History And Geography

History

Gaspar de Lemos sailed from Portugal for Brazil in 1501 and reached a large bay in January 1502. The French too had started settling in separately. Both collected Brazil wood along the coast and soon Portuguese colonization gained a stronghold that threatened the French. The city was originally named São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro in 1567 as a mark of respect to a Portuguese king. In 1555, the French reached the Baía de Guanabara in three packed ships, settled and called it the Antarctic France. Soon after the Portuguese attacked. Rio was considered inexpugnable and fortified to protect the land against invaders after eviction of French settlers in 1560. They also expelled the great Tamoio Indians, who had allied with Frenchmen and been part of a string of horrid battles. Later, the then residents, mostly natives, were shifted to Morro do Castelo. The major sources of sustenance at that time were whale fishing and sugar production. Rio's history boasts of sugar cane plantations and processing plants that stretched between Gávea and the Rodrigo de Freitas Lake till the fringe areas. In order to acquire a large enough taskforce to work on the sugar plantations, they resorted to acquiring slaves.

Towards the close of the 17th century, the northwest of Rio witnessed a gold rush in Minas Gerais. This heightened opportunities of development and a large number of Portuguese who realized this immigrated, and this transformed it as the most important port in the colony. Seeing this, a host of French pirates and smugglers were attracted and continuously invaded the city throughout 1710 and 1711. In all eventualities they were expelled. The continuous inflow of people prompted frenzied expansion of infrastructure to house the ever-increasing population. The famed Lapa Arcs water channel was opened in 1793. The construction has witnessed all changes since then, as it still stands and is presently used as a tramway that links the district of Santa Teresa with the city center.

In 1815, Rio de Janeiro was acknowledged as the capital of Brazil. In 1818, the Portuguese royal family arrived at Rio and declared it the provisional capital of Portugal. At this time, there were about 70,000 residents and the city had already started widening the gap between the rich and poor districts. Wealthy families preferred the areas flanked by the sea and hills, which was later named as the Zona Sul, and continues to be addressed similarly till date. The middle class families settled beyond the hills and the area came to be known as Zona Norte. Around the same time, the Botanical Garden, Casa França-Brasil, Royal Library and Customs House came into being. Although the royal family shifted to Portugal in 1821, Prince Dom Pedro I continued to rule the colony. In 1822, he rebelled when asked to return home and as an outcome, Dom Pedro I declared Brazil free from Portugal and became the first emperor. Shortly, the first Brazilian congressional assembly was shaped in Rio in 1823 at the spot where the Tiradentes Palace stands today. Dom Pedro I stepped down from his position in 1831. His son, Dom Pedro II did not get recognition as the ruling Emperor till 1840. His leadership changed Rio de Janeiro's outlook. From 1854 and 1862, the city saw the introduction of gas lighting, water and sewage services, transatlantic wire and telephone systems. Transportation got a new life with the emergence of trams, trains and ferryboats.

Railway lines were laid in 1884 and became operational in 1892. This allowed the richer families to relocate to the coast. Slavery ended in 1888 and monarchy ceased to function in1889. At this point, Rio saw a surge in the manufacturing industry. The beginning of the 20th century marked the inauguration of Rio Branco and Beira-Mar Avenues, Municipal Theatre, Arts School and the National Library. Soon the Ipanema and Leblon area started to get populated similar to the coastline. Skyscrapers emerged in the residential areas and city center and gained acceptance as they were looked up on as the need of the day.

During the 1960's, Brasilia was declared as the capital city and Rio has ever since been viewed as the cultural capital of Brazil and the political capital of Guanabara. By the 1960's and 1970's, the landscape of Rio was completely altered. To mark the beginning, the Aterro do Flamengo, the Rio-Niterói Bridge and the subways were introduced apart from the launching of tunnels that connected the South and North zones. In 1975, Brazilians chose to rename Guanabara as the state of Rio de Janeiro, wherein the capital too kept the same name.

Geography

A large part of Rio lies on a geological structure known as the Brazilian Crystal Basement. It refers to rocks, gneisses and granite that make up this area and are believed to be the oldest of the Brazilian territory. The region has experienced numerous tectonic alterations that resulted in the formation of elevations, hills, mountains and valleys. This marks Rio's coastal line. The Sugar Loaf and Corcovado are resultant of tectonic movement. The state of Rio de Janeiro boasts of a topography that is filled with mountains and depressions. Rio can be segregated in three distinct morphologic sleeves. They are the coastal low lands, also called Baixada Fluminense, the coastal elevations and the highlands.

Baixada extends along the coast and reflects rocky terrain, mountains, beaches, dunes, and lagoons. Guanabara, Sepetiba and Ilha Grande Bays, are a prominent fixture in the topography. The stretch between Cabo Frio to the Guanabara Bay has coastal elevations that can be categorized as singular hills or an assemblage of mountains that range between altitudes of 200 m to 500 m.

The state boasts of highlands, with altitudes of more than 1000m that are a consequence of volcanic eruptions in the area. São Paulo is detached from Rio by the Serra do Mar elevation. Between Rio and Minas, it's known as the Serra da Mantiqueira and its peak is Pico das Agulhas Negras. In English, we know it as ‘Black Needle's Peak' and it is found at Mantiqueira. Across Rio, the mountains are known as Serra dos Órgãos. Rio is classified as a tropical region as the Tropic of Capricorn is only a few degrees south of it. Humidity and changes in temperature vary due to altitude and rainfall. Its location and geographic conditions facilitate the growth of dense tropical forests but urbanization has altered Rio's natural course. Sugar cane and coffee grow well in this region as the soil and temperatures are appropriate.

The city boasts of the largest urban forest in Brazil known as the Floresta da Tijuca in the city center. The Paraíba do Sul, which comes from São Paulo and borders between Rio and Minas Gerais, is considered to be an important river.