What is Rio de Janeiro best known for?

Rio de Janeiro is one of the most visited cities in the Southern Hemisphere and is known for its natural settings, Carnival, samba, bossa nova, and balneario beaches such as Barra da Tijuca, Copacabana, Ipanema, and Leblon.

What does Rio de Janeiro mean in Portuguese?

River of January
Etymology. From Portuguese Rio de Janeiro (“River of January”). The city was named after the Guanabara Bay (the word rio, which in modern Portuguese means “river”, could also mean other water bodies such as bays in the 16th century) and the date it was discovered by Portuguese founders: January 1, 1502.

How is Tiradentes Day celebrated?

Government officials holding high positions pay tribute to Tiradentes on this day at Praca Tiradentes, a national monument dedicated to Tiradentes. The tributes are followed by an official government speech dedicated to the martyrdom of Tiradentes. There are not much celebrations as such on this day.

What is Zumbi Day in Brazil?

Originally, it was celebrated on May 13 (the date of abolition of slavery in Brazil). It was later moved to November 20 to honour Zumbi’s death, and is sometimes called Zumbi Day. It is an official state holiday in Alagoas, Amazonas, Amapá, Mato Grosso and Rio de Janeiro, and marked elsewhere by multiple city councils.

Is Rio a poor country?

Indeed, Rio is a city with two faces – one rich, one poor. Poverty is especially striking in the hilly outskirts of the city. Today, a major event is taking place in one of these less affluent neighborhoods, namely the football junior championship.

Is English spoken in Rio de Janeiro?

English is not very widely spoken in Brazil, especially outside the major cities of São Paulo, Brasilia or Rio de Janeiro. Estimates place English literacy at only around 5 percent of the population, or around 10 million people, with only a small fraction of those truly fluent.

Why is Rio de Janeiro named?

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. The name was given to the city’s original site by Portuguese navigators who arrived on January 1, 1502, and mistook the entrance of the bay for the mouth of a river (rio is the Portuguese word for “river” and janeiro the word for “January”).

What does Janeiro mean?

noun. January [noun] the first month of the year, the month following December.

What does Tiradentes mean in English?

The name Tiradentes means the “tooth puller.” Odd as that might sound, every Brazilian takes it with reverence. Joaquim Jose da Silva Xavier, or Tiradentes, was a dentist who organized a movement against Portuguese rule in Brazil in 1789.

How is Black Consciousness Day celebrated?

Black Consciousness Day is a public holiday in and around hundreds of cities in Brazil. While we observe this day in full consciousness we must address the issue of education among Black people and support them to pursue their dreams by giving them access to Black student scholarship resources.

What does Black Consciousness mean in history?

Black Consciousness began to be defined as “an attitude of mind” or “way of life” of black people who believed in their potential and value as black people and saw the need for black people to work together for a holistic liberation.