazilians)
Location in the state of Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro Location within Brazil Show map of Brazil Rio de Janeiro Location within South America Show map of South America
Coordinates: 22°54′40″S 43°12′20″W
Country	Brazil
Region	Southeast
State	Rio de Janeiro
Historic countries	Kingdom of Portugal United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves Empire of Brazil
Settled	1555; 469 years ago (1555)
Founded	1 March 1565; 459 years ago (1565-03-01)[1]
Named for	Saint Sebastian Guanabara Bay
Government
• Type	Mayor-council
• Body	Municipal Chamber of Rio de Janeiro
• Mayor	Eduardo Paes (PSD)
• Vice Mayor	Nilton Caldeira (PL)
Area
• Municipality	1,221 km^2 (486.5 sq mi)
• Metro	4,539.8 km^2 (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]
• Municipality	6,211,223
• Rank	4th in South America 2nd in Brazil
• Density	5,174.6/km^2 (13,402/sq mi)
• Urban	11,616,000^[needs update]
• Metro	12,280,702^[needs update] (2nd)
• Metro density	2,705.1/km^2 (7,006/sq mi)
Demonym	Carioca
GDP (PPP, constant 2015 values)
• Year	2023
• Total (Metro)	$285.9 billion[3]
• Per capita	$23,700
Time zone	UTC−3 (BRT)
Postal Code	20000-001 to 23799-999
Area code	21
HDI (2010)	0.799 – high[4]
Nominal 2018 GDP (City)	US$ 93.9 billion (2nd)[5]
Per capita	US$14,046 (2nd)
Website	prefeitura.rio
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Rio de Janeiro: Carioca Landscapes between the Mountain and the Sea
Type	Cultural
Criteria	vi
Designated	2012 (36th session)
Reference no.	1100

Rio de Janeiro is the second largest city in Brazil. It is the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro. Until April 21, 1960, it was the capital city of Brazil. According to the 2022 Census, the city had 6,211,223 people, and an area of over 1,000 km². In 2021 Eduardo Paes became Mayor, having been mayor before in 2009 to 2017.^[6]

The city of Rio de Janeiro, viewed from Corcovado mountain

History and geography

The city was started in 1565. It is named for a river that does not exist after Portuguese explorers mistook an oceanic bay for a river.^[7]

Copacabana Beach, Ipanema Beach, Sugar Loaf Mountain (in Portuguese, Pão de Açúcar), the statue of Christ the Redeemer (in Portuguese, Cristo Redentor), a harbor on Guanabara Bay, and Tom Jobim Airport are in Rio de Janeiro. It has much commerce and many industries, especially textiles, food, chemicals, and metallurgy. Most of these industries are in the northern and western suburbs of the city. Rio de Janeiro also has a small rural area, near the suburb of Campo Grande, where fruits and vegetables are grown.

Other cities near Rio de Janeiro, like Duque de Caxias, Nova Iguaçu, Queimados and São Gonçalo, that form the Metropolitan Region of Rio de Janeiro, also have a lot of industries and population.

The city hosted the Summer Olympic Games in 2016.

Geography

The city is 420 kilometers (about 261 miles) away from São Paulo, the biggest city in South America. The cities of Rio and São Paulo are linked by the Presidente Dutra Highway (also known as Via Dutra). The region crossed by the Presidente Dutra Highway has been an important industrial zone since the 1950s.

In the city of Rio de Janeiro lies Tijuca National Park, created in 1961. This park contains some 33 km², between the northern and the southern parts of the city. The district (in Portuguese, bairro) of Santa Tereza can be reached by taking an electric tram (in Portuguese, bonde) from central Rio de Janeiro (near Largo da Carioca subway station), crossing over the Arcos da Lapa, an aqueduct built during the colonial period to provide water to the city.

Sister cities

• Warsaw, Poland

References

1. "Rio de Janeiro Info". paralumun.com. Archived from the original on 27 December 2008. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
2. "Rio de Janeiro (RJ) | Cidades e Estados | IBGE". www.ibge.gov.br. Retrieved 2024-06-25.
3. "TelluBase—Brazil Fact Sheet (Tellusant Public Service Series)" (PDF). Tellusant. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 January 2024. Retrieved 2024-01-11.
4. "IDNM Ranking" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Archived from the original (PDF) on April 9, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 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. "Members of the Global Commission | New Climate Economy | Commission on the Economy and Climate". Archived from the original on 2015-06-07. Retrieved 2015-06-22.
7. "11 Fun Facts About Rio". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 20 July 2024.

Other websites

• Virtual photo tour through Rio de Janeiro and neighbourhood with www.riodejaneirophotoguide.com Archived 2012-11-25 at the Wayback Machine
• Prefeitura da Cidade do Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro's City Hall. Includes statistical information about the city, about Carnival, and municipal laws. (in Portuguese)
• Rio de Janeiro at Wikivoyage