"The capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro is Rio de Janeiro,[a] or just Rio. It is the sixth most populous city in the Americas and the second most populous city in Brazil, behind São Paulo.In 2008, Rio de Janeiro's municipal GDP ranked 30th globally and second in the nation.The estimated value of this is R$343 billion. The city is home to the main offices of several Brazilian mining, oil, and telecommunications firms, notably Grupo Globo, the largest telemedia conglomerate in Latin America, and two of the nation's largest enterprises, Petrobras and Vale. With numerous colleges and institutes based there, it ranks as Brazil's second-largest research and development hub, contributing 17% of the country's total scientific output in 2005. The city really has a lower crime rate than the majority of Brazilian state capitals, despite the high perception of crime. One of the most popular destinations in the Southern Hemisphere, Rio de Janeiro is renowned for its natural surroundings, carnival, samba, bossa nova, and beaches including Ipanema, Leblon, Copacabana, and Barra da Tijuca.The statue of Christ the Redeemer on top of Corcovado mountain, which was named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, Sugarloaf Mountain with its cable car, the Sambódromo, a permanent parade avenue lined with grandstands that is used during Carnival, and Maracanã Stadium, one of the biggest football stadiums in the world, are some of the landmarks in addition to the beaches. Rio de Janeiro hosted the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, marking the third time the Olympics were held in a city in the Southern Hemisphere and the first time the games were ever held in a South American or Portuguese-speaking city.[13] The XV Pan American Games, the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, and the FIFA World Cup finals in 1950 and 2014 were all hosted in Maracanã Stadium. The city will host the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2027 after hosting the G20 conference in 2024. One of Brazil's major cultural centers is Rio de Janeiro. Its architecture incorporates world-famous 20th-century designs with churches and structures from the 16th through the 19th centuries. Portuguese, English, and French architecture all had an impact on Rio, which for many years served as the city and home of the Portuguese Imperial family. ""Cidade Maravilhosa"" (meaning ""marvelous city"") is Rio de Janeiro's official anthem. The song is always the most popular song during Rio's Carnival in February and is regarded as the city's civic anthem. São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro are regarded as the epicenters of Brazil's urban music movement.

Johannesburg is a city in South Africa's Gauteng province. It is the main financial and industrial center of the nation. Johannesburg, one of the newest big cities in the world, was established in 1886 after gold was discovered. Prior to becoming one of South Africa's four provinces, the city was a part of the Transvaal, an independent Afrikaner, or Boer, republic. Today, the city is a part of one of South Africa's nine provinces, Gauteng, which means "Place of Gold" in Sotho. The Highveld, a wide, grassy plateau that stretches across the interior of South Africa, is where Johannesburg is located. The city is situated on the edge of the Witwatersrand, also known as the Rand, which is a chain of low, rocky ridges that serves as a watershed between the drainages into the Atlantic and Indian seas. The city is between 5,700 and 5,930 feet (1,740 and 1,810 meters) above sea level. The climate of Johannesburg is moderate. The average temperature is around 75 °F (24 °C) in the summer and 55 °F (13 °C) in the winter, with very few periods below freezing. In both winter and summer, the city receives roughly eight hours of sunlight each day. Although the overall amount of rainfall fluctuates greatly from year to year, it averages around 28 inches (700 millimeters) annually. A major location for several creative and cultural industries, Johannesburg is a cultural center in South Africa with a diverse range of cultural venues. In addition to a plethora of other museums, theaters, galleries, and libraries, Johannesburg is home to the South African Ballet Theatre, the National School of Arts, and the University of Witwatersrand's School of the Arts.The Central Business District of Johannesburg is home to the Johannesburg City Library. The city is home to a number of Premiership and National First Division football teams. The top Johannesburg teams in the Premiership, such as Orlando Pirates (also known as the Buccaneers) and Kaizer Chiefs (also known as Amakhosi), are bitter rivals. They are headquartered at the Orlando and FNB stadiums in the city. Soccer City, the site of the 2010 FIFA World Cup final, hosts a number of major league and cup matches. FC AK and Jomo Cosmos are the teams in the First Division. The stadiums used by Katlehong City and Alexandra United are Alexandra and Reiger Park, respectively.