Introduction to Rio de Janeiro

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Rio de Janeiro is a huge city with several district articles containing sightseeing, restaurant, nightlife and accommodation listings — consider printing them all.

For other places with the same name, see Rio de Janeiro (disambiguation).

Rio de Janeiro, The Marvelous City

Rio de Janeiro is the second largest city in Brazil, on the South Atlantic coast. Rio is famous for its breathtaking landscape, its laidback beach culture and its annual carnival.

The harbor of Rio de Janeiro is comprised of a unique entry from the ocean that makes it appear as the mouth of a river. Additionally, the harbor is surrounded by spectacular geographic features including Sugar Loaf mountain at 395 m (1,296 feet), Corcovado Peak at 704 m (2,310 feet), and the hills of Tijuca at 1,021 m (3,350 feet). These features work together to collectively make the harbor one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World sevennaturalwonders.org).

Rio de Janeiro will host many of the 2014 FIFA World Cup games, including the final, and the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, becoming the first South American city to hold either the Summer or Winter Olympics.

• Sumare, 6 km (4 miles)

• Morro Urubu, 25 km (15 miles)
• Morro do Rangel, 31 km (19 miles)

• Igarape Fortaleza, an intermittent stream
• Igarape Minas, a stream in Estado do Acre
• Lago Arara, an oxbow lake in Estado do Amazonas
• Seringal Ocidente, in Estado do Acre
• Seringal Reconquista, in Estado do Amazonas

• sevennaturalwonders.org