Postcards from Rio

Postcards from Rio

Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
15 images Video
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You've seen the postcards.

And you've probably read the headlines.

Rio de Janeiro is a marvel and a mess all at once.

Video

When it hosts the first ever Olympics in South America, starting Aug. 5, visitors will see a city whose stunning topography - stark, verdant mountains loom over packed and playful beaches - competes only with the drama of daily life here.

. Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Reuters/Ricardo Moraes

Despite drug gangs, violent crime, gaping inequality and heavy pollution, the natural splendour of Rio makes even locals joke that no matter how hard they may try, they somehow never manage to ruin the place.

From above, atop the Pão de Açucar outcropping or the jungle aeries of the lush Tijuca park, sharp contrasts take shape between sclerotic city streets and forests where monkeys, tucans and boa constrictors wander.

. Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Reuters/Ricardo Moraes

Down below, demographic differences are just as stark.

Upscale apartment blocks and opulent mansions abut hillside slums and urban blight. Tony restaurants and luxury shopping centres buzz with clientele even amid a recession that means nearby hospitals and schools are so short of financing that they sometimes have to close.

. Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Reuters/Ricardo Moraes

Of course, Olympic visitors may not see much more of Rio than the spectacle of the Games. And the city, a sprawling metropolis of more than 12 million people, is impossible to take in all at once.

But for anyone willing to make the effort, Rio remains a sight to behold.

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Slideshow

Sugarloaf Mountain.
. Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Reuters/Ricardo Moraes

Sugarloaf Mountain.

Vista Chinesa (Chinese View) during sunrise.
. Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Reuters/Ricardo Moraes

Vista Chinesa (Chinese View) during sunrise.

The Pedra da Gavea mountain.
. Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Reuters/Ricardo Moraes

The Pedra da Gavea mountain.

Cable cars overlook the peak of Sugarloaf Mountain and Christ the Redeemer.
. Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Reuters/Ricardo Moraes

Cable cars overlook the peak of Sugarloaf Mountain and Christ the Redeemer.

Morro Dois Irmao (Two Brothers Hill).
. Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Reuters/Ricardo Moraes

Morro Dois Irmao (Two Brothers Hill).

People relax on Copacabana beach.
. Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Reuters/Ricardo Moraes

People relax on Copacabana beach.

A bonde (tram).
. Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Reuters/Ricardo Moraes

A bonde (tram).

The Museu do Amanha (Museum of Tomorrow).
. Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Reuters/Ricardo Moraes

The Museu do Amanha (Museum of Tomorrow).

Christ the Redeemer atop the Corcovado mountain.
. Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Reuters/Ricardo Moraes

Christ the Redeemer atop the Corcovado mountain.

Sugarloaf Mountain is seen from the sea-line of Praia Vermalha beach.
. Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Reuters/Ricardo Moraes

Sugarloaf Mountain is seen from the sea-line of Praia Vermalha beach.

The Rio de Janeiro skyline during sunset from Niteroi.
. Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Reuters/Ricardo Moraes

The Rio de Janeiro skyline during sunset from Niteroi.

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