A Guide To Rio De Janeiro

The Marvelous City (Cidade Maravilhosa), Rio De Janeiro is a Southeast Brazilian city on Guanabara Bay, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean. The city was founded by Portuguese in the 16th Century.

According to a tradition belief, the city was named “Rio de Janeiro” meaning “River of January” by the Portuguese explorers in 1502 believing Guanabara Bay to be the mouth of a river. The city of Rio de Janeiro became the capital of the colony of Brazil in 1763, the capital of the Brazilian empire in 1822, and the capital of the independent Brazil in 1889; however the capital was shifted to Brasília in 1960.

The former capital of Brazil, Rio De Janeiro City acquired its modern cloak in the early 1900s. Rio De Janeiro city is presently the second largest city after São Paulo, and the capital of Rio de Janeiro State of Brazil. It is the cultural, financial, commercial, communication, and transportation hub of Brazil. The city is commonly known as Rio, particularly in English and Brazilians. The official song of Rio is “Cidade Maravilhosa.”

The estimated population of the city in 2005 is about 6,094,183. The residents of the city are known as Cariocas. The majority of the population of the city is of Portuguese descent. It includes a large number of people of African descent, and mulattos of mixed Portuguese and African descent. The city’s other important ethnic groups include Germans, Italians, Spaniards, Arabs, Jews, Asians (mostly Koreans and Japanese), and mixed Amerindians. Percentage wise, the population is comprised of White European descent (56%), of mixed-race descent (32.3%), of Black African descent (11.4%), of Asian descent (0.1%) and of Amerindian descent (0.1%).

The only Portuguese-speaking nation in the Americas is Brazil. In fact Portuguese is the official language that is spoken by almost the entire population. It’s the language largely used in schools, newspapers, radio, TV and for all business and administrative purposes.

The Portuguese language in Brazil has undergone fewer phonetic changes that often called the “language of Camões.” The other languages spoken in the city and the entire Brazil include English, Spanish, Brazilian German dialects, such as Riograndenser Hunsrückisch and the Pomeranian language, and also the Talian, based on the Italian Venetian language, and Japanese In the city of São Paulo.

Rio is largely divided into Centro, Zona Sul (South Zone), Zona Norte (North Zone), and Zona Oeste (West Zone). The “Centro” is comprised of the historic downtown. Including Santa Teresa, the “Centro” is the city’s financial and business center. The Zona Sul (South Zone) is the tourist-friendly area with the world-famous beaches.

The Zone including the Copacabana and Ipanema is the epicenter of the city’s tourist activity. The Zona Norte (North Zone) is the industrial zone, and is home to the Maracanã stadium, which was once the world’s highest capacity football (soccer) venue. The Zona Oeste (West Zone) is a suburban area including primarily the districts of Jacarepaguá, and Barra da Tijuca, popular for its beaches.

Situated in the tropical South Atlantic, Rio is warm all year round. The summers (November to March) are very hot and humid. The winters (June to September) are cool and dry, never cold, with some precipitation.

Rio is one of the popular tourist destinations of the world. Hemmed in beautiful low mountain ranges, Rio De Janeiro is one of the most beautiful natural harbors of the world. The city is known for its breathtaking landscape, its laidback beach culture and its annual carnival. Highly celebrated city of Brazil, Rio is widely known for its scenic beauty, natural setting, Carnival celebrations, samba and other music, and marvelous crescent-shaped beaches, such as Copacabana, Ipanema, and Leblon. Rio is known for being easy-going and friendly lifestyle.

Samba music and samba dance is soul of Rio and Brazil. It’s the essence of the Rio carnival- Brazilian Carnival that is an annual celebration held 40 days before Easter, marking the start of Lent. The carnival in Rio de Janeiro features a number of parades including the famous Escolas de Samba (Samba schools) parades in the sambódromo exhibition centre; the popular ‘blocos de carnaval’ that parades in almost every corner of the city; Cordão do Bola Preta, one of the most traditional exhibits that parades in the centre of the city; Suvaco do Cristo parades in the Botanic Garden; Carmelitas parades in the hills of Santa Teresa; Simpatia é Quase Amor parades in Ipanema; and Banda de Ipanema including families and a wide spectrum of the gay population that parades in Ipanema.

Rio is the city full of a number of terrific tourist attractions. The city is blessed with numerous spectacular sights, beautiful beaches, elegant edifices, magnificent museums, and pleasing parks.

Spectacular sights include Corcovado, Pão de Açúcar, Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, The Maracanã stadium, Parque Lage, and Jardim Botanico. The beautiful beaches in city include Flamengo, Botafogo, Leme, Copacabana, Arpoador, Ipanema, Leblon, Recreio dos Bandeirantes, and Grumari. Copacabana and Ipanema are the hot favorites of tourists.

