Brazil Capital Brazil Capital What is the Capital of Brazil? Central West Region Brasil Brazil capital city is Brasilia, which is both a city and a Federal District, located in the central-west region. Brazil is geographically divided into five regions, North, Northeast, Central-West, South and Southeast. The country comprise of twenty-six states in addition to one Federal District, which is Brasilia, the capital. Of the 26 other states, nine make up Brazil northeast. As you can see from the map of Brasil , Brazil capital and federal district is surrounded by the Brazilian state of Goiás, with the exception of a short boundary with Minas Gerais. The Brazilian capital has a population in the region of 2,455,903 according to the 2007 census and is the seat of the Brazilian government. The capitol of Brazil, which is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, is also home to the presidential palace - Palácio da Alvorada, the Brazilian Parliament and Brazil's Supreme Court. Brasília city is also known as the "Capital da Esperança" - meaning, "The Capital of Hope", a phrase coined by the French author André Malraux.

Although the architect's original urban concept and design for the construction of Brasilia was that of a cross to symbolise possession, It is said by many that when you look down on Brasilia from the air, its shape resembles that of an airplane while others see the shape in terms of a bird with outstretched wings. Background info on the capital city of Brazil From 1763 to 1960, the southeastern coastal city of Rio de Janeiro was the capital city of Brazil. Back in 1823, José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva, a counselor and minister to Dom Pedro I, suggested the name 'Brasilia' in a bill presented to the Brazilian assembly to build a new Brazil capital city. The construction of the Brasil capital Brasilia, was ordered by President Jescelino Kubitschek, who fulfilled an article of the Country's constitution, namely, that Brazil's capital and federal city should be moved from Rio de Janeiro to the center of Brasil. A determining factor of the early article was for a new capital city that was away from the sea and safe from invaders.

The main urban planner, chief architect and landscape designer were Lúcio Costa, Oscar Niemeyer and Roberto Burle Marx, respectively. Construction commenced in 1956. The rationale behind the Brazilian government's relocation at this time being, that Brasilia's geographical central location would be a more regionally neutral federal capital and that by moving inland, more people would follow and populate the then, isolated region thus integrating the entire territory of Brazil. People from all over the country were recruited to help with the building of the Brazil capital city and especially people from Northeast Brazil. Brazilia formally became the capital of Brazil in 1960, when it was officially inaugurated. Today, Brasilia, Brazil's capital city is considered a world reference for urban planning. With its pioneering positioning of residential buildings around expansive urban areas and with the city being built around large avenues that divide it into sectors, the design plan has captured the imagination and stimulated much debate on 20th century city living.

Countries which have moved their capital city - Telegraph Argentina Countries which have moved their capital city As Argentina's president mulls switching the capital city from Buenos Aires to Santiago del Estero, here is a look at countries which have switched their capitals Brasil's relocation of its capital city to the purpose built Brasilia was widely hailed as a success Photo: Alamy By Rose Walker 5:00PM BST 29 Aug 2014 Russia Moscow was the capital of the Russian Empire from the 14th Century until 1712. It then moved to St. Petersburg, in order to be closer to Europe. The Russian capital was moved back to Moscow in 1918. Brazil Brazil's capital relocated from overcrowded Rio de Janeiro to the planned, built city of Brasilia in 1961. Related Articles Iranian capital 'to be moved' 02 Nov 2009 Upon its establishment as Brazil's capital, Brasilia experienced very rapid growth. Brazil's capital change was considered a success, and many countries have been inspired by Brazil's capital relocation achievement. Nigeria In 1991 the capital of Nigeria, Africa's most populated country, was moved from Lagos because of overcrowding.

