Rio de Janeiro City Map Poster

About Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro is one of the most visited cities in the Southern Hemisphere and is known for its natural settings, Carnival, samba, bossa nova, and balneario beaches such as Barra da Tijuca , Copacabana , Ipanema , Leblon . In addition to the beaches, some of the most famous landmarks include: Sugarloaf Mountain with its cable car ; The Sambódromo (Sambadrome), a permanent grandstand-lined parade avenue which is used during Carnival; Maracanã Stadium – one of world's largest football stadiums. Rio de Janeiro was host to four Pan American Games (1955 1959 1963) and two South American Games (1947 1951). It also hosted the 1950 FIFA World Cup final match between Brazil and Uruguay at Estádio do Maracanã. The city was named after "Río de la Plata" ("River of Silver") by a Spanish expeditionary fleet sailing for Peru in 1501.