Sugarloaf Mountain ( pt, Pão de Açúcar, ) is a peak situated in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at the mouth of Guanabara Bay on a

peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...

that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean. Rising above the harbor, the peak is named for its resemblance to the traditional shape of concentrated refined loaf sugar. It is known worldwide for its cableway and panoramic views of the city and beyond. The mountain is one of several monolithic granite and quartz mountains that rise straight from the water's edge around Rio de Janeiro. Geologically, it is considered part of a family of steep-sided rock outcroppings known as non- inselberg bornhardts. The mountain is protected by the

Sugarloaf Mountain and Urca Hill Natural Monument The Sugarloaf Mountain and Urca Hill Natural Monument ( pt, Monumento Natural Dos Morros Do Pão De Açúcar e Da Urca) is a natural monument in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It protects the Sugarloaf Mountain and the adjoining Morro da Urca, ...

, created in 2006. This became part of a World Heritage Site declared by UNESCO in 2012.

Origins of the name

The name Sugarloaf was coined in the 16th century by the Portuguese during the heyday of

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with ...

trade in Brazil. According to historian

Vieira Fazenda Vieira is a Portuguese and Galician term which in Portuguese and Galician stands for the Great Pilgrim Mussel from the scallop family (Pectinidae). The term derives its use as a place and family name. History The use of the term can be traced, ...

, blocks of sugar were placed in conical molds made of clay to be transported on ships. The form of the peak reminded them of the well-known resulting " sugarloaf" shape, and the nickname has since been extended to be a general descriptor for formations of this kind.

Cable car

A glass-walled

cable car Cable car most commonly refers to the following cable transportation systems: * Aerial lift, such as aerial tramways and gondola lifts, in which the vehicle is suspended in the air from a cable ** Aerial tramway ** Chairlift ** Gondola lift *** Bi ...

(''bondinho'' or, more formally, ''teleférico''), capable of holding 65 people, runs along a route between the peaks of Sugarloaf and Morro da

Urca Urca is a traditional and wealthy residential neighborhood with nearly 7,000 inhabitants (2000 census) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Although most of the neighborhood dates from the 1920s, parts of it are much older. What is now called the Forte Sã ...

every 20 minutes. The original cable car line was built in 1912 and rebuilt around 1972–73 and in 2008. The cable car goes from a ground station, at the base of

Morro da Babilônia The Morro da Babilônia (, ''Babylon Hill'') is a hill in the Leme neighbourhood of Rio de Janeiro, separating Copacabana beach from Botafogo. It is home to a ''favela'' known by the same name, as well as the favela Chapéu Mangueira. Morro da B ...

, to Morro da Urca and thence to Sugarloaf's summit.

Reaching the summit

To reach the summit, passengers take two cable cars. The first ascends to the shorter Morro da Urca, high. The second car ascends to Pão de Açúcar. The Swiss-made bubble-shaped cars offer passengers 360° views of the surrounding city. The ascent takes three minutes from start to finish.

Timeline

*1907 – Brazilian engineer

Augusto Ferreira Ramos Augusto is an Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish given name or surname. Notable people with the name include: * Augusto Aníbal * Augusto dos Anjos * Augusto Arbizo *Augusto Barbera (born 1938), Italian law professor, politician and judge *Augusto B ...

had the idea of linking the hills through a path in the air. *1910 – The same engineer founded the Society of Sugar Loaf and the same year the works were started. The project was commissioned in Germany and built by Brazilian workers. All parts were taken by climbing mountains or lifted by steel cables. *1912 – Opening of the cableway, the first in Brazil and the third of this kind worldwide; the first cable cars were made of coated wood and were used for 61 years. *1973 – The current models of cars were put into operation. This increased the carrying capacity by almost ten times. *2009 – Inauguration of the next generation of cable cars that had already been purchased and are on display at the base of Red beach *2020 – Closed in March 2020 & partially reopened in August 2020.

Rock climbing

There are rock climbing routes on Sugarloaf that are mostly multipitch and are a mixture of sport and trad. There are also two other mountains in the area with technical rock climbing,

and Morro da Urca. Together, they form one of the largest urban climbing areas in the world, with more than 270 routes, between 1 and 10 pitches long.

Appearances in media

*'' Flying Down to Rio'' (1933) Starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The beachside Hotel Atlântico has views across the bay looking toward Sugarloaf Mountain. *In the

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

James Bond film '' Moonraker'', the villainous henchman

Jaws Jaws or Jaw may refer to: Anatomy * Jaw, an opposable articulated structure at the entrance of the mouth ** Mandible, the lower jaw Arts, entertainment, and media * Jaws (James Bond), a character in ''The Spy Who Loved Me'' and ''Moonraker'' * ...

(played by Richard Kiel) attempts to kill 007 (

Roger Moore Sir Roger George Moore (14 October 192723 May 2017) was an English actor. He was the third actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond in the Eon Productions film series, playing the character in seven feature films between 19 ...

