Distrito Federal

The Distrito Federal, or Federal District, is the seat of Brazil's national government, containing the capital city of Brasilia. A purpose-built modernist city inaugurated in 1960, Brasilia is celebrated as a masterpiece of 20th-century urban planning and architecture. It is the political heart of the nation.

The Federal District is a compact enclave on the high central plateau of Brazil, in the cerrado savanna, carved from the state of Goias. Brasilia was laid out in the shape of an airplane or bird. The climate is tropical savanna, with wet and dry seasons.

As a planned capital populated by people from across Brazil, the district has a uniquely national, cosmopolitan culture centered on government, diplomacy and modern architecture. The works of Oscar Niemeyer define its monumental cityscape.

Brazil long planned to move its capital inland, and Brasilia was built from scratch in just a few years under President Juscelino Kubitschek, designed by Lucio Costa and Oscar Niemeyer, and inaugurated in 1960 to integrate the nation's interior.