Rio de Janeiro
Neighborhoods
Geography and class define Rio's neighborhoods. The rich live close to the water. The great masses of poor people have been pushed high into the hills. There, the poor have built favelas, shantytowns that lack basic necessities like water, electricity, and paved roads. Cariocas have also redefined their space periodically. As the city grew over difficult terrain, they leveled hills or bored tunnels through them. They reclaimed parts of Guanabara Bay to make room for the growing city.
Today, Rio is divided into three distinct zones. The traditional historical center is sandwiched by the eastern base of the Serra de Carioca and Guanabara Bay. The Serra is a small coastal mountain range that runs east-west and cuts the city in half. West and north of the historic center is the northern zone, a large urban area of mostly low-income housing, and factories. The southern zone, with the fashionable Copacabana, Ipanema, Leblon, and Gávea neighborhoods, is home to middle-class and wealthy cariocas. As the favelas inched closer down the slopes, many wealthy people abandoned the southern-zone neighborhoods. Copacabana, Leblon, and Ipanema experienced slight population decreases in the last decade of the twentieth century. Many wealthier residents have moved to Barra da Tijuca, further west along the coast. It is considered one of the city's most fashionable neighborhoods.
| City Fact Comparison | ||||
| Indicator | Atlanta | Cairo | Rome | Beijing |
| (United States) | (Egypt) | (Italy) | (China) | |
| Population of urban area1 | 10,556,000 | 10,772,000 | 2,688,000 | 12,033,000 |
| Date the city was founded | 1565 | AD 969 | 753 BC | 723 BC |
| Daily costs to visit the city2 | ||||
| Hotel (single occupancy) | $142 | $193 | $172 | $129 |
| Meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) | $62 | $56 | $59 | $62 |
| Incidentals (laundry, dry cleaning, etc.) | $15 | $14 | $15 | $16 |
| Total daily costs | $219 | $173 | $246 | $207 |
| Major Newspapers3 | ||||
| Number of newspapers serving the city | 16 | 13 | 20 | 11 |
| Largest newspaper | O Globo | Akhbar El Yom/Al Akhbar | La Repubblica | Renmin Ribao |
| Circulation of largest newspaper | 266,546 | 1,159,450 | 754,930 | 3,000,000 |
| Date largest newspaper was established | 1925 | 1944 | 1976 | 1948 |
| 1United Nations population estimates for the year 2000. | ||||
| 2The maximum amount the U.S. Government reimburses its employees for business travel. The lodging portion of the allowance is based on the cost for a single room at a moderately-priced hotel. The meal portion is based on the costs of an average breakfast, lunch, and dinner including taxes, service charges, and customary tips. Incidental travel expenses include such things as laundry and dry cleaning. | ||||
| 3David Maddux, ed. Editor&Publisher International Year Book. New York: The Editor&Publisher Company, 1999. | ||||
Many of the favelas have become established neighborhoods with basic city services. From 1991 to 1996, the number of households in the city increased from 1.6 million to 1.7 million.
