Sugarloaf Mountain (, ) is a peak situated in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, Brazil, on a

peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...

at the mouth of Guanabara Bay. 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

monolith A monolith is a geological feature consisting of a single massive stone or rock, such as some mountains. Erosion usually exposes the geological formations, which are often made of very hard and solid igneous or metamorphic rock. Some monolit ...

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

and

quartz Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). The Atom, atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen Tetrahedral molecular geometry, tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tet ...

mountains that rise straight from the water's edge around

. Geologically, it is considered part of a family of steep-sided rock outcroppings known as

bornhardt A bornhardt () is a dome-shaped, steep-sided, bald rock outcropping at least in height and several hundred metres in width. They are named after Wilhelm Bornhardt (1864–1946), a German geologist and explorer of German East Africa, who firs ...

s. The mountain is protected by the Sugarloaf Mountain and Urca Hill Natural Monument, created in 2006. This became part of a

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

declared by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

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 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 stout, jointed, fib ...

trade in Brazil due to sugar imports from the Portuguese conquest of Goa, according to historian Vieira Fazenda. Blocks of sugar were placed in conical molds made of

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolinite, ). Most pure clay minerals are white or light-coloured, but natural clays show a variety of colours from impuriti ...

to be transported on ships. The form of the peak reminded them of the well-known resulting "

sugarloaf A sugarloaf was the usual form in which refined sugar was produced and sold until the late 19th century, when granulated and cube sugars were introduced. A tall cone with a rounded top was the end product of a process in which dark molasses, ...

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

Timeline

* 1907 – Brazilian engineer Augusto Ferreira Ramos 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 and reopened in August

Rock climbing

There are

rock climbing Rock climbing is a climbing sports discipline that involves ascending climbing routes, routes consisting of natural rock in an outdoor environment, or on artificial resin climbing walls in a mostly indoor environment. Routes are documented in c ...

routes on Sugarloaf that are mostly multipitch and are a mixture of

sport Sport is a physical activity or game, often Competition, competitive and organization, organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The numbe ...

and trad. There are also two other mountains in the area with technical rock climbing, Morro da Babilônia 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

* In 1933's '' Flying Down to Rio'' (with

Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz, May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, actor, singer, musician, choreographer, and presenter, whose career in stage, film, and television spanned 76 years. He is widely regarded as the "g ...

and

Ginger Rogers Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starri ...

, among others), 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 The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...

film '' Moonraker'', the villainous henchman Jaws (played by Richard Kiel) attempts to kill 007 ( Roger Moore) 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 Herb Alpert (born March 31, 1935) is an American trumpeter, pianist, singer, songwriter, record producer, arranger, conductor, painter, sculptor and theatre producer, who led the band Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (sometimes called "Herb Alpe ...

recorded a song titled "Sugarloaf" for his 1982 album ''

Fandango Fandango is a lively partner dance originating in Portugal and Spain, usually in triple metre, triple meter, traditionally accompanied by guitars, castanets, tambourine or hand-clapping. Fandango can both be sung and danced. Sung fandango is u ...

''. * The mountain and cable car are featured in ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...

'' 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. * The 2023 reality competition show '' 007: Road to a Million'', a spin-off of the Bond franchise, featured Sugarloaf Mountain in two episodes. Two of the show's participants scaled the mountain before climbing outside of a cable car, as an homage to ''Moonraker.''

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 (12 October 1798 – 24 September 1834), known in Brazil and in Portugal as "the Liberator" () or "the Soldier King" () in Portugal, was the founder and List of monarchs of Brazil, first ruler of the Empire 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 (Our Lady of the Glory of the Hill) church as seen from the neighborhood of Glória, c. 1846. Painting by Eduard Hildebrandt.

20th and 21st centuries

File:Forty years in Brazil (1914) (14775856642).jpg, Sugarloaf in 1914 File:Intentona Comunista de 1935 - 3º Regimento de Infantaria em chamas.jpg, Military barracks near the Sugarloaf on fire after the communist uprising of 1935 File:Bondinho Rio 1940.jpg, The Sugarloaf wooden cable car in the 1940s File:Sugar Loaf Mtn Rio de Janeiro Brazil.JPG, Higher aerial view, 1967 File:Sugar loaf from Cristo Redentor 2010.JPG, View of 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 Praia Vermelha (Red Beach) File:Pão de Açucar - Sugarloaf Mountain - Zuckerhut - Botafago.jpg, Botafogo Bay 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 List of municipalities in Rio de Janeiro, municipality in 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 ...

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 Climbing areas of Brazil National heritage sites of Rio de Janeiro (state)