Everyone has heard of the city of Rio de Janeiro, but not everyone knows that there is also a state of the same name. The region where the city of Rio de Janeiro is now located was discovered by Portuguese explorer Gaspar de Lemos in January 1502, and was named "River of January" because he thought that the Bay of Guanabara was a river. |
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Justly immortalized in poetry and song for its astounding physical beauty, Rio de Janeiro is also an important cultural and historical center in Brazilian history. It was capital of the country until the late 1950s, when construction began on the new capital of Brasilia. |
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While Rio is famous for its beaches, the state of Rio also has many other attractions in the outlying areas. Two cities in the mountains above Rio, Petrópolis and Teresópolis, were founded by members of the Brazilian royal family as summer getaways from Rio's blazing heat.  |