Abuja, a planned city in central Nigeria, was deemed to be a more neutral for Nigeria's many ethnic and religious groups. Kazakhstan Almaty, in southern Kazakhstan, was the Kazakh capital when the country gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Government leaders moved the capital to the northern city of Astana in December 1997. Almaty had little room to expand, could experience an earthquake, and was very close to other newly-independent countries which could experience political turbulence. Belize In 1961, Hurricane Hattie badly damaged Belize City, the former capital of Belize. In 1970 Belmopan, an inland city, became the new capital of Belize to protect the government's operations, documents, and people - in case of another hurricane. Tanzania In the 1970s, Tanzania's capital began the move from coastal Dar es Salaam to centrally-located Dodoma. But even after many decades, the move is not complete. Cote d'Ivoire In 1983, Yamoussoukro became the capital of Cote d'Ivoire.

This new capital was the hometown of the President of Cote d'Ivoire, Felix Houphouet-Boigny, who wanted to spur development in the central region of Cote d'Ivoire. However, many government offices and embassies remain in the former capital, Abidjan. Burma Burma's capital was formerly Rangoon. In November 2005, government workers were suddenly told by the military junta to move to the more northern city of Naypyidaw, which had been constructed since 2002 but whose existence not publicised. There is still no clear explanation why Burma's capital was relocated. Why Do Some Countries Move Their Capitals? Jeremy Woodhouse/ Photodisc/ Getty Images Updated January 02, 2016. The capital of a country is often a very populated city where much history has been made due to the high-level political and economic functions that occur there. However, sometimes government leaders decide to move the capital from one city to another. Capital relocation has been done hundreds of times throughout history. The ancient Egyptians, Romans, and Chinese changed their capital frequently. Some countries choose new capitals that are more easily defended in a time of invasion or war.

Some new capitals are planned and built in previously undeveloped areas to spur development. New capitals are sometimes in regions deemed neutral to competing ethnic or religious groups as this could promote unity, security, and prosperity. continue reading below our video 10 Facts About the Titanic That You Don't Know Here are some notable capital moves throughout modern history. United States During and after the American Revolution, the United States Congress met in eight cities, including Philadelphia, Baltimore, and New York City. The construction of a new capital city in a separate federal district was outlined in the United States Constitution (Article One, Section Eight), and President George Washington selected a site near the Potomac River. Virginia and Maryland donated land. Washington, D.C. was designed and built and became the United States capital in 1800. The site was a compromise involving southern slave-holding economic interests and northern states who wanted war debts repaid. Russia Moscow was the capital of the Russian Empire from the 14th century until 1712. It then moved to St. Petersburg to be closer to Europe so that Russia would become more “western.” The Russian capital was moved back to Moscow in 1918.

Canada In the 19th century, the legislature of Canada alternated between Toronto and Quebec City. Ottawa became the capital of Canada in 1857. Ottawa was then a small town in a largely undeveloped region, but was chosen to be the capital city because it was close to the boundary between the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Australia In the 19th century, Sydney and Melbourne were the two largest cities in Australia. They both wanted to become Australia’s capital, and neither would concede to the other. As a compromise, Australia decided to build a new capital city. After an extensive search and survey, a section of land was carved out of New South Wales and became the Australian Capital Territory. The city of Canberra was planned and became Australia’s capital city in 1927. Canberra is located about halfway between Sydney and Melbourne but it is not a coastal city. India Calcutta, in Eastern India, was the capital of British India until 1911. To better administer all of India, the capital moved by the British to the northern city of Delhi. The city of New Delhi was planned and built, and was proclaimed the capital in 1947.

Brazil Brazil’s capital relocation from very overcrowded Rio de Janeiro to the planned, built city of Brasilia occurred in 1961. This capital change had been considered for decades. Rio de Janeiro was thought to be too far from many parts of this large country. To encourage the development of the interior of Brazil, Brasilia was built from 1956-1960. Upon its establishment as Brazil's capital, Brasilia experienced very rapid growth. Brazil’s capital change was considered very successful, and many countries have been inspired by Brazil’s capital relocation achievement. Belize In 1961, Hurricane Hattie badly damaged Belize City, the former capital of Belize. In 1970, Belmopan, an inland city, became the new capital of Belize to protect the government’s functioning, documents, and people in case of another hurricane. Tanzania In the 1970s, Tanzania’s capital moved from coastal Dar es Salaam to centrally located Dodoma, but even after many decades, the move is not complete. Cote d’Ivoire In 1983, Yamoussoukro became the capital of Cote d’Ivoire.

