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, which 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.
