Discovered on 1 January 1502 by a Portuguese expedition in Pedro Alavares Cabral's fleet, Rio de Janeiro or "January River" is home of the Tupi, Puri, Botocudo and Maxakali people. On 1 March 1565, the city was properly founded by the Portuguese. The French and Portuguese fought over Rio until 1567; Portuguese governor Mem de Sa expelled the French fighting off successive military incursions that expanded 200 years. By 1769 Rio took over as the Brazilian capital from Salvador, having over 50,000 inhabitants. The Portuguese royal family began to move to Rio from Europe in 1808, transforming small colonies into the …show more content…
Sugarcane and coffee were once a primary key industrial sector, but due to environmental reasons it has lost its importance. Variable weather conditions such as humidity, adverse air temperatures and rain cause a decrease in coffee yields. Rio de Janeiro is one of the busiest ports in the country shipping iron ore, manganese, coal, wheat, and oil. Present day Rio accounts for 81% of Brazil's trade balance. Oil is now one of the largest export items accounting for 68% of their international sales (Mello, 2012). One of the main reasons Brazil has seen a tremendous economic growth in tourism has been the allure of the natural beauty the country provides. The world famous Christ the Redeemer statue, extravagant carnivals and beautiful beaches attract thousands of tourists from all around the world. The tropical climate is the primary reason for the increase; tourist can visit the city any time of the