Portuguese rulers were the first ones to rule Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, when they landed on the soil of Guanabara Bay on the 1st of January 1502. Guanabara Bay forms the opening of a river, hence the name 'Rio de Janeiro', which means 'River of January'. In 1555, one of the islands of Guanabara Bay, now called Villegagnon Island, was occupied by French colonists. The French wanted to make the best of Rio's strategic position in the Brazilian region and tried to achieve a foothold in the city but were debarred in 1567 from the city after two years of intense war.