Corcovado

Corcovado
Corcovado
	View of the top of Corcovoado with Christ the Redeemer statue
Highest point
Elevation	710 m (2,330 ft)
Coordinates	22°57′8.7″S 43°12′42″W / 22.952417°S 43.21167°WCoordinates: 22°57′8.7″S 43°12′42″W / 22.952417°S 43.21167°W
Naming
English translation	Hunchback
Language of name	Portuguese
Geography
	Corcovado Brazil
Location	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Geology
Mountain type	Granite

Corcovado (Portuguese pronunciation: [koʁkoˈvadu]), which means "hunchback" in Portuguese,^[1] is a mountain in central Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is a 710-metre (2,329 ft) granite peak located in the Tijuca Forest, a national park.

Corcovado hill lies just west of the city center but is wholly within the city limits and visible from great distances. It is known worldwide for the 38-metre (125 ft) statue of Jesus atop its peak, entitled Christ the Redeemer, which was voted as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

Access[]

The peak and statue can be accessed via a narrow road, by the 3.8 kilometre (2.4 mi) Corcovado Rack Railway, which was opened in 1884 and refurbished in 1980, or by the walking trail on the south side of the mountain that starts from Parque Lage.^[2] The railway uses three electrically powered trains, with a passenger capacity of 540 passengers per hour. The rail trip takes approximately 20 minutes and departs every 20 minutes. Due to its limited passenger capacity, the wait to board at the entry station can take several hours. The year-round schedule is 8:30 to 18:30.

From the train terminus and road, the observation deck at the foot of the statue is reached by 223 steps, or by elevators and escalators. Among the most popular year-round tourist attractions in Rio, the Corcovado railway, access roads, and statue platform are commonly crowded.

Attractions[]

The most popular attraction of Corcovado mountain is the statue and viewing platform at its peak, drawing over 300,000 visitors per year. From the peak's platform the panoramic view includes downtown Rio, Sugarloaf Mountain, the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas (lake), Copacabana and Ipanema beaches, Estádio do Maracanã (Maracanã Stadium), and several of Rio's favelas. Cloud cover is common in Rio and the view from the platform is often obscured. Sunny days are recommended for optimal viewing.

Notable past visitors to the mountain peak include Pope Pius XII, Pope John Paul II, Alberto Santos-Dumont, Albert Einstein, Diana, Princess of Wales, and General Sherman, among others. An additional attraction of the mountain is rock climbing. The south face had 54 climbing routes in 1992. The easiest way starts from Park Lage.

References in Brazilian Culture[]

The Corcovado is also a symbol in the Brazilian culture. Corcovado is the title of a song by Antônio Carlos Jobim that makes reference to Corcovado Hill. The Corcovado has also received several mentions in other works (i.e. lyrics of Ben Harper,^[3] literary works, films etc.).

Geology[]

The peak of Corcovado is a big granite dome, which describes a generally vertical rocky formation. It is claimed to be the highest such formation in Brazil, the second highest being Pedra Agulha, situated near to the town of Pancas in Espírito Santo.