ࡱ > u w t U@ 0 bjbj H| % ( ( ( 8 ` t 3 & 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 $ 5 R 8 B "3 9 7 | ` @ 7 7 "3 H [3 W" W" W" 7 ~ 2 W" 7 2 W" W" m" 0 h 1 @s ( ! F (1 2 4 q3 0 3 81 [8 ! F [8 1 [8 1 W" T I "3 "3 D $ A" History of Rio Under the command of an Italian explorer called Amerigo Vespucci, three Portuguese ships reached a narrow opening in Brazils south-eastern coastline on New Years Day 1502. Beyond lay a body of water that Vespucci guessed was the mouth of a river. In fact it was a beautiful bay dotted with islands, nicknamed, Guanabara (or arm of the sea) by the Amerindian Tamoio people that lived there. Despite his mistake, Vespucci called this stretch of water, the January river. The name, Rio de Janeiro, has stuck ever since. After the Portuguese struck a deal with the Spanish in 1494, Brazil became Portugals largest colony and Pedro lvares Cabral, was the first Portuguese explorer to set foot in Brazil near the town of Porto Seguro in April 1500. But merchants from France were the first to settle in Rio. They built a fort on Seregipe island, now part of the mainland, and traded with the Tamoio Amerindians. But the son of Brazils third governor, Estcio de S, drove out the French in 1565. At the foot of Sugar Loaf mountain the victorious Estcio de S declared that this would be the location of a great city of the future. Although under constant attack from Amerindians, Rio quickly grew into a city in the years that followed. The Portuguese used Rio as a first stop for slaves brought over from West Africa. Without the Amerindians, the Portuguese needed more workers to harvest the plantations inland. Plantation crops like sugar cane exchanged hands in the city, and shipped back to Europe. Gold from the mines in Minas Gerais state was traded here too. Thanks to a road that linked Paraty, a district of Rio, to Minas Gerais from the 1500s, a steady flow of this precious metal made its way to the citys port. Other links inland followed age-old Amerindian routes, and city traders made more connections with outposts up and down the coast. Meanwhile, ships docked at the port loaded with cargo imported from Europe and elsewhere. In 1763, the Portuguese royal family made Rio the new colonial capital of Brazil. By then, 30,000 people lived in the city. For the next two centuries Rio went unchallenged as the countrys most important city. But it also became the focus for growing resentment amongst Brazilians towards their Portuguese rulers. In 1792, a dentist called Joaquim Jos da Silva Xavier nicknamed Tiradentes (or tooth puller) became leader of a growing protest movement against Portuguese rule. Two years later, he was captured by the Portuguese. Tiradentes was executed in Rio on April 21st 1794. His head and parts of his body were displayed for all to see as a warning to others against future uprisings. After Napoleon Bonapartes army invaded Portugal in 1808, the royal family fled to the safety of Rio. This was the first and only time that a European country was ruled from a country of the Americas. Although the king moved back to Portugal in 1820, his son called Dom Pedro stayed behind. Two years later, Dom Pedro declared Brazils independence from Portugal and became emperor. But this did not stop a wave of discontent amongst local people. In 1831, rioting broke out in protest at the rising cost of living in the city, blamed on Portuguese traders. Dom Pedro could not keep the peace and decided to abdicate after just ten years. He left the emperors throne to his five year old son, Pedro II. Although he was largely a figurehead, Brazil remained under the control of the young emperor for over half a century. During this time, Rio became Brazils capital city, and decisions in Rio affected every corner of the country. By the 1800s, the mines in Minas Gerais were running short of gold, and coffee became the new trade. Plantations covered the Paraba valley not far from the city, and coffee barons and traders grew rich on this new crop, living in palatial mansions on the citys edge. At the same time, railways were built that linked Rio to other places, marking the beginning of a new industrial era for