Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro, often called Rio, is the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro and its largest city. It ranks as Brazil’s second-largest city overall, behind São Paulo, and draws more international tourists than any other Brazilian city. As of 2025, the city proper has about 6 million residents, while its metropolitan area holds around 13 million, making it the sixth-most-populous urban area in the Americas.

The city was founded in 1565, originally serving as the seat of the Captaincy of Rio de Janeiro under the Portuguese Empire. In 1763, it became the capital of the State of Brazil. When the Portuguese Royal Court fled to Brazil in 1808, Rio became the seat of Queen Maria I’s court. Her son, Prince Regent John of Braganza, later elevated Brazil to a kingdom within the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil, and the Algarves, and Rio remained the capital of this pluricontinental monarchy until the Brazilian War of Independence began in 1822. This marks the only time in modern history that a colonizing country’s capital was officially moved to a city in one of its colonies. After independence, Rio served as the capital of the Empire of Brazil until 1889, and then of republican Brazil until the capital shifted to Brasília in 1960.

Rio’s municipal GDP is the second-largest in Brazil and, as of 2008, ranked 30th globally, estimated at R$343 billion. The city hosts the headquarters of major Brazilian oil, mining, and telecommunications firms, including two of the country’s largest corporations, Petrobras and Vale, as well as Latin America’s biggest telemedia conglomerate, Grupo Globo. It is also a major academic hub, home to numerous universities and institutes, and accounts for 17 percent of Brazil’s scientific output (based on 2005 data), making it the nation’s second-largest center for research and development. Despite a reputation for high crime, Rio actually has a lower crime rate than most Brazilian state capitals.

A top destination in the Southern Hemisphere, Rio is famous for its natural beauty, Carnival, samba, bossa nova, and iconic beaches like Barra da Tijuca, Copacabana, Ipanema, and Leblon. Key landmarks include the Christ the Redeemer statue atop Corcovado mountain—one of the New Seven Wonders of the World—Sugarloaf Mountain with its cable car, the Sambódromo parade avenue used during Carnival, and Maracanã Stadium, one of the world’s largest football stadiums. Rio hosted the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, becoming the first South American and Portuguese-speaking city to do so, and the third Southern Hemisphere city to host the Olympics. Maracanã also staged the finals of the 1950 and 2014 FIFA World Cups, as well as the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup. The city additionally hosted the 2007 Pan American Games, the 2024 G20 summit, and is set to host the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

History

Pre-Cabraline period Before European contact, the Rio region was home to the Tupi, Puri, Botocudo, and Maxakalí peoples.

Colonial period Europeans first saw Guanabara Bay on 1 January 1502, naming it Rio de Janeiro (“January River”). This occurred during a Portuguese expedition under either Gaspar de Lemos or Gonçalo Coelho, with the Florentine explorer Amerigo Vespucci possibly participating as an observer.

In 1555, French colonists under Admiral Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon occupied Villegagnon Island in Guanabara Bay, building Fort Coligny as part of the France Antarctique colony. The Portuguese, seeing this as a threat, launched a military campaign led by Governor General Mem de Sá and later his nephew Estácio de Sá. On 20 January 1567, the French were decisively expelled from Brazil.

Rio de Janeiro was officially founded on 1 March 1565 by the Portuguese under Estácio de Sá, named São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro after Saint Sebastian, patron of King Sebastião. The name Rio de Janeiro originally referred to Guanabara Bay. Through the early 18th century, the city faced threats and invasions from French pirates and buccaneers, including Jean-François Duclerc and René Duguay-Trouin.

In the late 17th century, gold and diamond discoveries in the neighboring captaincy of Minas Gerais made Rio a more practical port for exporting wealth (gold, gems, and sugar) than Salvador, Bahia. On 27 January 1763, the colonial administration of Portuguese America moved from Salvador to Rio, which remained a colonial capital until 1808, when the Portuguese royal family fled Napoleon’s invasion of Portugal and relocated to Rio.

Portuguese royal period With the royal court’s move, Rio became the capital of the kingdom—the only European capital ever located outside Europe.