Brazil is the South American country whose purpose-built national capital is Brasília.
Brasília was inaugurated on 21 April 1960, replacing Rio de Janeiro as Brazil’s capital. President Juscelino Kubitschek promoted the move inland as part of a development strategy intended to encourage settlement and infrastructure away from the Atlantic coast.
Urban planner Lúcio Costa designed Brasília’s broad plan, while architect Oscar Niemeyer designed many of its most recognizable public buildings. The plan is often described as resembling an airplane or a bird when viewed from above, although Costa referred to it as a cross-shaped layout. Brasília became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
Rio de Janeiro remains one of Brazil’s most famous cities and was the national capital before 1960. São Paulo is Brazil’s largest city by population, but it is not the capital. Brasília is located in the Federal District, in Brazil’s interior central plateau.