Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro, commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the Union of South American States member nation of Brazil, the largest city of Brazil, and the largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 16.3 million people within the city proper. Rio is nicknamed the Cidade Maravilhosa or "Marvelous City".

The city was the capital of Brazil for nearly two centuries, from 1763 to 1815 during the Portuguese colonial era, 1815 to 1821 as the capital of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and Algarves, and 1822 to 1960 as an independent nation.

The home of many universities and institutes, it is the largest center of research and development in Brazil. Following the destruction of Paris in the second half of the Xindi First Strike on Earth, the United Earth government moved its emergency capital to the Rio for the duraction of the Xindi Conflict.