Introduction[]
Brasília is the capital of Brazil and its fourth largest city. It was planned and developed in 1956, and formally became Brazil's capital in 1960. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, demonstrating 20th century urban planning.
Location[]
The city is located in the Central-West region of the country, along a plateau known as Planalto Central. It is 1020 kilometres from São Paulo, 1160 kilometres from Rio de Janerio and 1540 kilometres from Salvador.
Things to Do[]
The main focus of a visit to Brasília is to see the work of Lúcio Costa and Oscar Niemeyer. Amongst the buildings designed by Niemeyer are:
- Praça dos Três Poderes
- Palácio da Alvorada
- Palácio do Planalto
- Palácio da Justica
- The Chamber of Deputies
- The National Congress of Brazil
- The Cathedral of Brasília
- Biblioteca Nacional
Weather[]
Brasília has a tropical savanna climate, with the individual seasons defined according to the degree of humidity of the air: one season is dry, while the other one is comparatively humid.
The average temperature is 20.5°C. September, at the end of the dry season, has the highest average maximum temperature, 28°C, and July has the lowest average maximum temperature, 26°C. The lowest average minimum temperature is in June and July 11°C. Average temperatures from September through April are a consistent 22°C. Those, however, are monthly averages; temperatures sometimes fall outside of this range. The absolute minimum temperature recorded was 0°C, and the absolute maximum was 37°C.
The dry season lasts from late March or early April to late September or early October, though there is commonly some rain also in late May. Humidity averages about 50% during the dry season, but often falls below 30% around noon.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Av. High/˚C | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 26 |
| Daily Mean/˚C | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 |
| Av. Low/˚C | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 17 |
| Precipitation/mm | 210 | 180 | 180 | 120 | 60 | 20 | 20 | 30 | 80 | 160 | 210 | 240 |
Getting There & Away[]
Brasília is served by the Brasília International Airport - President Juscelino Kubitschek, South of the city. It receives flights from most parts of Brazil, and is the third busiest airport in the country in terms of passenger movement.
The city is served by long-distance inter-city buses that cover most of the country.
Getting Around[]
The city has a metro system of 24 stations on two lines, and is complemented by a bus system.