Since the second half of the 18th century, Brazil's
governing authorities considered, with varying
degrees of intensity, transferring the seat of government from
Rio de
Janeiro to some inland area,
safe from naval attacks. The first Republican constitution (1891) went as
far as defining where the
future Federal District would be - a rectangle within the State of
Goias,
in the heart of the country.
But it was not until 1956, after eight years of surveying, that the
actual design and construction of
the new Capital began under
President Juscelino Kubitschek. The site
chosen for Brasilia is located
in the Federal District and comprises 2,245 sq. miles (5,814 sq. km) of a
sparsely inhabited plateau
carved out of the State of Goias, 3,609 feet (1,100 meters) above sea
level and 746 miles (1,200
km) from Rio de Janeiro. The competition for the urban master plan was
won by Brazilian architect
and urban planner, Lucio Costa. The major government buildings were
designed by the Brazilian
architect Oscar Niemeyer. Landscape designer Roberto Burle Marx planned
the layout and selection
of plant varieties to add a vivid green backdrop to the otherwise dry,
yellow landscape of the
savanna vegetation. On April 21, 1960, Brasilia was officially
inaugurated and started functioning
as the new capital of Brazil. Its population is about 1,750,000
inhabitants.
(Adapted from Brazilian Embassy, Washington, DC)
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Goiás |
Mato Grosso |
Mato Grosso do Sul | |
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This region, covered with extensive savannas and tropical grasslands, is still sparsely populated. Once one of the most isolated areas of the country, this region has experienced a rapid expansion of its rural production and established new industries. The federal government has set aside vast areas as reservations in the west-central region for the native Indian tribes which originally lived on them. Also in this region is the wildlife paradise, the Mato Grosso swamplands ( Pantanal Mato-grossense).
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