the city. When Portuguese rule finally ended in 1889, Rio became the seat of the first government of the new Republic of Brazil. During the early years of the Republic, the balance of power lay in the hands of coffee barons and other rich merchants in So Paulo and Minas Gerais. Following a widespread outcry that the 1930 election result was rigged b y t h e r i c h a n d p o w e r f u l , a m i l i t a r y c o u p b a c k e d t h e r u n n e r - u p i n t h e e l e c t i o n , a c a t t l e r a n c h e r c a l l e d G e t l i o V a r g a s . V a r g a s r e m a i n e d P r e s i d e n t f o r t h e n e x t f i f t e e n y e a r s . T o b r e a k t h e s t r a n g l e h o l d o f p o w e r o f t h e r i c h m e r c h a n t s , V a r g a s b e c a m e a d i c t a t o r by making more decisions himself. Although he was thrown out of office by the military in 1945, Vargas was re-elected in 1950. But his second spell as President was dogged by corruption scandals and an economy in chaos. Shortly after he was forced to resign in 1949, Vargas shot himself in the Palcio de Catete. Despite Brazils turbulent early years as a Republic, Rio entered a golden age in the early 1900s. The city became a romantic and exotic destination for Hollywood stars and the international jetset. Posh casinos and nightclubs opened up, and Rio became a top movie location. Scandals were commonplace at the Copacabana Palace hotel, one of the few luxury places to stay in South America, as its wealthy guests gathered to behave badly. The hotel still stands today, restored to its former glory with its own art gallery and theatre. By this time, Rio was growing fast. Tunnels bored through mountains, hills levelled and parts of the bay filled. Football in Brazil had become so popular that it was decided to build a brand new stadium in the suburbs of Rio. Work began in August 1948. On 16 July 1950, a record-breaking 174,000 people crammed into the Maracan to watch Brazil play Uruguay in the final. With the score at 1-1, the Uruguayan team broke the hearts of the home supporters by scoring the winning goal eleven minutes from time. For two hours after the match ended, stunned spectators sat in the stadium in silence. Since then, Brazil has gone on to win the World Cup five times, more than any other country. In 1960 the Brazilian government moved the capital to Brasilia, a newly built city in the centre of the country. Nevertheless, Rio remained the capital of tourism and culture. A hotel building boom took place along the citys beachfront, and Rio gained a reputation as a home for liberal thinkers that wanted an end to the succession of military governments that ruled Brazil from 1964. With inflation spiralling out of control, citizens protested in the citys streets against the rising cost of living, the dictatorships ban on strike action, and against the brutal violence and torture carried out by the military police. Vast foreign debts and growing unrest finally persuaded the military generals to step aside in 1985. Despite corruption scandals at the top of government since then, the return to democracy gave people the right to choose their own government. s ! ; < O P vdVE2 $hZ} hZ} CJ OJ PJ QJ ^J aJ hZ} hZ} 0J CJ OJ QJ aJ j h UmH nH u #hZ} hZ} CJ H*OJ QJ ^J aJ h hmr CJ OJ QJ ^J aJ h hZ} CJ OJ QJ ^J aJ hZ} hZ} CJ OJ QJ ^J aJ j h] UmH nH u h~f OJ QJ .j hS CJ OJ QJ UaJ mH nH sH u h OJ QJ hZ} 5CJ OJ QJ aJ hS j hS UmH nH sH u ! " s t : ; R S " " [$ \$ gdZ} gdZ} gdmr gd $a$gd $a$gdS 0 0 x" y" o% q% 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ÿÿ hME h5 j h5 UmH nH sH u h5 CJ OJ QJ aJ UhZ} CJ OJ QJ ^J aJ hZ} hZ} CJ OJ QJ ^J aJ " {$ |$ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 gdF gdZ} Although the cost of living continues to rise and many live in poverty, people in modern Rio know that the days of oppression are assigned to history. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 gdF . A!"#$% n GyIm*PNG IHDR . ) sRGB pHYs ~ |IDATx^e]p@C;}n/uq欮NILF#'HD 'ܥ[7=Oy"$@"'tح8#?HD Hڂ@בFءCǞu4:@"$͌@F;EGt>jqfCf#Ǟ$@";U>#c$@"дgiz5mS6-"9D HV{>[NaÆaO_%@"$T}&c.QwE?}4lD-HD eI{;kQ-kg/cB$@"дt<(cL. B6G<2~o2x@ӢOD9`at5^ϱҽw#Q߾囷3:/G$@!С{~7fz_raQ$M`7HfA=[ϱjIsDC