What images do you have of Brazil? Carnival, football and coffee? Did you know that Brazil is urban, that more than a dozen of its cities have more than a million residents, that migration from the countryside to the cities has been the main trend for the last few years, and that Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo have two of the longest and cleanest subways in the world?
Rio de Janeiro is one of the wolrd's most famous cities. The people of Rio call their city, the cidade maravilhosa, the marvellous city. The story of Rio is a tale of two cities. The Serra divide the city into two halves. To the north, the zona norte is the home to poorer communities that live in the polluted industrial region. Richer residents live between the mountains and the sea in the zona sul. Elsewhere, poorer people live in housing areas built illegally on hillsides or in ravines. These shanty towns or favelas are scattered across the city.
Key questions
How has Rio de Janeiro developed?
Why do people move to the city?
What are the inequalities in Rio de Janerio?
Who makes the decisions about the city's future?
Links
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The Embassy of Brazil: this website has sections on Brazil in the School for primary and secondary schools with useful resources and quizzes
