For students who are blind, learning disabled or print challenged, visit CRIS Radio at http://www.chrisradio.org and click Kids On-Demand for a free audio version of

Take 5

CITY VIEW Kathleen Ryan, Connecticut Geographic Alliance

LOCATION: Rio de Janeiro is located at 22 degrees South latitude and 11 degrees West

longitude on Guanabara Bay along Brazil’s Atlantic coastline near the Tropic of Capricorn.

PLACE: Rio de Janeiro has a tropical savanna climate. Summer high temperatures there often read more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION: TDeforestation near Rio de Janeiro has been caused by the clearing of forests for the clay soil used in construction in the city.

MOVEMENT: Rio de Janeiro has 100 miles of bicycle paths that are an alternative to riding in the city’s heavily traffic-clogged streets.

REGION: Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city in Brazil after São Paulo, was Brazil’s capital until the early 1960’s.

Common Core Curricular ConnectionsCCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI4.4 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI5.7CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI4.7 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI5.9CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI4.9 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH6—8.4CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI5.4 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH6—8.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH6—8.10

For students who are blind, learning disabled or print challenged, visit

CRIS Radio at http://www.chrisradio.org and click Kids On-Demand

for a free audio version of Geography Connections.

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/brazil/rio-de-janeirohttp://traveltips.usatoday.com/history-carnival-rio-de-janeiro-11711.htmlhttp://www.aboutbrasil.com/modules/brazil-brasil/carnival_carnaval.php?hoofd=8&sub=44&art=475https://travel.usnews.com/Rio_de_Janeiro_Brazil/Things_To_Do/

Every February, the city of Rio de Janeiro throws an extravagant festival called Carnival. This festival lasts for several weeks and celebrates the coming of the Catholic period of Lent. People from around the world flock to Rio to see the Samba parade and dine with the revilers. The festival of Carnival has been adapted from European pagan and Roman traditions. The term Carnival comes from the Latin expression carne vale, which translates to farewell to meat. In the days leading up to Lent, a period of 40 days of atonement, Catholics would host tremendous feasts and parties in preparation for a time when they would go without, before the Easter holiday. Today, similar Carnival festivals are held across the globe. Use the news to learn more about Carnival; what other places celebrate Carnival? What are the special traditions in those places?

Using the News

Share with your class why you chose this Site. Show on a map where your World Heritage Site is located. Use the Internet to find photographs of it. Investigate what physical and/or cultural features make your selected World Heritage Site unique.

Online Resources:

• Rio de Janeiro was the host city of both the 2016 Summer Olympics and the 2016 World Paralympics.

• Rio de Janeiro is home to the largest Portuguese population outside of Lisbon, Portugal. After independence from Portugal, in the early 20th century many Portuguese emigrated to Rio de Janeiro. The Portuguese cultural influence is still seen in many parts of the city, especially in architecture and language.

• There is a wide income gap between the wealthy and the poor living in Rio de Janeiro. Twenty-two percent (22%) of Rio’s residents live in slums or favelas. Rocinha is the largest favela in Rio.

• There are 6 major universities and research facilities in Rio de Janeiro.

• Rio’s Biblioteca Nacional (National Library) is one of the largest libraries in the world with over 9 million items.

GEOGRAPHY CONNECTIONS This year-long series is presented in collaboration with the Connecticut Geographic Alliance. NIE ACTIVITY

Welcome to

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL

Rio de Janeiro is the second most populous city in the South American nation of Brazil. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its “Carioca landscapes between the mountain and the sea.”

Rio is one of the most visited cities in the Southern Hemisphere and is famous for its natural setting, its Carnival festival before the start of Lent, samba dance and bossa nova music, and its Copacabana and Ipanema beaches. Other famous sites in Rio include the colossal statue of Christ the Redeemer which overlooks the city, Sugarloaf Mountain, and Macaranã Stadium, one of the world’s largest soccer stadiums.

The region of Rio was inhabited by the Tupi, Puri, Botocudo and Maxakalí  peoples at the time of the first exploration by the Portuguese in the early 16th century. Rio de Janeiro was founded as a Portuguese colony in 1565, and Portuguese remains the national language today.

In the late 17th century gold and diamonds were discovered in the area, and Rio de Janeiro became a port for exporting the wealth of gold, precious stones and sugar. In early 1763, the colonial administration in Portuguese America was moved to Rio de Janeiro. The city remained a colonial capital until 1808. The Portuguese royal family escaped from Napoleon’s invasion of Portugal and moved  to Rio de Janeiro in 1808, making the city the only European capital not in Europe.

Because of the sugar trade, the Port of Rio de Janeiro was the largest port for slaves entering the Americas during the colonial period.

In the early 20th century Rio de Janeiro grew in area because of the introduction of motorized street cars and other new motor vehicles. Rio became a beach resort and tourist destination in the 1930’s and continues to attract international tourism today. Almost 3 million people from countries around the world visit Rio de Janeiro every year.

The economy of Rio de Janeiro has shifted in recent years to become a national center of services and businesses. Many oil and natural gas companies are based there. Rio’s economy also includes a large electronics and computer sector.

MAPPING ACTIVITY

DID YOU KNOW?

Rio de Janeiro is a World Heritage Site for its distinctive “landscapes between the mountain and the sea”. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) selects these Sites as culturally, historically, or scientifically important to the world. These Sites are protected by international treaties.

Use this U.N. website to see a list of the World Heritage Sites and learn more about one of your choosing:

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list

Copacabana Beach, Rio De Janero, Brazil

Christ the Redeemer Statue, Rio De Janero, Brazil