Rio de Janeiro

**Rio de Janeiro** is the second largest city in Brazil. It is the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro. Until April 21, 1960, it was the capital city of Brazil. According to the 2022 Census, the city had 6,211,223 people, and an area of over 1,000 km<sup>2</sup>.  In 2021 Eduardo Paes became Mayor, having been mayor before in 2009 to 2017.

## History and geography

The city was started in 1565. It is named for a river that does not exist after Portuguese explorers mistook an oceanic bay for a river.

Copacabana Beach, Ipanema Beach, Sugar Loaf Mountain (in Portuguese, _Pão de Açúcar_), the statue of Christ the Redeemer (in Portuguese, _Cristo Redentor_), a harbor on Guanabara Bay, and Tom Jobim Airport are in Rio de Janeiro. It has much commerce and many industries, especially textiles, food, chemicals, and metallurgy. Most of these industries are in the northern and western suburbs of the city. Rio de Janeiro also has a small rural area, near the suburb of Campo Grande, where fruits and vegetables are grown.

Other cities near Rio de Janeiro, like Duque de Caxias, Nova Iguaçu, Queimados and São Gonçalo, that form the Metropolitan Region of Rio de Janeiro, also have a lot of industries and population.

The city hosted the Summer Olympic Games in 2016.

## Geography

The city is 420 kilometers (about 261 miles) away from São Paulo, the biggest city in South America. The cities of Rio and São Paulo are linked by the Presidente Dutra Highway (also known as _Via Dutra_). The region crossed by the Presidente Dutra Highway has been an important industrial zone since the 1950s.

In the city of Rio de Janeiro lies Tijuca National Park, created in 1961. This park contains some 33 km<sup>2</sup>, between the northern and the southern parts of the city. The district (in Portuguese, _bairro_) of Santa Tereza can be reached by taking an electric tram (in Portuguese, _bonde_) from central Rio de Janeiro (near _Largo da Carioca_ subway station), crossing over the _Arcos da Lapa_, an aqueduct built during the colonial period to provide water to the city.

## Operation Containment

**Operation Containment** (Portuguese: _Operação Contenção_) was a large-scale joint police and military action conducted on 28 October 2025 in the Complexo do Alemão and Penha favela complexes in northern Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It aimed to weaken the Comando Vermelho (Red Command) criminal faction and reassert state control over areas dominated by organized crime. The operation became one of the deadliest security actions in the city’s history.

## Sister cities

- Warsaw, Poland

## Other websites

- Virtual photo tour through Rio de Janeiro and neighbourhood with **www.riodejaneirophotoguide.com**
- Prefeitura da Cidade do Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro's City Hall. Includes statistical information about the city, about Carnival, and municipal laws.
- Rio de Janeiro at Wikivoyage

## Infobox (settlement)

- **name**: Rio de Janeiro
- **settlement type**: Municipalities of Brazil, Municipality
- **named for**: Saint Sebastian
Guanabara Bay
- **official name**: Municipality of Rio de Janeiro
- **nicknames**: _Cidade Maravilhosa_ (Marvellous City) _Princesa Maravilhosa_ (Marvellous Princess) _Cidade dos Brasileiros_ (City of Brazilians)
- **image flag**: Bandeira da cidade do Rio de Janeiro.svg
- **image shield**: Brasão da cidade do Rio de Janeiro.svg
- **image map**: Brazil Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro location map.svg
- **mapsize**: 250px
- **map caption**: Location in the state of Rio de Janeiro
- **blank emblem type**: Logo
- **pushpin map**: Brazil#South America
- **pushpin relief**: 1
- **pushpin mapsize**: 250
- **pushpin map caption**: Location within Brazil##Location within South America
- **subdivision type**: List of sovereign states, Country
- **subdivision name**: Brazil
- **subdivision type1**: Regions of Brazil, Region
- **subdivision name1**: Southeast Region, Brazil, Southeast
- **subdivision type2**: States of Brazil, State
- **subdivision name2**: Rio de Janeiro (state), Rio de Janeiro
- **subdivision type3**: Historic countries
- **subdivision name3**: Kingdom of Portugal
United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves
Empire of Brazil
- **established title**: Settled
- **established title1**: Founded
- **government type**: Mayor–council government, Mayor-council
- **governing body**: Municipal Chamber of Rio de Janeiro
- **leader title**: List of mayors of Rio de Janeiro, Mayor
- **leader name**: Eduardo Paes
- **leader party**: Social Democratic Party (Brazil, 2011), PSD
- **leader title1**: Vice Mayor
- **leader name1**: Nilton Caldeira (Liberal Party (Brazil, 2006), PL)
- **area total km2**: 1221
- **area total sq mi**: 486.5
- **area metro sq mi**: 1759.6
- **population as of**: 2022
- **population metro**: 12,280,702 (2nd)
- **area metro km2**: 4539.8
- **population total**: 6,211,223
- **population rank**: List of cities in South America, 4th in South America
List of cities in Brazil, 2nd in Brazil
- **population urban**: 11,616,000
- **population density km2**: 5174.6
- **population density metro km2**: 2705.1
- **population demonym**: Carioca
- **demographics type1**: GDP, GDP (PPP, constant 2015 values)
- **demographics1 title1**: Year
- **demographics1 info1**: 2023
- **demographics1 title2**: Total (Metro)
- **demographics1 info2**: $285.9 billion
- **demographics1 title3**: Per capita
- **demographics1 info3**: $23,700
- **timezone**: Time in Brazil, BRT
- **utc offset**: −3
- **elevation m**: 2
- **elevation min m**: 0
- **elevation max m**: 1020
- **elevation ft**: 7
- **elevation min ft**: 0
- **elevation max ft**: 3349
- **area code**: 21
- **postal code type**: Postal Code
- **postal code**: 20000-001 to 23799-999
- **blank name**: **Human Development Index, HDI** (2010)
- **blank info**: 0.799  – <span style="color:#090">high</span>
- **blank1 name sec1**: Gross domestic product, Nominal 2018 GDP (City)
- **blank1 info sec1**: US$ 93.9 billion (2nd)
- **blank2 name sec1**: Per capita
- **blank2 info sec1**: US$14,046 (2nd)