The city was started in 1565. It is named for a river that does not exist after Portuguese explorers mistook anoceanic bay for a river.[7]
Copacabana Beach, Ipanema Beach, Sugar Loaf Mountain (in Portuguese,Pão de Açúcar), thestatue of Christ the Redeemer (in Portuguese,Cristo Redentor), aharbor on Guanabara Bay, and Tom Jobim Airport are in Rio de Janeiro. It has much commerce and many industries, especially textiles, food, chemicals, andmetallurgy. 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, wherefruits andvegetables 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 ofindustries and population.
The city hosted theSummer Olympic Games in2016.
The city is 420 kilometers (about 261 miles) away fromSão Paulo, the biggest city inSouth America. The cities of Rio and São Paulo are linked by the Presidente Dutra Highway (also known asVia 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 km2, between the northern and the southern parts of the city. The district (in Portuguese,bairro) of Santa Tereza can be reached by taking an electrictram (in Portuguese,bonde) from central Rio de Janeiro (nearLargo da Cariocasubway station), crossing over theArcos da Lapa, anaqueduct built during the colonial period to providewater to the city.
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