Brasília

Brasília

Introduction Historically, Brazil had its capitals in the coastal cities of Salvador and Rio de Janeiro. To develop the inland regions, President Kubitschek decided in 1956 to move the capital inland. In 1957, the construction of the new capital began. After three years and seven months, a modern city—Brasília—was built in the Brazilian interior. On April 21 of the same year, the country’s capital was moved from Rio de Janeiro to Brasília.

Brasília is the seat of the Federal District government. The Federal District (Distrito Federal) covers an area of 5,822 square kilometers and includes a total of 10 urban areas and satellite cities, with an approximate population of 2 million. The current governor of the Federal District is Joaquim Roriz. In 1998, the Gross Domestic Product was $21 billion, accounting for 2.73% of the national total. The economy is primarily service-based, making up about 90% of the Federal District’s output; industry accounts for 10%, mainly in construction and cement manufacturing.

Brasília is located on the Brazilian Highlands at an altitude of 1,158 meters. It enjoys a pleasant climate, with the year divided into rainy and dry seasons. The average annual maximum temperature is 29.3°C, and the minimum is 17.1°C. The annual rainfall is 1,603 millimeters. Brasília is world-renowned for its unique architecture. The overall urban plan was designed by the master architect Lúcio Costa. When viewed from the air at night under bright lights, Brasília resembles a giant airplane flying eastward.

The entire city is laid out along two perpendicular axes: the Monumental Axis extending east-west like the body of the plane, and the Wings Axis stretching north-south like the wings. The “nose” of the plane is Three Powers Plaza, the “body” houses the government buildings, and the “wings” consist of a modern network of elevated roads. To the left of Three Powers Plaza is the Presidential Palace, and to the right is the Federal Supreme Court. Opposite the plaza are the National Congress buildings for the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. The two legislative chambers are designed to look like two large bowls—the Chamber of Deputies’ bowl faces upward, symbolizing “democracy” and “open dialogue”; the Senate’s bowl faces downward, symbolizing the “concentration of public will.”

Brazil Brasília