The area of Rio de Janeiro was found in 1502 by the Portuguese explorer Gaspar de Lemos, and named for the river he imagined poured into the natural bay that his new discovery lay in.
The area was first settled by the French, for whom the area was a rich source of wood, although their hold on the land was shot lived, and by 1560, yet it was 1567 before the building work on the town began, and the medieval colony began to take shape and the sugar plantations worked by slaves were begun.
The 18th century saw a gold rush in the surrounding mountains, and soon Rio de Janeiro was the wealthiest and most important city in the country, becoming capital in 1763, and home to the Portuguese royal court in exile in 1808.
Through the 19th century, the city grew enormously, on the back of the coffee plantations that sprang up in the surrounding hills, and by the start of the 20th century, the city was entering its golden age as an exotic destination for the rich and famous.
The development of the many shanty towns around the city that were the home of poverty stricken locals grew in line with the glamour, although by the end of the century, the city was becoming cleaner, and sanitation had been given to the favellas, along with schools.
Now, cleaner and inclusive, Rio is being rediscovered by tourists, and every year more of them come back, eager to walk the famous beaches, see the miraculous statue of Christ the Redeemer, and of course, experience the full on rush of Carnival.
