All eyes are on Rio de Janeiro this week for the 2016 Olympics, and the world can't get enough of this beautiful city in Brazil. Our friends at Travel + Leisure have found some very unusual and fun facts about this city by the sea, and we want to share them with  you as we continue to cheer on Team USA in the Games of the Olympiad!

 

 

  • Rio de Janiero means January River, of which there is none in the city, or anywhere in the world
  • It's a scientific fact that Rio is home to the bluest sky on Earth - proven by a research in 2006
  • In 1710, the city was ransomed by the French for 612,000 gold coins, and 100 chests of sugar
  • Since 2009, street art, and graffiti have been legal in all parts of the city, and even on private property with the owners permission
  • The wildly popular 1964 Bosa Nova classic song 'The Girl from Ipanema' was inspired by 17 year old Helo Pinheiro, who is now a grandmother, and says she was not impressed with the performance of the song during the opening ceremonies of the 2016 Olympics. She was also a torchbearer for Brazil leading up to the Summer Games. Check out the video of the classic song below.
  • Christ the Redeemer statue, which sits over the city, and Copacabana Beach, weighs 700 tons, is 98 feet tall, with a 26 foot pedestal, and the arms stretch 92 feet wide. It was constructed between 1922 and 1931, and is considered one of the new Seven Wonders of the World.

 

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