Rio de Janeiro is Brazil's second largest city (after São Paulo), and the former capital of the country until the 1960s, when it was replaced by the planned city of Brasília.
Founded in 1565 as São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro, the city is well known for its many tourist attractions, including famous beaches like Copacabana and Ipanema, its carnival celebrations, the Christ the Redeemer statue on the top of Corcovado Mountain and the Sugar Loaf Hill (Pão de Açucar).
The city will host the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in August of that year.