This new capital was the hometown of the President of Cote d’Ivoire, Felix Houphouet-Boigny. He wanted to spur development in the central region of Cote d’Ivoire. However, many government offices and embassies remain in the former capital, Abidjan. Nigeria In 1991, the capital of Nigeria, Africa’s most populated country, was moved from Lagos because of overcrowding. Abuja, a planned city in central Nigeria, was deemed to be a more neutral city regarding Nigeria’s many ethnic and religious groups. Abuja also had a less tropical climate. Kazakhstan Almaty, in southern Kazakhstan, was the Kazakh capital when the country gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Government leaders moved the capital to the northern city of Astana, formerly known as Aqmola, in December 1997. Almaty had little room to expand, could experience an earthquake, and was very close to other newly independent countries which could experience political turbulence. Almaty was also far from the region where ethnic Russians, who comprise about 25% of Kazakhstan’s population, live.

Myanmar Myanmar’s capital was formerly Rangoon, also known as Yangon. In November 2005, government workers were suddenly told by the military junta to move to the more northern city of Naypyidaw, which had been constructed since 2002 but not publicized. The entire world still doesn’t have a clear explanation why Myanmar's capital was relocated. This controversial capital change was possibly based on astrological advice and political fears. Yangon was the largest city in the country, and the restrictive government probably did not want crowds of people to protest against the government. Naypyidaw was also considered more easily defensible in case of a foreign invasion. South Sudan In September 2011, just a few months after independence, South Sudan's Council of Ministers approved a move of the new country's capital city from the initial temporary capital of Juba to Ramciel, located closer to the center of the country. The new capital will be a located within an independent capital territory not part of the surrounding Lake State. It is expected that the move will take approximately five years to complete.

Iran - Possible Future Capital Change Iran is considering relocating its capital from Tehran, which lies on about 100 fault lines and could experience a catastrophic earthquake. If the capital were a different city, the government could better manage the crisis and reduce casualties. However, some Iranians believe that the government wants to move the capital to avoid protests against the government, similar to Myanmar. Political leaders and seismologists are studying regions near Qom and Isfahan as possible places to build a new capital, but this would probably take decades and an enormous amount of money to complete. See page two for a comprehensive listing of additional recent capital city relocations! Capital Relocation Rationale Finally, countries sometimes change their capital because they expect some type of political, social, or economic benefit. They hope and expect that the new capitals will surely develop into cultural gems and hopefully make the country a more stable place. Prev History of Bras�lia Brasilia Facts Photos: Government of the Federal District Brasï¿½lia was officially opened on April 22nd 1960, but the preparations started more than two centuries ago. The first two Brazilian capitals, Salvador and Rio de Janeiro, were built by the coast.

Since the second half of 18th century, the governants (the Portuguese King, the Brazilian Emperors and the Brazilian Presidents of the Republic) had had interest in moving the capital to a more interior area, less exposed to maritime raids. In 1823, Josï¿½ Bonifï¿½cio de Andrade e Silva, one of the mentors of the Brazilian Independence (conquered in 1822), is one to propose the moving, already suggesting the name Brasï¿½lia. In 1891, the first Constitution of the Brazilian Republic (proclaimed in 1889) determined that a new capital would be built; in 1894, a area of 14,400 sq.km. was reserved for the capital. On September 7th 1922, the first stone of Brasï¿½lia is laid, in a spot which today is administered by Planaltina , one of the satellite cities of Brasï¿½lia.

In the term of President Eurico Gaspar Dutra (1946-1950), Brazil was living a prosperous period (the war had approached Brazil and USA), and the changing of capital left the paper to become reality. In 1955, the Comission for the New Federal Capital chose the spot in which Brasï¿½lia would be built. In 1956, Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira is elected President and creates the Company of Urbanization of the New Capital ( NOVACAP ). Kubitschek invites a young architect, Oscar Niemeyer, to command the project. In the same year of 1956, the work on site starts. In 1957, a public contest is won by urbanist Lï¿½cio Costa, who presented the inovative ideas for the design of the new capital, in his work which became known as Plano Piloto (Pilot Plan).

