Not only wonderful city, from today Rio de Janeiro is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the first city in the world to receive such an important recognition and it comes the day after the Rio+20 climate conference and on the eve of major sporting events that will see Rio and Brazil at the center of international attention.
“The result is the consequence of a meticulous study by the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute – explains the Minister of Culture Ana de Hollanda – in which the creative way in which the inhabitants adapted to the exceptionally beautiful and irregular topography of the city was evaluated, inventing new ways to enjoy life".
After all, Rio de Janeiro has always aroused the interest and admiration of tourists and travellers. For centuries, and before the construction of Brasilia in the 50s of the last century, it was the capital, administrative and cultural center of the country. The conformation of the territory, with its morros, the famous hills overlooking the sea, the beautiful beaches, the bays and the characteristic inlets of the coast make it a unique place in the world, so much so that it has been transformed into the postcard-symbol of an entire country.
The challenge for the cariocas now becomes that of creating public policies that reconcile housing development (in the city there are still dozens of favelas in which hundreds of thousands of people live) with the protection of the environment and of the historical and artistic heritage. Also because from now on the city will always have the eyes of UNESCO fixed on it and its jewels constantly monitored: from the famous Sugar Loaf to Corcovado, from the Botanical Garden to Copacabana beach, passing through the Tijuca forest to Guanabara Bay.
With the inclusion of Rio de Janeiro among the World Heritage Sites, Brazil can now boast as many as 19 landscape and cultural assets protected by UNESCO. Among the most famous are the historic center of Salvador de Bahia and that of Olinda, in the State of Pernambuco, the architectural and historical complex of Ouro Preto in Minas Gerais, the ruins of São Miguel das Missões in Rio Grande do Sul, the complex urban planning of Brasilia, as well as natural beauties such as the Foz de Iguaçu National Park, the Pantanal region in Mato Grosso do Sul and the Fernando de Noronha National Park. From today, another pearl has been added to the already rich green and gold necklace.
