The name of this large South American city is translated as "January River", the people call it simply for short - Rio. And the history of Rio de Janeiro is replete with many serious facts and information, because today on this continent Rio is one of the major financial centers, as well as an important seaport.
Thanks to the Portuguese
The times of the Middle Ages were marked by the largest geographical discoveries made by Europeans in different parts of the world. The area, where the beautiful Rio is now located, was discovered by representatives of Portugal, who arrived here in January 1502. Taking a rather narrow bay for a river, they called it the Yanvarskaya River, the toponym later changed to the name of the settlement, which appeared in these places and began to grow rapidly.
It is clear that the initial stage was rather difficult, the Portuguese had to prove their ownership of these lands with weapons in their hands. At the same time, the coastal territories were actively developed by French colonists. The victory remained with Portugal, the place for the settlement was chosen on the coast of the bay, but in the interior of the mainland. There have also been several attempts to create an independent governorship-general with the name of Rio de Janeiro, but these have not been successful.
A short overview
The end of the 18th century for these territories has a sad tone, since the beginning of the economic recession led to a decrease in the production of diamonds and gold, a decrease in the share in the production and trade of sugar.
The new impetus was associated with the events that took place overseas in Europe. The Napoleonic wars led to the fact that the royal family of Portugal fled to the colony, made the capital of Rio de Janeiro. And the city has radically changed over several decades, new city quarters have sprung up, historical buildings have been restored.
The history of Rio de Janeiro can be summarized in terms of the following dates and events:
- 1531 - Rio de Janeiro was founded as a Portuguese fortress;
- 1763 - the main city of the Viceroyalty;
- 1822 - the full capital of the Brazilian Empire, an independent state;
- From 1889 to 1960 - the center of the United States of Brazil.
In 1960, a sad event took place for the city - the capital was moved to Brasilia, but the city acquired the status of a city-state, a unique event in the history of the country.