Juscelino Kubitschek, or JK, had the motto "fifty years in five"; his plan was to make Brazil grow during his five year term as much as the previous fifty years; JK invited car makers (like Ford, GM and Volkswagen) to come to Brazil, and opened several highways (in detriment of railways) to stimulate cars selling. However, JK's darling was Brasï¿½lia; to have the city finished still during his term, he didn't hesitate in allocating financial and human resources into the works; several Boeings were rented to fly cement, sand and other supriments into the sites. Juscelino was so obsessed with the idea of being founder of Brasï¿½lia, that he officially opened the city on April 22 1960, before it was finished. Right from the beginning, the growth of Brasï¿½lia was superior to the plannings. According to the original plans, Brasï¿½lia would be a city for government authorities and staff.

However, during the construction period, many Brazilians from all over the country (but particularly from the Northern and Northeastern regions) migrated to Brasï¿½lia; these migrants were called "candangos". The candangos were supposed to go back home when Brasï¿½lia was finished, but most didn't; many just couldn't afford leaving, and most saw Brasï¿½lia an opportunity for a better life. To accommodate the candangos, small villages were built in the vicinities of the Pilot Plan. As more and more migrants were attracted by the opportunities of the growing capital, these villages grew and became the Cidades Satï¿½lies (Satellite cities) of Brasï¿½lia. Until the 1980s, the mayor of Brasï¿½lia was appointed by the Federal Government, and the laws of Brasï¿½lia were issued by the Federal Senate. After the Constitution of 1998, Brasï¿½lia gained the right to elect its Governor, and a Districtal Assembly was elected to exercize the Legislative Power (there are still some differences between Brasï¿½lia and other Brazilian cities , though).

Copyright 2005-2016 Brasilia, the capital of Brazil - YouTube Brasilia, the capital of Brazil Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Uploaded on Oct 13, 2007 Brasilia was built to be Brazil's new capital city. The idea was to transfer the federal capital of Brazil from the coast to midwestern / interior of the country. Brazil had had two capital cities before that: Rio de Janeiro and Salvador da Bahia. By transferring the capital city to the interior, the government intended to help to populate that area of the county. People from all over the country were hired to build the city, but especially those from the Northeast region of Brazil. Brasilia is known, internationally, for having applied the principles established in the Athens Charter of 1933.

President Juscelino Kubitschek ordered the construction of Brasília, fulfilling an article of the country's constitution stating that the capital should be moved from Rio de Janeiro to a place close to the center of the country. Lúcio Costa won a contest and was the main urban planner. Oscar Niemeyer, a close friend of Lúcio, was the chief architect of most public buildings and Roberto Burle Marx was the landscape designer. Brasília was built in 41 months, from 1956 to April 21, 1960 when it was officially inaugurated. From 1763 to 1960, Rio de Janeiro was the capital of Brazil. At this time, resources tended to be centred in Brazil's southeast region near Rio de Janeiro. Brasília's geographical central location made for a more regionally neutral federal capital. The idea of placing Brazil's capital in the interior dates back to the first republican constitution of 1891, which roughly defined where the federal district should be placed, but the site itself was not defined until 1922.

Brasília's location, it was argued, would promote the development of Brazil's central region and better integrate the entire territory of Brazil. According to a legend, Italian saint Don Bosco in 1883 had a prophetic dream in which he described a futuristic city that roughly fitted Brasília's location. Today, in Brasília, there are many references to this educator who founded the Salesian order. One of the main cathedrals in the city bears his name. Brasília is the result of a modern urban project designed by Lúcio Costa. When seen from above, the city's pilot plan resembles the shape of an airplane -- many prefer to refer to it as a bird with open wings --, although the architect's original urban concept pointed to the shape of a cross, to symbolize possession. The city's project is, up to this day, a world reference when the issue is urban planning. The idea of spreading residential buildings around expansive urban areas, of tracing the city plan around large avenues and dividing it into sectors, has produced an intense debate and reflections on life in big cities in the 20th century.

