Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro is a state in southeastern Brazil dominated by its world-famous capital city of the same name, the Marvelous City. With its iconic mountains, beaches and Carnival, it is the cultural showcase of Brazil and one of the most recognisable places on Earth. It was Brazil's national capital for nearly two centuries.

The state has a dramatic coastline of bays, beaches and forested mountains, where the city of Rio sits between Guanabara Bay and peaks such as Sugarloaf and Corcovado. The Serra dos Orgaos rises inland. The climate is tropical, warm and humid.

Rio is a global icon of culture, the home of samba and bossa nova, the spectacular Carnival, and beaches such as Copacabana and Ipanema. The Cariocas, as locals are known, are celebrated for their love of music, football and the beach.

Founded in 1565, the city of Rio de Janeiro served as the capital of colonial Brazil, of the Portuguese empire in exile, and of independent Brazil until 1960. The state was formed when the capital moved to Brasilia, leaving Rio as its largest city.

This overview is AI-assisted and grounded with available atlas facts and reference material. Treat linked primary data as authoritative. Read the methodology.