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Seven Natural Wonders of the World: Rio de Janeiro

Author: MayMay

Seven Natural Wonders of the World:
Harbour of Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro ("River of January"), is the second largest city of Brazil. Rio de Janeiro is famous for its natural settings, its Carnival celebrations, samba and other music, and hotel-lined tourist beaches, such as Copacabana and Ipanema, paved with decorated black and cream swirl pattern mosaics known locally as "pedra portuguesa".

Some of the most famous local landmarks in addition to the beaches include the giant statue of Jesus, known as Christ the Redeemer atop Corcovado mountain, which has recently been named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

Climate

Rio has a tropical climate. The temperature occasionally reaches over 40°C (104°F) in inland areas of the city, and extreme maximum temperatures above 30°C can happen every month. In the main tourist areas, the temperature is moderated by the cool sea-breezes from the ocean.

The average annual minimum temperature is 20°C, the average annual maximum temperature is 26°C (79°F) and the average annual temperature is 23°C. The average yearly precipitation is 1,086 mm. The minimum temperature recorded was 4.8°C in July 1928, but temperatures below 10°C are rare in most of city today, the absolute maximum reached 43.2°C in January 1984.

Culture

The official song of Rio de Janeiro is "Cidade Maravilhosa", which means "marvelous city". The song is considered the "civic anthem" of Rio, and is always the favourite song during Rio's Carnival in February.

Rio de Janeiro is a very important place when studying the urban music of Brazil. They are responsible for the creation of Funk Carioca, which means funk from Rio de Janeiro. This music became a representation of the current problems residents faced in Rio.

Rio has been an important center for the revival of traditional Samba music, especially around Lapa, an old bohemian neighborhood. This has come closely associated with a revival in Choro music, a traditional form which is mainly instrumental.

Despite its charm and beauty, Rio is reputed to be one of the most violent cities in the world and motivated movies such as Bus 174, City of God and Elite Squad portraying severe social issues. Violent crime is concentrated in the slum areas known as favelas, which are located largely on the periphery of the City.