Olympics countdown: 100 fun facts about Rio de Janeiro
Post on April 28, 2016, 2:48 pm by admin-2 0 Comments
With 100 days to go until the starting pistol is fired at the Olympic Games, Telegraph Travel has unearthed 100 facts about the host city, Rio de Janeiro, to mark the milestone.
It’s named after a river that doesn’t exist
Legend dictates that Portuguese explorers, who landed in present day Rio in January 1502, mistook the iconic bay for the mouth of a river. They proceeded to name the area Rio de Janeiro (“River of January”), which stuck despite being wholly inaccurate.
Street art is legal
Rio has become a giant canvas for some of the world’s best-loved street artists, thanks to its liberal policy on graffiti. Providing they have permission, painters are free to spray away, adding to the rich mosaic of street art that adorns the city.
It hosted the world’s biggest ever football match
The 1950 World Cup Final, between Uruguay and Brazil, remains the highest attended match ever. Officially, 173,850 spectators crammed into Rio’s Maracanã Stadium, though unofficially there were said to be many more. The game is remembered as a national tragedy, however: Brazil lost 2-1.
And the largest ever concert…
Rod Stewart played to an estimated 3.5 million people on Copacabana beach in 1994.
…which not even the Rolling Stones could top
The ageing rockers pulled in just 1.5 million when they played at the same location in 2006.
Rio 2016 will be South America’s first Games
And they’re not without controversy: many citizens question the ethics of spending 39.1bn reals (£7.5bn) on the Games when so many of its citizens live in poverty.
The French held it to ransom…
When French privateers captured gold-rich Rio in 1711, the Portuguese were forced to negotiate for its return. The ransom: 612,000 gold cruzados and 100 chests of sugar.
…and the Portuguese paid up
Leaving the French to enjoy the sweet taste of victory, literally.
The city’s nickname is ‘Cidade Maravilhosa’
Which, if you’re Portuguese is up to scratch, you will know means “Marvellous City”.
Locals are called ‘cariocas’
Which is pronounced care-ree-o-cas.
A mythical jester runs the city
During Carnival the mayor hands over the keys of the city to a man called King Momo. This legendary ‘party animal’ then takes the helm throughout the jamboree, but he slopes off at the end, presumably to nurse his hangover.
Its Carnival is the world’s largest
Kicking off 40 days before Lent, Rio Carnival is the biggest and brashest jamboree of its kind.
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Apresentado por Miami Advogado