Elegant Edifices in the city include Paço Imperial (1743, old Imperial Palace in downtown, next to Praça XV, Fifteen Square), Casa França Brasil (1820, French cultural center in downtown, next to CCBB), CCBB – Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil (1906, a cultural center with gallery, movie theater in downtown), Candelária Church (neoclassic cathedral next to CCBB), Mosteiro de São Bento (1663, Saint Benedict’s Monastery, colonial architecture in downtown), Ilha Fiscal Palace (1889- in the Guanabara Bay, next to the Navy Museum), Palácio Gustavo Capanema ( A modern architecture in downtown designed by French architect Le Corbusier), Arcos da Lapa (1750), Catedral Metropolitana (cone-shaped cathedral in Lapa), São Francisco da Penitência church (1773 – colonial church), Theatro Municipal (1909 – City Theater in Cinelândia square), Biblioteca Nacional (1910 – National Library in Cinelândia square), Câmara Municipal (City Hall in Cinelândia square), Palácio do Catete (the former presidential palace), now a museum of recent history), Itamaraty (the former presidential palace), and Palácio Guanabara (Former palace of the Imperial Princess)
Magnificent Museums of the city include Centro Museums, Zona Sul (South Zone) Museums, Zona Norte (North Zone) Museums, and Zona Oeste (West Zone) Museums.

The Centro Museums include Museu Histórico Nacional (National Museum of History, Downtown), Museu Nacional de Belas Artes (Museum of Fine Arts, Downtown), MAM – Museu de Arte Moderna (Museum of Modern Art, Downtown), Museu da Imagem e do Som (Image and Sound Museum, Downtown), Museu Naval (Navy Museum, Downtown), Museu do Carnaval (Museum of Carnival, Downtown), and Museu Chácara do Céu (Museum of South American modern art, Downtown).

Zona Sul (South Zone) Museums include Jardim Botânico (Botanical Garden), Museu da República (Museum of the Republic), Centro Cultural Telemar (Telemar Cultural Center), Museu Internacional de Arte Naïf (International Naïf Art Museum), Museu Carmem Miranda (Carmem Miranda Museum), Museu do Índio (Museum of the Indian), and Museu Villa-Lobos (Museum of Brazil’s most important composer).
Zona Norte (North Zone) Museums include Museu Nacional (National Museum), Museu do Primeiro Reinado (First Reign Museum), Museu Museu de Astronomia e Ciências Afins (Astronomy Museum), Museu do Trem (Train Museum), and Museu Aeroespacial (Aerospatial Museum).

The only museum in Zona Oeste (West Zone) is Museu Casa do Pontal that is the most important collection of popular craft and artisanin Recreio dos Bandeirantes.
The Pleasing Parks in the city include Jardim Botânico, Parque Lage, Parque do Flamengo, Parque Guinle, Campo de Santana, and Quinta da Boa Vista.

Rio is one of the major transportation hubs of Brazil, situated 450 km (280 mi) from Belo Horizonte, and 430 km (270 mi) from Sao Paulo. Located 20 km away from the city center and main hotels, the Galẹo РAnt̫nio Carlos Jobim International Airport (Galẹo International Airport) is the major international airport of Rio de Janeiro receiving most of the International and domestic flights. Santos Dumont Airport, located right in the city center, by the Guanabara Bay, receives flights from Sao Paulo and a few other domestic destinations.

Property In Portugal

ABOUT PORTUGAL

Positioned on the Atlantic side of the Iberian Peninsula, Portugal is a great historic country of immense diversity. From the culture and prosperity of Lisbon, through the beautiful wine regions and the Sun, sea and sand of the Algarve, Portugal offers something for everyone. Modern marinas and spectacular golf courses mean that here are plenty of activities.

As with all South European countries, the Portuguese are very fond of food, with fish being high on the menu. A particular speciality is grilled sardines, which is a delicious dish. Wine is likewise important with excellent red and white table wines as well as the ubiquitous Port.

It is the most westerly country in Europe and has the same time zone as the United Kingdom and Ireland. The currency is the Euro but prior to 2002 it used the Escudo. The population was estimated to be 10.6 million people as of July 2006 and the predominant religion is Roman Catholic, with 97% of the population describing themselves of this faith.

The language is Portuguese, which is a romance language, similar in structure and spelling to Spanish, but pronunciation and accent are completely different, often bewildering non-speakers.

The current president is Aníbal Cavaco Silva and the Prime Minister is José Sócrates.

Portugal has been a country since the Twelfth Century, A.D. when Count Alfonso pronounced himself King Alfonso of Portugal. Since then Portugal has been through revolutions, civil war, a right-wing dictatorship in the Twentieth Century before settling on a democracy in 1976 and joining the European Union ten years later.

