Rio De Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro, estado (state) of southeastern Brazil, bounded by the states of Espírito Santo (north), Minas Gerais (west), and São Paulo (southwest), while to the east lies the Atlantic Ocean. It is named for the city of Rio de Janeiro, the state capital, which was the capital of Brazil from 1763 to 1960 and remains the nation’s main centre for cultural events, leisure, and tourism. It is Brazil’s second largest urban centre (after São Paulo city), and it accounts for the bulk of the population of the highly urbanized state. Area 16,871 square miles (43,696 square km). Pop. (2010) 15,989,929.