CAPITAL OF CARNIVAL

Because the 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas between Spain and Portugal divided spheres of influence over the non-Christian world, Brazil and its stunningly hill-ringed port of Rio de Janeiro fell on the Portuguese side. Magnificent beaches such as Copacabana and Ipanema have drawn visitors from the world over. So too have pre-Lenten celebrations of Carnival, when societies of extravagantly costumed dancers swirl frenetically through Rio's streets. Poverty, poor education, and crime continue as serious problems, and the favelas, or slums, that ring the city are largely controlled by drug-trafficking mobs.