History of Rio Information

Portuguese explorers first discovered the exotic Guanabara Bay, on the shores of Latin America on January 1^st 1502. Some slight confusion led them to name their new-found colony as Rio de Janeiro (which literally translates as ‘River of January.’) as there was some misunderstanding regarding the words ‘rio’ (river) and ‘ria’ which meant ‘bay’ at the time.

Saint Sebastian’s Day or Dia de São Sebastião was created in honour of Rio’s founding – honouring the city’s patron, King Sebastian of Portugal (the Portuguese monarch at the time). He was also born on the same day as the saint – January the 20th and Dia de São Sebastião is still celebrated in Rio today.

In 1555 French colonists and soldiers, with help from the Tamoio people (native Indians of Brazil) effectively invaded the area and established the French Antartique - a new found haven for French Huguenots. 1557 marked the arrival of many Calvinist settlers, who were given safe passage from France under the command of Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon.

In 1567, the Portuguese managed to finally expel the French and drove the Tamoio people away from Guanabara Bay. By the 17^th century the Tamoio people were wiped out - dying from disease or the strain of slavery. With the start of the 18^th century, the Portuguese colony grew to 8,000 inhabitants and gold and diamond mining gave a significant boost to the economy.

In 1807 the Portuguese royal family arrived in Rio, fleeing Portugal during the Napoleonic War. Dom Joao VI established Rio de Janeiro as the capital of Brazil and thus himself King of Portugal, the Algarves and Brazil. Dom Joao reigned in Brazil until 1821 - with Napolean's death - he returned to Lisbon.  He left his son, Dom Pedro I, behind and in charge of the country.

Rio continued to grow economically as well as in size and popularity and one year later on Sept. 7, 1822, Dom Pedro declares Brazil's independence – right before his father was due to return to establish Brazil’s place as a Portuguese colony. He declares himself Emperor of Brazil and Brazilian Independence, a national holiday, is celebrated on "Sete de Setembro".

1888 was the next significant date in Brazil’s history as slavery was abolished and European’s settled in Rio and her surroundings. 1889 saw the monarchy overthrown (Pedro I had earlier abdicated to his young son) and a federal republic was created with a central government. On November 15^th 1889 Brazil was declared a republic - giving rise to ‘Republic Day’.

At the start of the 20^th century, the centre of the city shifted from the business district on Guanabara Bay to Zona Sul (South Zone) as the city continued to expand… By 1902 Brazil was producing 65% of the world’s coffee and this played a large part in the governments rule.

1930 saw political revolt with Getulio Vargas heading up the revolutionary government. His rule was principally dictatorial with support from the military. Vargas sought to convert Brazil's plantation based economy into industrialization. The economy slides under state control with reforms instigated for social reform and industry legislation.

In 1945, with the end of World War II and the rise of global democracy, Vargas agrees to cede power - but is elected again in 1951 to return as president. However, his rule is a short one as he commits suicide in 1954 after being given the ultimatum of resignation or being overthrown…

In 1956 Juscelino Kubitschek takes the presidency and Brazil enjoys rapid economic growth. In 1960, the capital is moved from Rio to Brazilia – today's current capital. Following the capital's migration Janio Quadros took power, only to resign shortly after. Joao Goulart followed as President but was overthrown in a military coup, with a dictatorship led by Gen. Ernesto Geisel.

1985 saw Brazil’s first democratic election in 21 years while 1992 put Rio on the international stage as it hosted the Earth Summit. 2002 saw the peaceful transition of power from President Cardosa to Luís Inácio Lula da Silva demonstrating that Brazil had finally succeeded in achieving political stability.

Football also brought the country to the world’s attention – triumphing as they did in their fifth World Cup championship in 2002. Brazil has won FIFA World championships in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002. The famous Maracanã Stadium, based in Rio and hosts of the exciting 1950 World Cup final (Brazil lost to Uruguay 2 -1) will host again in the 2014 World Cup Final.

Today, Brazil led by President Dilma Rousseff, is South America’s largest country (the world's fifth largest) and is home to over 192 million people. Its developing economy is one of the fastest growing in the world blessed with recently discovered oil reserves, renewable fuels leadership and energy self-sufficiency. Brazil’s varied geography includes urbanized centres such as Rio, Brasilia and São Paulo and the ecologically diverse Amazon Rainforest. Some pressing problems do remain including high levels of crime and significantly unequal distributions of income.

Rio de Janeiro is characterised by many things, namely the world-famous carnival, the sprawling beaches, the towering statue of Christ the Redeemer, Sugar Loaf Mountain and the notorious favelas. There has recently been a disciplined effort to reduce crime and improve living conditions for working people in the favelas. And the people who live in the shanty towns are an important part of the spirit of the city. The city is divided into different zones and districts - the principal ones being South Zone, home to Ipanema Beach and Copacabana, North Zone (not a typical tourist district, however, you will find the city zoo and Maracanã football stadium here), Downtown, the home of the financial district and traditional samba dance clubs and finally, the West Zone, an up and coming area full of shopping malls, beaches and host to the majority of the Olympic venues in 2016.

Rio de Janeiro is full of energy, excitement and anticipation. Perhaps, nothing more speaks to Rio's pride than the awarding of the FIFA World Cup Finals in 2014 and the Summer Olympic Games in 2016. The city is eager to continue demonstrating to the world its ability to "flawlessly" host important international events and do so in a style that is uniquely Rio.

A Little History behind the Carnival…

With enough decorative headdresses, glitter, feathers and floats to make most other carnivals look pretty tame, Rio de Janeiro is the undisputed king of carnivals! But how did this colourful celebration come to life? The modern day carnival was born in 1641 when the middle classes introduced European-style balls, masquerades and parties in the city. Gradually, these frivolous celebrations were mixed with elements derived from Native American cultures. Today, Blocos or Blocks (a group of musicians who dress in costumes) parade through particular neighbourhoods and play percussion instruments. The Block Parades have become an integral part of the Rio Carnival and parade down the Sambadrome before Easter kicks in.