Geography
The inlet at Rio de Janeiro isn't actually the beginning of a great river but a huge balloon-shaped bay that stretches 20 miles (32km) inland. The harbor is surrounded by giant mountains and at the entrance of the bay is a lopsided peak of bare granite standing 1,299 feet (396m) tall that the Portuguese named Pใo de A็๚car, ("Sugarloaf") because it reminded them of the conical sugarloaves made on the island of Madeira. The largest mountain near the harbor rises 2,300 feet (700m) above the water and is named Corcovado ("The Hunchback") because of its mounded shape. The bay itself is studded with 130 islands, many of which are the peaks of smaller hills with their bases covered by the water.