The city also hosts a varied assortment of art works from great artists like Bruno Giorgi, Alfredo Ceschiatti, Athos Bulcão, Marienne Peretti, Volpi, Di Cavalcanti, Victor Brecheret and Burle Marx, whose works have been integrated into the city's architecture, making it a unique landscape. A scene for political events, music performances and movie festivals, Brasília is a cosmopolitan city, with around 90 embassies, a wide range of restaurants and complete infrastructure ready to host any kind of event. Not surprisingly, the city stands out as an important business tourism destination, which is a rising segment of the local economy, crowding dozens of hotels spread around the national capital. The Brazilian capital is the only city in the world built in the 20th century to be awarded (in 1987) the status of Historical and Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, a specialized agency of the United Nations. And there are plenty of reasons for such renown: this young city, inaugurated in 1960, surprises even the most experienced travellers.

Category The Founding of Brasilia, Brazil | Building the World The Founding of Brasilia, Brazil The Founding of Brasilia, Brazil Brasilia aerial view, from NASA at nasa.gov WHY BRAZIL? BRIC-if you are interested in global frontrunners (Brazil-Russia-India-China) of rapid development, then you’ve got to start with Brazil. Key to understanding the direction and spirit of the country, a window into this might be Brasília, the new capitol of Brazil created in 1960. The first city designed to be seen from the air, the city is also built in the shape of an airplane. What is its destination? RIO Rio de Janeiro will host the 2016 Olympics and the World Cup too; it’s a glamorous city of legendary beaches with even more legendary bikinis. The former capital, Rio is not Brazil’s largest city (that would be Sao Paulo) but it’s the place most people think of first. Rio’s beaches may have, in part, been the reason why Brazil decided to move the capital from the port to an inland location.

Shortly after Rio de Janeiro became the seat of the government (in the late 18th century), officials began talking about advisability of moving the capital to eliminate the potential danger of naval invasion and attack. Later, Nigeria would make a similar decision regarding its former capital, the port of Lagos, to found a new capital, Abuja. After the founding of Brazil as an independent political entity in 1822, Jose Bonifacio made official the decision taken to build a new capital and to name it Brasilia. But where to build it? That would take 50 years and a dream. DREAM CITY Dom Bosco, founder of the Roman Catholic Salesian Order, had a prophetic dream that predicted a town between parallels 15 and 20. Even before the new city was built, a shrine was sculpted and dedicated to St. Dom Bosco; it is directly on the 15th parallel. Ultimately, there were three reasons to move the capital to the area of which the saint dreamt. First, the territory was inland, not vulnerable to naval attack.

Rio remained vulnerable, and coastal attack would devastate the vibrant economy of the port, still at least government could function if the center of administrative direction was securely inland. Secondly, the new capital location had a requirement of abundant water because as the center of government, it was going to be big to start with and would likely grow; the area chosen offered excellent water resources. Third, it was politically and economically favorable to bring focus to the country’s interior; a similar reason for Nigeria’s new capital. Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira, from mg.gov.br But the idea took time, even though the region chosen was certain from the beginning. In 1889 Brazil abolished the monarchy. Two years later, the Constitution of 1891 mandated a new capital to be built on the Planalto Central. Still nothing really happened until a presidential candidate promised, in a campaign speech in 1955, to build the new capital on the plateau, if elected. Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira won the election, and in April 1956, he fulfilled his promise.

He proposed a bill establishing an agency to carry out the creation of a new federal capital, named Brasilia, in a new Federal District to be built out of Goias State. In September, the Brazilian Congress approved the bill. By April 1960, the Plaza of the Three Powers was dedicated. AIR, THE NEW WINDOW In a small office at Cornell University, a graduate student peered at photographs taken from an airplane. “Was that limestone in one area? What would be the implications of building there? What does that shadow mean? Perhaps the boundary between two types of soil? How deep is the soil atop the bedrock? What are those white dots all over the field? What are they shaped like cones?” (Building the World, p. 559). Hollister Kent was the doctoral student. During World War II, young Kent was assigned to the 10th Mountain Division of the United States Army and was trained to read aerial photographs. Kent returned to study architecture at Cornell and was hired as an assistant to his professor, who happened to be working on a new capital. Soon, Kent was analyzing images but he had no idea of the view from the ground.

