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Dramatic Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro's famous Copacabana Beach borders one of the world's most densely populated residential areas. Rio is
ideally situated between the Atlantic Ocean and the mountains that reach down to the city center. The towering granite slab
of Pão de Açúcar dominates the entrance to Baía de Guanabara.
Will and Deni McIntyre/Photo Researchers, Inc.
Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2008. © 1993-2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Legacy of Gold
So much gold was mined around the town of Ouro Preto in the 1700s that the area was dubbed Minas Gerais ("general
mines"), now the name of the Brazilian state in which the town is located. Boomtowns sprinkled the hills, rich merchants
built opulent mansions, and artisans created stunning baroque churches. Ouro Preto is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Bernard Boutrit/Woodfin Camp and Associates, Inc.
Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2008. © 1993-2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Belo Horizonte, Brazil's First Planned City
Belo Horizonte, Brazil's first planned city, was inaugurated as the capital of the state of Minas Gerais in 1897. The city's
name means "beautiful horizon," and it is situated on a wide plateau on the west slope of the Serra do Espinhaço range.
Originally designed to occupy 20 square kilometers (7.7 square miles), Belo Horizonte is now more than ten times that size
and has become a farming, transportation, and cultural hub.
Ulrike Welsch/Photo Researchers, Inc.
Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2008. © 1993-2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Birthplace of Brazilian Culture
The Casa de Miseri overlooks the harbor at Salvador, Brazil's first capital. Founded in 1549, Salvador features elegant
centuries-old colonial mansions and gilded churches. It is the center of African-Brazilian culture, where Portuguese-Catholic
customs blended with those of West African slaves, who were brought over to work the sugar plantations. Much of what is
typically thought of as Brazilian food, religion, dance, and music originated in this area.
Bernard Boutrit/Woodfin Camp and Associates, Inc.
Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2008. © 1993-2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
River City of Manaus
An ornate opera house built in 1896 graces Manaus, the capital city of Amazonas State in northwest Brazil. The city lies on
the left bank of the Rio Negro just above its junction with the Amazon River. Accessible by steamer, Manaus is an important
shipping point for Amazon Basin products such as Brazil nuts, lumber, and rubber. Nearly half of the population of
Amazonas lives in and around Manaus, whose high temperatures and extreme humidity have not hindered growth.