rio de janeiro

noun

1. a seaport in SE Brazil: former capital.

noun

1. a state in SE Brazil. 452 sq. mi. (1170 sq. km). Capital: Rio de Janeiro.

noun

1. (until 1975) a state of SE Brazil, on the Atlantic and Guanabara Bay, now amalgamated with the state of Rio de Janeiro

noun

1. a port in SE Brazil, on Guanabara Bay: the country’s chief port and its capital from 1763 to 1960; backed by mountains, notably Sugar Loaf Mountain; founded by the French in 1555 and taken by the Portuguese in 1567. Pop: 11 469 000 (2005 est)Related noun: Cariocan
2. a state of E Brazil. Capital: Rio de Janeiro. Pop: 14 724 475 (2002). Area: 42 911 sq km (16 568 sq miles)

literally “January River,” named by explorer Amerigo Vespucci because he discovered it on Jan. 1, 1502, and so called because he incorrectly thought the bay was the estuary of a large river. See January.

City in southeastern Brazil on the Atlantic Ocean. Second-largest city in Brazil, after São Paulo; its former capital; and its financial, commercial, transportation, and cultural center.