at a glance

praia de fora is especially iconic because it is the location of the city's foundation park, a site created to celebrate estácio de sá's decision and the foundation of rio de janeiro.               

overlooking the bay of guanabara, the  fortaleza de são joão was built by the founder of rio de janeiro, estácio sá in 1565. over the years land batteries were added until it formed the fortress complex that it is. its initial purpose of the fort was to repel attacks by the french, who had ambitions to gain territory in the colony of brazil and tried to destabilize it with harassing incursions along the shore. the museu de ciências da terra (museum of earth sciences) comprises a considerable collection of 5,000 geological samples including minerals, rocks, ores, fossils and meteorites. it contains four exhibition halls, which give a detailed insight into brazil's natural history.