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FUN FACTS "Rio de Janeiro" was the name given to the area by Portuguese explorers in January 1502. Rio was the capital of Brazil from 1763 until 1960, when Brasilia became the capital. Rio is nicknamed Cidade Maravilhosa, meaning "Marvelous City"; the people of Rio are known as "Cariocas." Carioca means "white man's house." There are about 200 samba schools in Rio. The famous statue of Christ that overlooks Rio is the world's fourth-tallest statue of Jesus. Poland, Bolivia and the Philippines have taller ones. The city's name means "River of January" and was based on the mistaken belief that the bay the explorers sailed into was the mouth of a river. In January 2014, the Christ the Redeemer statue (Rio Jesus) lost the tip of its thumb when it was hit by lightning. Its right middle finger was damaged in a storm the previous month. The stars on Brazil's flag depict the night sky as seen from Rio on November 15, 1889, the date Brazil declared itself a republic. The annual Rio carnival is the world's biggest, attracting around two million tourists.