Spotlight on Rio De Janeiro

Officially known as Rio de Janeiro or the River of January, the city has played a vital role as the capital city of the Portuguese empire and then after independence, as a prominent metropolitan capital of the state of Janeiro. The modern day city has become the symbol of Brazil’s growing stature in the world and a major tourist attraction, earning the nickname “A Cidade Maravilhosa” or The Marvelous City. Rio de Janeiro and Brazil is known worldwide by the welcoming open arms of “Christo redemptor” (Jesus Christ) statue overlooking the city, representing the iconic heart and soul of Brazil and its deep Christian background. More recently and to the pride of many Brazilians, Rio was able to successfully bid to become the host city of 2016 Olympic games – an honor as Rio introduces a new continent to the games.

Image via Wikipedia

Rio de Janeiro is characterized by the celebratory mood of its population, especially the four day carnival which spotlights the samba schools, the balls and the parade – simply the greatest show in earth and a crazy festival time in the city. So it was no surprise that during the announcement of Rio’s successful Olympic bid, the citizens erupted into celebratory jubilee. It may also have been the fact that during the previous bids, Rio never even became a Olympic host city candidate so 2016 was a dream come true for many Brazilians.  Back in July 2007, Brazil gained another honor when the Christ the Redeemer statue was listed among the new seven wonders of the world list. And then the city was chosen to host the 2007 Pan American Games – all of which elevated the city to international stage and showed the opening of South America to the world through Rio. Nevertheless, the honor of hosting the FIFA world cup in 2014 has given Rio de Janeiro another milestone to celebrate with and played as a key deciding factor in its 2016 Olympic host city bid.

Despite all the glamor and festivities, the city is drowning in poverty. A large portion of the city’s inhabitants live in slums and run-down city areas faced with urban plight. This may serve to explain the high crime rate in the city where drug lords and corrupt politicians run the show. Despite all the negativeness, beaches dot the wonderful city and the city is a mix of cultures. Everywhere you turn, you can see just about every social and religious group in large numbers in Rio – everything from Jewish populace to Germans to north Africans and Iranians living in the city. The city is also a architectural wonder – a delicate mix of modern architectural designs to the old colonial establishments by the Portuguese, the city is a unique mix of history.