South America | Rio | Rio Photo Gallery

Rio is home to 6.3 million and is Brazil's second largest city and top tourist attraction.

Here's an aerial photograph of central Rio and Sugarloaf mountain (© Dkoukoul, CC-BY-SA 3.0).

The 1,300 foot tall Sugerloaf Mountain (Pao de Acuar).

Rising from the mouth of Rio's Guanabara Bay, Sugarloaf Mountain was featured in the 1979 Bond film Moonraker.

The summit is reached by glass-walled cablecar or (for serious hikers) on foot.

Sugarloaf at dusk.

A panorama of Copacabana beach in the foreground and Sugarloaf mountain behind.

Christ the Redeemer is a statue of Jesus visible from Central Rio and found at the top of the Corcovado mountain (2,329 feet).

Christ the Redeemer (Christo Redentor) at night (© André Luiz Gouvêa Habib, CC BY-SA 3.0).

The statue is 130 feet tall and weighs over 600 tons.

Tourists taking in the spectacular views from Corcovado.

The Rio Carnival is a four day festival held 40 days before Easter. The main feature is the Samba Parade of floats prepared by Rio's Samba Schools.

A colourful performer at the 2012 Rio Carnival (© Leandro Neumann Ciuffo, CC BY 2.0).

The Sambadrome, where the Rio Carnival reaches its climax.

Another vibrant float at the Rio Carnival (© Sergio Luiz, CC BA A 2.0).

There are 12 main Samba Schools, who each enter a Samba band and up to 5000 samba dancers.

The 4 kilometre long Copacabana beach is the most famous in the world. It attracts sun worshippers, volleyball and soccer competitions, rock concerts and New Year's Eve celebrations.

Golden sands at Copacabana (© Leandro Neumann Ciuffo, CC BY 2.0).

A swimmer at Copacabana Beach (© Laszlo Ilyes, CC BY 2.0). But beware: the water quality is variable.

The mosaiced sidewalk adjoining Copacabana.

Copacabana from Sugarloaf Mountain (© IK's World Trip, CC BY 2.0).

New Year celebrations at Copacabana (© Leandro Neumann Ciuffo, CC BY 2.0).

The Maracana Stadium hosted the 1950 Football World Cup final and will play a pivotal part in the 2014 tournament and the 2016 Olympic Games (scheduled to host the opening and closing ceremonies).

The Maracana Stadium from the air (© Arthur Boppre, CC BY 2.0).

England take on Brazil at the Maracana in 2013 (© Mark Hillary, CC BY 2.0).

A domestic club competition at the Maracana.

A statue celebrating Brazil's world cup triumphs at the Maracana.

A cast of Pele's feet at the Maracana stadium.

Ipanema, voted the world's sexiest beach (© Chensiyuan, CC BY-SA 3.0).

Ipanema beach gets packed on weekends and holidays (© Joonas, CC BY-SA 3.0).

Rio is full of fantastic beaches, such as at Leblon.

Praca XV is Rio's old town, full of statues and historical treasures such as the Imperial Palace.

A statue of Candid in Praca XV (© Rzpguimaraes, CC BY-SA 3.0).

The Imperial Palace, built in Baroque style in the 1700s for Brazil's colonial governors.

Once Brazil declared its independence in 1822, the Imperial Palace housed Brazil's Emperors.

Another historic building in Praca XV (© Halley Pacheco de Oliveira, CC BY-SA 3.0).

An avenue of palm trees in Rio's Botanical Gardens, founded in 1822 and holding over 6,500 plant species in over 50 hectares.

The Botanical Gardens' main fountain (© Rigues, CC-BY-2.5).

Giant water lillies at the Jardim Botanico (© Zinneke, CC ASA 3.0 Unported).

The gardens are full of colourful plants, such as this orchid.

The Botanic Gardens' visitor centre.

Petropolis, at an altitude of about 800 metres, was the summer seat of Brazil's government between 1843 and 1889. This is Petropolis' Palacio Rio Negro, built by a coffee baron and later used as a holiday home for Brazil's presidents (© Halley Pacheco de Oliveira, CC ASA 3.0 Unported).

The Quitandinha Palacio is Petropolis' most exlusive hotel (© Daniel Sant'Anna Lisboa, CC-ASA-3.0).

Petropolis' striking church.

Petropolis' Crystal Palace, originally intended to be used as a greenhouse but which later hosted extravagent balls given by Princess Isabel (© Roberto Tietzmann, CC-ASA-2.5 Generic).

The Imperial Museum in Petropolis. Its prized possession is the Imperial Crown of Dom Pedro II, weighing 1.7 kilograms and containing over 600 diamonds (© Halley Pacheco de Oliveira, CC-ASA-3.0).

Rio's opulent Municipal Theatre is the city's main venue for ballet, opera and classical music performances.

The magnificent interior of the Teatro Municipal (© Roberto Tietzmann, CC-ASA-2.5).

Established in 1937, the Fine Arts Museum holds 20,000 works and is now housed in a building modelled on Paris' Louvre.

Guardi's Venice is one of the Fine Arts Museum's most famous works.

Rio's Fine Arts Museum also displays Boeckhorst's Pegasus.

Rio's Modern Arts Museum is housed in this striking Alfonso Eduardo Reidy designed building in Flamengo Park.

Attractions in Rio de Jainero

Sugarloaf Mountain

The Rio Carnival

Copacabana Beach

Christ the Redeemer

The Maracana Stadium

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