Portuguese explorers roamed the World and claimed many lands for the Portuguese. The most famous and prolific being Vasco de Gama, establishing trade links to India; Pedro Álvares Cabral, claiming Brazil; and Alfonso de Albuquerque who conquered Goa and Malaysia.

After years of economic decline, resulting in the embracing of democracy, Portugal’s economy has recovered and it has become a modern European nation. Tourism is a major industry but it is still mostly rural with farming communities and great wine-growing regions.

The Duoro is the region for Portugal’s most famous export: Port. Real Port only comes from the Duoro valley and all of the famous names can be found there: Taylor; Graham; Fonseca; Dow; Warre; Sandeman; Croft, as well as many others making this delicious fortified wine. The wine growing regions offer a different kind of holiday destination with beautiful countryside and spectacular scenery, relaxing atmosphere and friendly, knowledgeable locals.

The most well-known and popular tourist location is the Algarve in the South of the country. Famous for sandy beaches, marinas, fishing and golf courses, the Algarve offers a great deal to the sun-seeker and is extremely family-friendly. The hotels in the region are modern and the facilities are of good quality. This region also provides good nightlife and a wide range of restaurants. The area is served by an Airport at the administrative centre, Faro, and the major centres include such resorts as Albufeira and Vilamoura .

The capital of the country is Lisbon, located in its own region in the West of the country. It has a population of 564,000 and the region has approximately 2.7 million inhabitants. The region is the most densely populated in the country and also the wealthiest. As an ancient and important capital city Lisbon is also a great place to visit with many impressive sights, including the imposing Vasco de Gama Bridge, the longest in Europe at over 17 Km.

Property Market

For many inhabitants of countries such as the UK, where the summers can be brief and the winters cold, Portugal holds many attractions. While the whole country is experiencing a buoyant property sector, the south of the country is proving particularly popular. Portugal is a land with has the natural unspoilt beauty of the hills, to the more developed holiday resorts in the south. As with most warm climate countries there is a vast Array of properties available, from holiday homes, to town houses and many different sized apartments.

The Portuguese construction sector is one of the most liberal within Europe, with no direct barrier to foreign invest. There are obviously various building and health and safety regulations which need to be respected, but overseas investor are not are not forced to employ a Portuguese partner.

It is highly unlikely that foreign investors will be able to obtain a mortgage in Portugal itself, and finance will need to be arranged in their home states. The purchase process is slightly different in that all buyers must obtain a tax registration from the local authorities and nominate a Portuguese address for documentation purposes. Many of the older developments in the country (often in excess of 20 years) may well be community owned (the equivalent of a Housing Association in the UK) and buyers will be required to buy a share in the development, and abide by the “community” rules.

As many UK citizens have sampled the delights of the Algarve, this is proving to have a longer term lure for many people. Holiday homes are very popular in this area which has a hot climate for over 75% of the year. The Algarve has been popular for many years, and house prices have shown above average growth over the last few years. There are however signs that new “fashionable” areas in the north are receiving significant interest.

It is advisable to check out the administration costs of buying property in Portugal, as legal fees and stamp duty are not the cheapest in Europe. Overall, it looks as thought the property sector may continue a gradual climb in the short to medium term.

Why Invest in Portugal?

There is no doubt that the holiday resorts have been the best selling point for Portugal, with long white sandy beaches, a favourable climate, and miles of coastline. This is proving particularly attractive to many UK citizens, with strong UK ties visible throughout much of southern Portugal.

Unlike many countries who look for foreign investment at any cost, the Portuguese authorities take a strict line about preserving the beautiful rugged landscapes, and property development licences are carefully considered prior to clearance. For those looking to retire to take up more relaxing leisure activities there are vast Arrays of golf course, tennis court, swimming pools, and more. Average apartment prices range from £130,000 for a two bedroom apartment, to £170,000 for a three bedroom home.

There is a very strong sale to let market, but this is concentrated on furnished accommodation, general for the short term holiday makers. As more people wake up to the beauty of Portugal, demand continues to grow and the property market is performing well, although like the Algarve there are a number of property “hotspots”.

Outlook

With many parts of Portugal still untouched by the booming property market, there is plenty of potential for capital growth from a modest investment. As the level of interest in the country continues to grow, there is even more good news from the government, who are currently reforming their tax laws to make investment in Portugal even more attractive.

A number of areas have been earmarked as potentially lucrative investment sites, including Almancil, Loue, Carvoeiro and Tavira to name but a few. At a time when the UK property market is riding the crest of a wave, many people are opening up to the idea of reinvesting part of their liquidity overseas.

While the Portuguese economy has had a volatile reputation in the past, the government are beginning to see the fruits of their inward investment with great improvements in the transport network. As with many European countries these days, they are going through the change from a manufacturing economy to a services led economy. Again this is proving successful, and improving the overseas reputation of Portugal.