) and the agent's ally, Dr. Holly Goodhead ( Lois Chiles), on a cable car. However, Bond and Goodhead escape and Jaws collides with the building at the bottom of the cable car route, demolishing the building, but escaping unscathed. * Herb Alpert recorded a song titled "Sugarloaf" for his 1982 album '' Fandango''. *The mountain and cable car are featured in '' The Simpsons'' episode "Blame it on Lisa", aired in 2002. *'' Mechanic: Resurrection'' (2016), starring Jason Statham. At the beginning of the film Arthur Bishop (Statham) is attacked at a restaurant on Morro da Urca and escapes on the roof of a cable car.

Gallery

Sugarloaf in art, 16th to 19th century

File:Palácio Pedro Ernesto - Fundação da Cidade.jpg, Founding of Rio de Janeiro in 1565. Sugarloaf is seen in the background. File:Nicolas-Antoine Taunay.jpg, View of Sugarloaf from the terrace of the '' Convento de Santo Antônio'' (Convent of St. Anthony), c. 1816. Painting by

Nicolas-Antoine Taunay Nicolas-Antoine Taunay (10 February 1755 – 20 March 1830) was a French painter known best for his landscapes with scenes from ancient and modern history, mythology, and religion. Early years Nicolas Antoine Taunay was born in Paris, France, in ...

. File:Charles_Landseer_-_View_of_Sugarloaf_Mountain_from_the_Silvestre_Road_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg, View of Sugarloaf from the Silvestre road, c. 1823. Painting by Charles Landseer. File:Pedro I por Henrique José da Silva.jpg, Emperor

Pedro I of Brazil Don (honorific), Dom Pedro I (English: Peter I; 12 October 1798 – 24 September 1834), nicknamed "the Liberator", was the founder and List of monarchs of Brazil, first ruler of the Empire of Brazil. As King Dom Pedro IV, he List of ...

(also King of Portugal as Pedro IV) with his crown and the Sugarloaf in the background, c. 1825 File:A Glória, Rio de Janeiro by Eduard Hildebrandt.jpg, Sugarloaf and the Nossa Senhora da Glória do Outeiro (Our Lady of the Glory of the Hill) church as seen from the neighborhood of Glória, c. 1846. Painting by

Eduard Hildebrandt Eduard Hildebrandt (9 September 1818 in Danzig25 October 1868 in Berlin) was a German landscape painter. Biography He served as apprentice to his father, a house-painter at Danzig. He was not twenty when he moved to Berlin, where he was taken in ...

20th and 21st centuries

File:Forty years in Brazil (1914) (14775856642).jpg, Sugarloaf in 1914 File:Bondinho Rio 1940.jpg, The Sugarloaf wooden cable car between the 1940s and 1950s File:Sugar Loaf Mtn Rio de Janeiro Brazil.JPG, Higher aerial view, 1967 File:Sugar loaf from Cristo Redentor 2010.JPG, View of the Sugarloaf from '' Christ the Redeemer'' on Corcovado. File:Cable Cars from Sugarloaf Mountain-Pao de Acucar - Rio de Janeiro - Brazil.jpg, Cable cars from Sugarloaf Mountain. File:Sugarloaf Mountain as seen from the up river, Christo Redentor seen in background.JPG, View of Sugarloaf Mountain from seaward side; Corcovado and ''Christ the Redeemer'' are seen in the background. File:1 rio de janeiro panorama.jpg, View of Rio de Janeiro from the Sugarloaf. File:Praia vermelha.jpg, Sugarloaf as seen from the Praia Vermelha (Red beach). File:Pão de Açucar - Sugarloaf Mountain - Zuckerhut - Botafago.jpg,

Botafogo Bay Botafogo (local/standard alternative Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: ) is a beachfront neighborhood (''bairro'') in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is a mostly upper middle class and small commerce community, and is located between the hills of M ...

and Sugarloaf File:Pão de Açúcar - Rio de Janeiro, Brasil(2).jpg, Botafogo Bay and beach with Sugarloaf in the background File:Do alto.jpg, Aerial view File:Centro do Rio de Janeiro (3969222492).jpg, Sugarloaf with Downtown Rio in the foreground File:Desvendando novos ângulos do Rio.jpg, View from the city of

Niterói Niterói (, ) is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality of the state of Rio de Janeiro (state), Rio de Janeiro in the Southeast Region, Brazil, southeast region of Brazil. It lies across Guanabara Bay facing the city of Rio de Janeiro and forms ...

References

External links

* * — {{Authority control Mountains of Brazil Bornhardts Guanabara Bay Geography of Rio de Janeiro (city) Landforms of Rio de Janeiro (state) Rock formations of Brazil Tourist attractions in Rio de Janeiro (city) Articles containing video clips First 100 IUGS Geological Heritage Sites