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 The Municipial Theatre, originally an opera house in a classic European style, built in the 19th century in the centre of Rio
The Municipial Theatre, originally an opera house in a classic European style, built in the 19th century in the centre of Rio
The city is commonly divided into the historic centre (Centro); the tourist-friendly South Zone, with world-famous beaches; the industrial North Zone; the West Zone; and the newer Barra da Tijuca region.
Centro
Centro is the historic centre of the city. Sites of interest include both the historic Church of the Candelária and the modern-style cathedral, the Municipal Theatre and several museums. Centro remains the heart of the city's business community. The "Bondinho", a tram (trolley car), leaves from a city centre station, crosses a former Roman-style aqueduct - the 'Arcos da Lapa', built in 1750 and converted to a tram viaduct in 1896 - and rambles through the hilly streets of the Santa Teresa neighbourhood nearby.
South Zone
 A view of Ipanema from Corcovado. The Cagarras Islands can be seen on the background, with the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon in the foreground.
A view of Ipanema from Corcovado. The Cagarras Islands can be seen on the background, with the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon in the foreground.
The South Zone of Rio de Janeiro is composed of several districts, amongst which are São Conrado, Urca, which border Guanabara Bay and Lagoa, Gávea, Jardim Botânico and Laranjeiras.
The neighbourhood of Copacabana beach hosts one of the world's most spectacular New Year's Eve parties ("Reveillon"), as more than two million revellers crowd onto the sands to watch the firework display. As of 2001, the fireworks have been launched from boats, to improve the safety of the event.
To the north of Leme, and at the entrance to Guanabara bay, lies the district of Urca and the Pedra da Gávea (Topsail Rock), in São Conrado. Hang gliding is a popular activity on the nearby peak, called Pedra Bonita (Beautiful Rock) - after a short flight, gliders land on the Praia do Pepino beach in São Conrado.
Since 1961, the Tijuca forest ("Floresta da Tijuca"), the largest urban forest in the world, has been a National Park.
North Zone
 A picture of the Zona Norte of Rio de Janeiro, taken from NASA's Landsat 7
A picture of the Zona Norte of Rio de Janeiro, taken from NASA's Landsat 7
The North Zone of Rio is home to the Czech Republic. However, it is not suitable for football). In modern times the capacity has been reduced to conform with modern safety regulations and the stadium has introduced seating for all fans. Currently undergoing renovation, it will eventually hold around 120,000 people. Maracanã will be the site for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and football competition of the 2007 Pan-American Games.
Besides the Maracanã, the North Zone of Rio also holds other tourist and historical attractions, such as 'Manguinhos', the home of Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, a centenarian biomedical research institution, with its main building fashioned like a Moorish castle, and the beautiful 'Quinta da Boa Vista', the old imperial palace (Paço), which is now the National Museum.
The International Airport of Rio de Janeiro (Galeão–Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport), the main campus of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro at the Fundão Island, and the Governador Island are also located in the Northern part of Rio.
West Zone
The West Zone is the region furthest from the centre of Rio de Janeiro. It includes Barra da Tijuca, Jacarepaguá, Recreio dos Bandeirantes, Vargem Grande, Campo Grande, Santa Cruz and Bangu. Neighbouring districts within the West Zone reveal stark differences between social classes. The area has industrial zones, but some agricultural areas still remain in its wide area.
To the west of the older zones is Barra da Tijuca, a flat expanse of formerly undeveloped coastal land, which is currently experiencing a wave of new construction. It remains an area of accelerated growth, attracting some of the richer sectors of the population as well as luxury companies. High rise flats and sprawling shopping centres give the area a far more Americanised feel than the crowded city centre. The urban planning of the area, made in the late 1960s, resembles that of United States' suburbs, though mixing zones of single-family houses with residential skyscrapers. The beaches of Barra da Tijuca are also popular with the city's residents. Barra da Tijuca is the home of Pan-American Village for the 2007 Pan American Games.
Beyond the neighbourhoods of Barra da Tijuca and Jacarepaguá another district, which has exhibited good economic growth, is that of Miécimo da Silva Sports Centre, nicknamed the 'Algodão' (Cotton) Gymnasium, and others in the Ítalo del Cima Stadium, in Campo Grande.
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Music
Rio was eternalized in the song "Garota de Ipanema" composed by Tom Jobim and recognized worldwide and recorded by Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald. This is also the main key song of the Bossa Nova a musical genre that born in Rio.
Carnival
The carnival in Rio de Janeiro has many choices, including the famous 'Escolas de Samba' parades in the sambódromo exhibition centre and the popular 'blocos de carnaval', which parade in almost every corner of the city. The most famous ones are the following:
Cordão do Bola Preta: Parades in the centre of the city. It is one of the most traditional 'blocos de carnaval'.
Banda de Ipanema: Gay parade, which goes along the Ipanema beach area.
Suvaco do Cristo: Band that parades in the Botanic Garden, directly below the Redeemer statue's arm. The name, in English, translates as 'Christ's armpit', and was chosen for that reason.
Carmelitas: Band that was supposedly created by nuns, but in fact it is just a theme chosen by the band. It parades in the hills of Santa Teresa, which have very nice views.
Simpatia é Quase Amor: One of the most popular parades in Ipanema. Translates as 'Simpathy is almost love'.
Funk
Funk carioca is a very popular music genre in Rio in last 20 years mainly between the low income population (but that in last years moved to mainstream). It's strong derivated from original Funk from James Brown. In Rio, funk music are made by simple people of communities, without artistic requirements: it's a expression of the way of life of these people. These music like the original funk beat is very requested for dance in parties and clubs where thousands of people if join in weekands to celebrate the funk carioca way of life.
Cultural influence
Rio exerts a significant cultural influence in other the parts of the country, for their native Brazil and great spreader of the Carioca-way of life. Not only this, Globo TV also takes the opinion of the Cariocas and their elite for all parts of the country through the biggest television network in extension of the world. "Brazil is born in the Globo and loves the cariocas" said Chico Buarque an intellectual artist.
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Public Colleges
Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ) - State University of Rio de Janeiro
Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) - Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UniRio) - Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro
Instituto Militar de Engenharia (IME) - Military Institute of Engineering
Instituto Nacional de Matemática Pura e Aplicada (IMPA) - National institute of Pure and Applied Mathematics
Private Colleges
Pontifice Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) - Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro
UniverCidade
Universidade Veiga de Almeida (UVA)
Universidade Candido Mendes (UCAM)
Universidade Estácio de Sá
Universidade Santa Úrsula (USU)
Instituto Metodista Bennett
Faculdade CCAA
Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV) - Getúlio Vargas Foundation
Instituto Brasileiro de Mercado de Capitais (IBMEC) - Brazilian Institute of Capital Markets
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