Located on South Atlantic Coast, Rio De Janeiro is a world-famous city particularly because of its annual carnival, laidback beach culture, and the city’s breathtaking landscape. The city’s harbor forms a unique ocean entry which makes it appear like the mouth of a river. Besides, the harbor is surrounded by some outstanding geographic features like the Sugar Loaf Mountain which qualifies the harbor to be listed as one of the world’s seven natural wonders.
The Centro district is the business and financial center if the city and houses numerous historic buildings like the National Library, Municipal Theatre, National Museum of Fine Arts, Metropolitan Cathedral, and Tiradentes Palace. Zona Sul district contains major tourist attractions like Corcovado and Sugar Loaf Mountains and Rodrigo Freitas Lagoon. Zona Norte is home to the national museum, the National Observatory, and the Maracana Stadium.
Due to the large size of Rio De Janeiro, most people still think that it is the capital of Brazil but it was stripped of the status in 1960, and Brasilia became the new capital. Besides the popular Carnaval celebration, beaches are the second most important tourist attractions in the city. Notable beaches are such as Ipanema and Copacabana. Other popular attractions include the Sugar Loaf Mountain, Maracana Stadium, and Christ The Redeemer. Unfortunately, Rio is also well known for its crime and violence with the most serious social problems being the slums and drug lords. Favelas refer to areas featuring low-quality housing especially on the mountain slopes parts of the city. The world-famous beaches and landmarks of Rio De Janeiro are in The South Zone which also features many accommodation facilities like hostels and hotels.
Buildings are also major attractions in Rio like the Paco Imperial, Casa Franca Brasil, and the Gloria Church which is quite interesting despite its small size. Museums and parks are many in Rio De Janeiro and worth a visit. Venues set up for hosting the traditional Choro and Samba music offer cheap but still good nightlife options for locals and tourists as well.
