Rio de Janeiro

Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro.

Rio de Janeiro is a major port city and former capital of Brazil and (for a short time) of Portugal. Its full name is Cidade de Sao Sebastiao do Rio de Janeiro, 'City of Saint Sebastian of the River of January': the bay on which Rio stands was mistaken for a river estuary by the Portuguese sailors who entered it on January 1, 1502. It became the Portuguese colonial capital in 1763 and remained the Brazilian capital until 1960, when Brasilia became the capital. From 1808 until 1821, Rio became the de facto capital of the Portuguese Empire;[1][2] it's the only American city ever to become the capital of a European nation.

Rio was the host city for the 2016 Summer Olympics.

## References[edit]

1. ↑ Família real portuguesa desembarca no Rio em março de 1808 (in Portuguese)
2. ↑ History, site of Riotur