Pictures for Printing - Brazil Travel

Rio de Janeiro, commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, 6th largest in the Americas, and 26th in the world. It is the most visited city in southern hemisphere and is known for its natural settings. Rio is on a strip of Brazil's Atlantic coast, close to the Tropic of Capricorn, where the shoreline is oriented east-west. Facing largely...
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Rio de Janeiro, commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, 6th largest in the Americas, and 26th in the world. It is the most visited city in southern hemisphere and is known for its natural settings. Rio is on a strip of Brazil's Atlantic coast, close to the Tropic of Capricorn, where the shoreline is oriented east-west. Facing largely south, the city was founded on an inlet of this stretch of the coast, Guanabara Bay (Baia de Guanabara), and its entrance is marked by a point of land called Sugar Loaf (Pao de Acucar) - a "calling card" of the city, in the center of the image. Rising 396 metres (1,299 ft) above the harbor, its name is said to refer to its resemblance to the traditional shape of concentrated refined loaf sugar. The mountain is only one of several monolithic morros of granite and quartz that rise straight from the water's edge around Rio. At right you can see the Corcovado mountain, a 710-metre (2,329 ft) granite peak located in the Tijuca Forest, a national park. It is known worldwide for the 38-meter (125 ft) statue of Jesus atop its peak, entitled Cristo Redentor or "Christ the Redeemer". In the background at mid-left you can see Pedra da Gavea (literally Rock of the Topsail), an impressive rock rising 842 meters above sea level at the highest point, the world's largest monolith on a coastline. The rock is composed of gneiss and granite, and due to its position, size and coastal location, as well as the lack of purchase for vegetation, has been heavily eroded by the elements. The damage caused to the vertical face of the rock creates the impression of a stylized human face - a pareidolic simulacrum. Several alternative explanations for the appearance of the rock have been forwarded over the years, but there does not appear to be any sound archaeological basis for claims of human shaping. The for
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