Rio de Janeiro's Hollywood moments - There's a well known Brazilian tune which hails Rio de Janeiro as being 'blessed by God and beautified by nature.' While many would now disagree with this statement, given the political and social problems the city has suffered in recent years, it's true that Rio has spectacular scenery which has inspired many Hollywood films.

Movie directors across the decades have turned to Rio de Janeiro as the setting for their work. See if you can recognize these places from these famous movies...

Check out the gallery to see the places in Rio de Janeiro which have featured in the movies!

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UNESCO world heritage - In 2012, the Rio de Janeiro cityscape was awarded the status of UNESCO world heritage site. But did you know that many parts of the city have been used to film Hollywood scenes?

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Paraty - Paraty is a small city set against a mountainous backdrop on Brazil's Costa Verde, in between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. It is a stunning natural beauty.

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Movie: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 - In the penultimate movie from the 'Twilight' saga, Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson) travel to a fictional island for their honeymoon. The scenes were filmed in Rio de Janeiro and Paraty.

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Lapa - The bohemian neighborhood of Lapa in the Central Region of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, has a wide range of bars, restaurants and clubs. A scene from the same 'Twilight' film was also shot here.

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Sugarloaf mountain - cable car - This conglomeration of monolithic mountains is located in the Urca neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It's made up of Sugarloaf Mountain, the Morro da Urca and the Morro da Babilônia. You can take the cable car up there to get spectacular views of the city.

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Movie: 007 Moonraker - In the James Bond movie, Roger Moore battles with giant snakes, deals with waterfalls, and discovers Carnival. His fight scene with the villain on top of Sugarloaf Mountain became iconic in the movie world.

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Carnival - Carnival is the most famous and unrivaled festival in Rio de Janeiro.

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Copacabana beach - This beach is located in one of the most famous neighborhoods in Brazil, and in the world. Copacabana is also known as the 'Princesinha do Mar' (Little Princess of the Sea) and 'Coração da Zona Sul' (Heart of the South Zone).

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Movie: Fast Five - The story is full of evil Brazilians and dangerous traffickers. Many places in the city were portrayed as something they weren't, including the Museum of Modern Art which was used to represent the International Airport of Rio. Police officers also used cars that they have never had in real life!

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Flamengo Park - This is a large public park and recreation area in Rio de Janeiro. It has beautiful views over the city.

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Rocinha Favela - Located in the South Zone of Rio, this is the largest favela in the country, and home to over 70,000 inhabitants. Rio de Janeiro's favelas have attracted increasing numbers of tourists who want to learn about the local culture.

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Movie: The Incredible Hulk - At the beginning of the movie, Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) is hiding from the American army in a favela in Rio de Janeiro, while searching for a cure for his transformation into the Hulk.

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Mangaratiba - This is a residential district, with large condominiums, some hotels, luxury resorts and local business. It has huge touristic potential, located in an ideal place between Angra dos Reis, Parati and Itaguaí.

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Movie: The Expendables - For the first movie of 'The Expendables' series, director and actor Sylvester Stallone chose the setting of Rio de Janeiro. The plot unfolds on a small South American island, which in real life is Mangaratiba.

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Tijuca National Park - Located in the heart of Rio de Janeiro, the Tijuca National Park protects the largest urban forest in the world which was replanted by humans. It covers approximately 3,953 hectares of land.

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Movie: Turistas - The plot was originally set in Guatemala, before being changed to São Paulo, Bahia and Rio de Janeiro.

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Rio de Janeiro boardwalk - Rio de Janeiro is known for its beaches and points of natural beauty. It's a city which revolves around the sun, the salt, and the sea.

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Movie: Blame It on Rio - The main filming location for this movie was Rio de Janeiro, and the story starred Demi Moore, who was at the beginning of her career. This was a remake of the 1977 comedy, 'In a Wild Moment.'

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Coast - The coast of Rio de Janeiro is 197 km long and has over 100 islands which measure 37 sq km, and unfold over three parts, around the bay of Sepetiba, the Atlantic Ocean and Guanabara bay.

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Movie: Dead in the Water - The remake of the Polish film 'Nóż w wodzie' (1962), was filmed in parts of Rio de Janeiro and had the actress Dominique Swain playing one of the main roles.

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South of the city - In this stunning view of the city, you can look out over Guanabara bay and Sugarloaf Mountain.

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Movies: Rio 1 and 2 - A macaw called Blu travels to Rio de Janeiro to have some adventures with another macaw, Jewel and friends.

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Búzios - Búzios is coastal resort set in the district of Microrregião dos Lagos, in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The place is rife with heavenly beaches, like this one, Azeda, and was one of Brigitte Bardot's favorite hang-out spots.

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Movie: Wild Orchid - The beautiful surroundings of Rio and Bahia act as an aphrodisiac on the movie couple, made up of innocent Emily (Carre Otis), and experienced James Wheeler (Mickey Rourke).

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Angra dos Reis - This is a district in the state of Rio de Janeiro made up of 365 islands. The region is known for its numerous beaches and the its biodiversity, especially of Ilha Grande, the largest island.

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Petrópolis - The state of Rio de Janeiro is not made up of sand alone. Petrópolis is an imperial city located in the north of the state, which is surrounded by the Serra dos Órgãos National Park. Replete with wooded peaks and cascading waterfalls, it's known for being a mountain retreat for Rio dwellers.

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Gramacho garbage dump - Jardim Gramacho is a district of Duque de Caxias, in the state of Rio de Janeiro. From 1976 to 2012 it was home to the largest garbage dump in Latin America. It's already been the setting for many novels and movies.

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Movie: Trash - The award-winning director Stephen Daldry tells the story of three boys who work at a dump site in Rio de Janeiro, until one day they discover something which leads them on an incredible journey.

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