As we all know, Rio de Janeiro is a huge seaside city with a beautiful view. There are a lot of events, favelas, beaches and many more amazing things to do in Rio de Janeiro. It looks gorgeous during the night to see the city all lit up and surrounded by water. Every city has a history and some facts that not everyone is aware of, but it is always interesting to know more about a place.
Here are some Rio de Janeiro facts that are interesting and mind-blowing:
1. The city held the most prominent football match:
Rio de Janeiro is known for hosting the biggest football match in the 1950 World Cup Final. There were more than 173,850 spectators, but unfortunately, the game was known as the national tragedy because Brazil lost by 2-1. The fun fact about it was that it had been the biggest football match ever that happened in the city.
2. The meaning of the city name:
The city name Rio de Janeiro means the River of January. There are around 200 rivers that connect to the city, but the name didn’t derive from any of them. Gasper de Lemos, who was a Portuguese explorer, came to the town in January 1502. He thought that Guanabara Bay was the big mouth of a large river and that’s how it got its name as River of January.
3. Legal street art:
One best Rio de Janeiro fact is that street art in this city is considered legal. The city keeps decorating the streets and walls with fantastic graffiti and paintings, which makes it look super colorful and beautiful. The artists should have permission from the owners of the buildings, and the place shouldn’t be a historian building then they are allowed to paint whatever they want to on the walls.
4. The samba schools:
It is one of the most surprising and amazing Rio de Janeiro facts that there are plenty of slums and favelas in Rio de Janeiro and they have samba schools in them. The local people created a music style known as samba, and later there were samba schools that give free education and also host every year’s parades. These Samba schools are for the local people who aren’t able to afford the education that they deserve to get.
5. The biggest Carnival:
As we all know about Rio de Janeiro’s carnival party, there is one point that we miss, and that is that the Carnival hosted in Rio is the biggest carnival party that happens. It is very colorful, and people decorate themselves and the carts which they carry in the parades. A lot of tourists come to the city to experience the amazing carnival party. It is one of the most amazing Rio de Janeiro facts.
6. Local people:
The local people of the city are known as Cariocas. The origin of the word is from an indigenous tribe and their language. The name was given to the locals before the Portuguese settlers came to the city.