Word “
corcovado”
means "hunchback" in Portuguese. The major things called Corcovado are:
-
mountain
in central Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,
-
Corcovado (Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars) - a song by
Antonio Carlos Jobim,
-
Corcovado National Park - the National Park in Costa Rica,
-
Corcovado National Park in Chile.
Corcovado hill lies just west of
the city center but is wholly within the city limits and visible from great
distances. It is known worldwide for the 38-meter (125 ft) statue of Jesus
atop its peak, entitled Cristo Redentor'' or "Christ the Redeemer".
The statue stands 39.6
metres (130
feet) tall, weighs 700 tons and shows Christ the
Redeemer with open arms. Local engineer Heitor da Silva Costa designed the
statue; it was sculpted by Paul Landowski, a French
monument sculptor of Polish
origin. The statue’s structure was built out of reinforced concrete (designed
by Albert Caquot) instead of steel, more suitable for the cross-shaped statue.
The outer layers are soapstone, chosen for its enduring qualities and ease of
use. Stone for the monument was taken from Limhamn, in Malmö, Sweden.
Construction took five years — from 1922 to 1931 and the monument was opened on
October 12, 1931. The cost of the monument was $250,000. The donations came
mostly from Brazilian Catholics.
As of 7 July 2007, Christ the
Redeemer was named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in a list compiled
by the Swiss-based The New Open World Corporation.
The peak and statue can be accessed
via a narrow road or by the 3.8 kilometer Corcovado Rack Railway. From the
train terminus and road, the observation deck at the foot of the statue is
reached by 222 steps, or by elevators and escalators. Among the most popular
year-round tourist attractions in Rio, the Corcovado railway, access roads, and
statue platform are commonly crowded. From the peak''s platform the panoramic
view includes downtown Rio, Sugarloaf Mountain, the Lagoa (=Lagoa Rodrigo de
Freitas), Copacabana beach, Ipanema beach, and several of Rio''s favelas. Cloud
cover is common in Rio and the view from the platform is often obscured. Sunny
days are recommended for optimal viewing. Notable past visitors to the mountain
peak include Pope Pius XII, Pope John Paul II, Alberto Santos-Dumont, Albert
Einstein and Diana, Princess of Wales. An additional attraction of the mountain
is rock climbing. The south face had 54 climbing routes as of 1992.
The song "Corcovado"
(known in English as "Quiet Nights
of Quiet Stars") is a bossa nova song written by Antonio Carlos
Jobim. The English lyrics were written by Gene Lees. The title refers to the Corcovado
mountain in Rio de Janeiro.
Corcovado National Park in
the South West of Costa Rica (Spanish: Parque Nacional Corcovado) is a National
Park on the Osa Peninsula. It is widely considered the crown jewel in the
extensive system of national parks and biological reserves spread across the
country. The ecological variety is quite stunning. National Geographic has
called it "the most biologically intense place on Earth". Not only is
the park very popular with tropical ecologists, a visitor can expect to see an
abundance of wildlife. One should come well prepared though.
Corcovado National Park is open to the public and can be visited on day
trips and for overnight visits. As when visiting any sensitive natural area,
people are obliged to clean all of their hiking and/or camping gear (in
particular shoe/boot soles and tents) prior to visiting to decrease the chance
introducing non-native seeds. Most animal sightings can be expected on the
coastal track, with scarlet macaws (the largest population in the country)
flying overhead, hermit crabs othe beach, pelicans fishing in the sea and on
the sections that go slightly inland spider monkeys (take care not to get
urinated on when they are in a tree overhead), tamandua anteaters, pumas, white
faced capuchin monkeys, lineated woodpeckers and coatis (to name just a few).
With luck one might even spot a tapir, even though they''re nocturnal. Corcovado
is also a good place to spot the red-eyed tree frog, as well as the glass frog
with its transparent skin, and the enamel-bright poison-arrow frogs.
Corcovado National Park in
Chile is the newest of the national parks of Chile. It is bordered by the gulf
of the same name to the west. The park includes the volcanoes Corcovado and Yanteles.
The park hosts significant biodiversity, with about 18 mammal species, 64 bird
species and 133 flora species.