BIG CITIES
JUN 11, 2022
The History Of Rio de Janeiro
This is one of the biggest cities in Brazil with multi cultural life and rich of artistic value.
Rio de Janeiro, under the name Rio, is a city and a port, capital of the estado (state) of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is located in the Atlantic Ocean, in the southeastern part of the tropical zone of South America, and is widely recognized as one of the most beautiful and attractive urban centers in the world.
Rio de Janeiro (meaning “January River” in Portuguese) has an area of 1,256 km² and a population of about 6,150,000 million in 2004.
When Brazil became an independent republic in 1889, separated from Portugal, Rio de Janeiro was designated as its capital. This status remained until 1960, when the Brazilian government moved its capital to Brasilia.
Rio de Janeiro is the most visited city in Brazil, known for its natural beauty, carnival, samba, bossa nova, and balneário beaches such as Barra da Tijuca, Copacabana, Ipanema, and Leblon.
EARLY HISTORY
Starting from an expedition from the Portuguese who arrived in Guanabara Bay on January 1, 1502. They thought the bay was a big river so they called it the January River.
The ideal climate, beautiful bay views, and varying land contours between plains, hills, and beaches made Rio de Janeiro attract many immigrants from Europe to establish colonies and settle down.
When the foundations of the future city were laid in 1565, it was named Cidade de São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro (“City of St. Sebastian of Rio de Janeiro”) for São Sebastião and Dom Sebastião, kings of Portugal.
Then in 1763, it became the capital of the State of Brazil, a state of the Portuguese Empire. In 1808, when the Kingdom of Portugal moved from Portugal to Brazil, Rio de Janeiro became the choice of Queen Maria I of Portugal.
When the Brazilian War of Independence began, Rio de Janeiro remained the capital of the Lusitania monarchy until 1822. Rio de Janeiro then served as the capital of the Brazilian Empire until 1889. Then Rio de Janeiro became the capital of Brazil until 1960 until the capital was moved to Brasilia.
MOVING THE CAPITAL
The history of moving the Brazilian capital from Rio de Janeiro to Brasilia cannot be separated from the role of President Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira, who served from 1956-1961.
At the time, the conditions in this city is already too full of residents. Every day traffic jams continue to occur, so that construction can no longer be carried out due to the lack of land.
In addition, social and economic inequalities are also growing, not only within the city, but also in Rio and other regions.
With these conditions, the plan to move the capital city is considered the best way to reduce the complicated problems in Rio and Brazil in general.
This is the reason the Brazilian capital was moved. The Brazilian government also wants the capital city to be geographically in the center of the country, not in the southeast.
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS
Although it is no longer the capital city, the city’s long history as the center of Brazil and the South American region, makes Rio de Janeiro still exotic with various monuments and various cultural activities that can still be witnessed today.
Maracana Stadium, the Statue of Jesus the Redeemer on Sugarloaf hill, and the beauty of the Guanabara Bay beach are Rio de Janeiro’s attractions for tourists from all over the world. Not to mention the variety of cultures such as festivals, a visit to Rio is never lonely. But as a big city, apart from the various splendors it has, Rio also has problems with crime and poverty.
SPORT EVENTS
Rio de Janeiro hosted the 15th Pan American Games held from July 13-July 29, 2007. In 2016 it hosted the 2016 Summer Olympics and 2016 Summer Paralympics. In 2014, Rio de Janeiro hosted the Finals. and at the same time the closing ceremony of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil.
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