When his boss was suddenly unable to go to Brazil for the project, Hollister Kent was sent. What he saw was the constructing of a dream. LUCIO COSTA Brazil engaged architect and visionary Lucio Costa to design the new capital. His proposal reads like a poem as he describes a new city “born of a primary gesture of one who marks or takes possession of a place, two axes crossing at right angles, the very sign of the Cross.” Costa began in 1957 and within one year, the streets were laid out and completely paved. Lucio Costa’s map of Brasilia, 1958, from Library of Congress at loc.gov. Costa planned and specified every aspect of the new city. Consider as example Costa’s mandate that all taxis would be the same dark grey color; even bus drivers’ uniforms would include a dark grey cap that conveyed a sense of respect. For the buildings, Costa hired one of his favorite and oldest students, Oscar Niemeyer who designed the Congress, the University of Brasilia, the Cathedral and the Chapel of Our Lady of Fatima, as well as center of Justice, aptly called the Palace of Justice.

Costa and Niemeyer both bowed to Le Corbusier with whom both had worked building the Ministry of Education and Health in Rio. Costa was the job boss, and Niemeyer worked under him but they both worked for Le Corbusier whose design, when completed in 1936, was lauded around the globe, elevating Costa and Niemeyer to a level of fame that made them the dream team for Brasilia. INDIGENOUS HONORING Brasilia could not have been built without the indigenous Canango people, who played such an important role in developing the new city. When Brasilia was dedicated in a ceremony at 9:30am on April 21, 1960 and the seat of government of Brazil was officially transferred from Rio to Brasilia, a sculpture in the very center of the new city, created by Bruno Georgi, was unveiled and continues to recognize and thank the Candangos. Later, when Brazil and Paraguay built their shared hydroelectric facility on their shared river, it was named after the indigenous Guarani people and their name for the “singing stone” of Itaipú.

Composer Philip Glass and librettist Daniela Thomas created an opera of the same name based on Guarani Indian text. MINI- FRACKING Chosen partly for its water supply, the area around Brasilia is running dry. As the population exploded, people began to tap into the water supply. By 2001, there were more than 2,300 secret wells. It’s the same thing that happened in the days of the Roman aqueducts. But this time, there seem to be unanticipated consequences. It is now known that shifts and stresses in underground water deepen cracks in earth’s tectonic plates. Once the plates are disturbed, they may shift — causing earthquakes. Seismologists continue to warn that water and tectonic plates interact. There was an earthquake of 3.7 on the Richter scale in Brasilia in 2001. A troubling question plagues the planners: could water have been part of the cause? With World Bank estimates that waste generation in South America will double by 2025, will water continue to be of great importance? What can be done now to prepare for the quarter-century global environment? Document of Authorization Year XCV (95) – No.

217 Federal Capital Law No. 2,874 of 19th September 1956 Section I, Chapter I: Art. 1. The Federal Capital of Brazil, which refers to Article 4 of the Act of the Transitionary Dispositions of the Constitution of 18th September 1946, will be located in the region of the Central High Plateau, which has been chosen for this purpose, in an area will be the Federal District circumscribed by the following lines: Beginning at the point of lat. 15 degrees 30’S. and long. 48 degrees 12’W Greenwich. From this point it continues toward the east along the parallel of 15 degrees 30’S until meeting the meridian of 47 degrees and 25’W. Greenwich. Etc. Art. 2.

