Astonishing Facts About Rio de Janeiro The Marvelous City
Rio de Janeiro which is simply known as Rio is the third largest metropolis in the country with an approximate population of 6.3 million. Everyone knows that Rio de Janeiro is the Summer Olympics host in 2016, the city of samba and carnival, the kingdom of and beautiful beaches but there are many other facts that make a tour in the city a must when you are visiting Brazil! No visit to Rio de Janeiro simply means you have seen nothing in Brazil!
Facts about Rio de Janeiro
Although Rio de Janeiro is behind Sao Paulo and Brasilia in terms of population, but is only behind Brasilia in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at US$201 billion.
‘Rio de Janeiro’ means ‘River of January’ in Portuguese. As per the historians in January 1502 when Portuguese explorer Gaspar de Lemos first arrived in Rio and was sailing through Guanabara Bay he came up with the name for the city as he got confusedwith the bay thinking it as the mouth of a big river.
Christ the Redeemer on the top of Corcovada Mountain has been named as one of the Seven Wonders of the World and is one of the most recognized landmarks of Rio.
Rio de Janeiro also has a nickname Cidade Maravilhosa which means 'The Marvelous City' that was coined by the writer Coelho Neto from the north-eastern Brazilian state of Maranhao as a tribute to the city's natural beauty.
Samba – the famous dance of Brazil has its origins from the slaves of Africa who worked in the plantations in the State of Rio de Janeiro. More than 200 samba schools are there in Rio.
Rio with over 50 kilometers of white and golden sand beaches is known as the tourism capital of Brazil.
‘Carioca Landscapes that lie between the Mountain and the Sea’ in Rio was named a World Heritage center in 2012.
The locals of Rio de Janeiro are known as Cariocas, the term that comes from an indigenous language, Tupi-Guarani that was spoken by the indigenous tribes who lived in the area before the arrival of Portuguese settlers.
The largest Carnival party in the world belongs to Rio de Janeiro. Over 400,000 foreign tourists gathered in the city in 2004 for the celebrations and joined 5 million locals who participated in the famous parades and street parties.
In 1950 in the Rio de Janeiro Football World Cup final that was held between Uruguay and Brazil at the Maracanã stadium housed nearly 200,000 people making it the most attended football match ever in the world.
Besides these facts mentioned, there are many other interesting facts and things that make tour in Rio de Janeiro a must. If you are planning a tour to Rio de Janeiro then make sure you get in touch with experienced and reputed tours operators in Rio de Janeiro, so that you can enjoy the city to the fullest!
Conclusion:
Ada Tours, one of the premier inbound tour operators in Rio de Janeiro specialize in tailor-made tour packages in Latin America prepared with care by experts in the field. For more details visit http://www.adatours.com/