The people in Rio de Janeiro call themselves as Cariocas. The term came from a Tupi Indian word referring to “house of whites” or “white house” because this is how Portuguese-built houses are called during those times. Eventually, the Portuguese started to think of themselves as Cariocas as well.

 

To be a Carioca, one does not have to be born in the city. All you have to do is get yourself at ease with the city lifestyle, and you will soon see that you have just become one of the Cariocas.

 

The following are some of the famous Cariocas in various areas:

 

Sports

 

In the sport of football, Ronaldo Lima, Arthur Coimbra, Romário Faria, and Adriano Riberio are just among the famous Cariocas. Olympic Champions Robson da Silva, Sandra Pires, and Jackie Silva are from the city as well.

 

Entertainment

 

As a city filled with music-loving people, Rio de Janeiro is also home to a lot of famous personalities in the entertainment field. Among these are singers and composers Chico Buarque, Noel Rosa, Marisa Monte, Ivan Lins, and Jorge Ben Jor.

 

Film directors Walter Salles, Jose Padilha, and Bruno Barreto also take their roots from the city.

 

Literature

 

Vinícius de Moraes and Machado de Assis are just two of the city’s famous writers, but probably the most famous of them all is Paulo Coelho whose works are considered best-sellers worldwide.

 

These names are just a few of Rio de Janeiro’s pride. There are still a lot out there who continue to put the name of the city on the globe.