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According to tradition, the Rio de Janeiro area was visited in Jan., 1502, by Portuguese explorers who believed Guanabara Bay to be the mouth of a river; it was therefore named Rio de Janeiro. It is more likely that the region was discovered in 1504 by Gonçalo Coelho.
In 1555 the French Huguenots established a colony, but they were driven out (1560-67) by Mem de Sá, governor-general of the Portuguese colony of Brazil. At the same time the city of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro was founded by Mem de Sá's cousin.
The settlement was captured and held for ransom by the French in 1711. Rio gained importance in the 18th cent., when it was designated the shipping point for all gold from the interior. It replaced
Bahia (now Salvador) as the capital of Brazil in 1763 and subsequently became capital of the exiled royal court of Portugal (1808-21), the Brazilian empire (1822), and the federal republic (1889). It was superseded as capital by Brasília in 1960.
Examples of Rio's famous modern architecture are the ministry of
education, the Brazilian press association headquarters, and the
museum of modern art.
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Older buildings house the national library, the municipal opera house, and several museums. The Itamarati Palace is also noteworthy. Foremost among educational institutions are the University of Guanabara (formed 1920 as the University of Rio de Janeiro), the University of Brazil, now partly housed in the University City on Guanabara Bay, and the Catholic University; there are also military and naval academies, the Oswaldo Cruz biological research center, and other scientific institutes.
Notable churches include the ornate Candelária Church, the 18th-century Church of Nossa Senhora da Glória, the 17th-century Franciscan convent, and a 16th-century Benedictine monastery
and
Sao Bento Monastery.
Rio has beautiful subtropical parks, including the Quinta da Boa Vista (a former estate of the emperors) and the
botanical garden (founded 1808). The sports stadium is one of the world's largest.
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Rio
de Janeiro
guide,
hotels
Sugar Loaf view from Candelaria
Church
Barra da Tijuca beach
Cultural
Protected area
Center Banco
do Brasil
Copacabana Fort Ipanema
Geriba beach - Buzios
Rio de Janeiro
 Buzios
Buzios Town and its beaches
Restaurants
Eating options
Getting there
Getting around
Climate and travel info
Buzios
Beaches
Buzios Beaches 2
 Buzios
Scuba Diving
Buzios Golf
 Buzios
Stones St and
night life
Ecotourism
Hotels in Buzios
Google maps
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Rio de Janeiro
guide
Rio de Janeiro
Brief
history
State
Travel details
Warning
Orientation:
Centro,
Zona Sul, Zona Norte
Getting around
Nightlife
Film
Rio Gay
Best of Rio
Info
Favelas
Arrival
Shopping
Carnaval
 Eating
and drinking:
Churrascarias, vegetarian
For eating in Brazil, read also:
Eating & drinking
Street foods,
snacks
Restaurants
Vegetarian/natural
Soft drinks, hot
drinks
Zona
Sul
Sports, beach fashion
Arpoador, Ipanema,
Leblon
Jardim
Botanico
Lagoa
Lagoa Christmas tree
Leme and Copacabana Beach
Alto da Boa Vista, Parque Nacional da
Tijuca
Urca and Pao-de-Acucar
Gavea and Jockey Club
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