Book excerpt: The ultimate guide to Rio de Janeiro, the Rough Guide offers detailed coverage of sites from the Christ statue at Corcovado to the fun-filled beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema, together with comprehensive reviews to suit all budgets of accommodation and restaurants in the city and state of Rio de Janeiro. The definitive guide to Rio de Janeiro carnival and the best year-round Rio de Janiero nightlife, in-depth advice is provided for finding the best carnival parades and street party "blocos"; how to get to the purpose built parade ground "Sambodromo"; staying safe in Rio; finding the best street sambas; and all the Rio de Janeiro carnival warm-up events at samba schools, nightclubs and city shows. Rio offers far more than carnival and beaches, however. With the best coverage of fascinating less-visited areas like Santa Teresa, downtown and the Zona Norte, there are also background chapters on Rio de Janeiro's turbulent history, Afro-Brazilian influences, and the growth of favelas and reviews of tours of them that both informative and beneficial to the community. Now a premier destination for sports, comprehensive information is given on football matches at the Maracana stadium and on Rio's football clubs, as well as coverage of volleyball, capoeira, Brazilian Ju-Jitsu and hiking in the beautiful Tijuca national park, one of the largest urban forests in the world. Handy information is also provided on getting out of town to destinations elsewhere in the state of Rio sucy as Paraty, Petrópolis, Ilha Grande and Búzios.