Which Brazilian capital city is located in the Federal District?

Brasília is the Brazilian capital city located in the Federal District. Unlike Brazil’s other major capitals, it is not part of a state; the city and the federal government sit within Brazil’s specially administered Federal District.

Brazil moved its national capital from Rio de Janeiro to Brasília on 21 April 1960. The relocation was intended to place political power nearer the country’s geographic interior and encourage development away from the densely populated Atlantic coast. Salvador had been Brazil’s first capital, while Rio de Janeiro served as capital from 1763 until 1960.

Brasília was planned by urbanist Lúcio Costa, with major government buildings designed by Oscar Niemeyer. Its monumental layout, broad avenues, superblocks, and modernist architecture earned it UNESCO World Heritage status in 1987. The city contains Brazil’s executive, legislative, and judicial branches.

A common mix-up is treating the Federal District like a Brazilian state or municipality. It is a distinct federal unit with no municipalities, divided instead into administrative regions. Brasília is the seat of government within that territory, making it the single canonical answer to the question.