For the execution of the constitutional disposition mentioned in the previous article, the Executive (executive power) is authorized to undertake the following actions: (a) To constitute, in terms of this law, a corporation that will be named “Urbanizing Company of the New Capital of Brazil” (Companhia Urbanizadora da Nova Capital do Brasil or UC)etc. (g) To install in the future Federal District, or in the neighboring towns, services of the civil and military organs of the federal government to which public servants are to be allocated, in order to create better conditions for the development of the construction work of the new City. Single Paragraph. At the appropriate time, the National Congress will deliberate regarding the day of the move of the Capital, thus repealing Article 6 of Law No. 1,803 of 5th January 1953. Rio de Janeiro, 19th September 1965, 135th year of the Independence and 68th year of the Republi.

Juscelino Kubitschek Antonio Alves Camara Clovix Salgado Henrique Lott Parsifal Barroso Jose Carlos de Macedo Soares Henrique Fiehus S.Paes de Almeida Mauricio de Medeiros Lucio Meira – From Diario Oficial, Year 95, No. 217, “Federal Capital,” September 20, 1956. Translated from Portuguese by Christine Boedler. Building the World, pp. 563-577 VOICES OF THE FUTURE: Discussion and Implications New Capitals and Federal Districts: Brasilia followed the example of Washington D.C. – a separate entity serving as capital in a reserved section of the nation that is not connected to the country’s largest city. Might Brasilia’s model serve as an example for relocation of capitals and federal districts in cases where the current capital is also on a tectonic fault? For example, Mexico City? Indigenous National Treasures: Brasilia recognized the Candangos, the indigenous people who not only were displaced by the new capital but also helped to build it. But what of their culture, their songs, legends, their knowledge of herbs, waters, spirit?

Can the world be inspired by Gilberto Gil, Grammy-award winning musician and former Minister of Culture of Brazil, who placed webcams in the Amazon jungle to open a window into Brazilian cultural treasures. How can our world preserve and protect indigenous national treasures? New capitals: Washington, D.C. may have set a future direction for a center of government that is separate from a country’s largest city. Brazil made that same decision; Nigeria would soon follow suit. Are there other nations that might do well to consider such a move? What about countries whose capitals happen to have been built before the science of seismology could warn of dangers. For example, Haiti may have taken longer to recover from the recent earthquake because the capital, the seat of government, collapsed along with much of Port-au-Prince. (Building the Future, chapter on “Cities”). What about Mexico City, one of the world’s most populous capitals, that is on a tectonic fault zone as well as near a volcano? It was a volcano that saved the Panama Canal from being built in what could have been a tragic location. Should countries whose traditional capitals remain in danger zones consider new capitals such as Brasília?

RESOURCES To read the complete chapter, members of the University of Massachusetts Boston may access the e-book through Healey Library Catalog and ABC-CLIO here. Alternatively the volumes can be accessed at WorldCat , or at Amazon for purchase. Further resources are available onsite at the University of Massachusetts Boston, Healey Library , including some of the following: (*indicates printed in notebook series) De Beauvoir, Simone. La Force des Choses. Paris: Gallimard, 1963. Kent, Hollister. “Vera Cruz: Brazil’s New Federal Capital.” PhD dissertation, Cornell University, 1956. Copies can be obtained from University Microfilms International, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. Little, P.E. Abundance is Not Enough: Water-Related Conflicts in the Amazon River Basin. Brasilia: University of Brasilia, 2002. Neimeyer, Oscar. Oscar Niemeyer: Notebooks of the Architect. Brussels, Edition CIVA, 2002. Ramos, A.R. The Predicament of Brazil’s Pluralism. Brasilia: University of Brasilia, 2002.

Internet For photos of Brasilia and the public archive of the Federal District, . For a history of Brasilia, . To see the complete document of Costa’s pilot plan for Brasilia, see . For information about Brasília’s water problems,see: March 1 2004 1:35 PM Trading Places By Kim Iskyan Following December's devastating earthquake in the city of Bam, Iran's top security official suggested that the nation's capital be moved from Tehran—also located on a fault line—to somewhere rather safer. If the idea, previously aired in 1991, makes it out of the starting gate, the new capital would be the latest in a long tradition of capital-city-making—or moving—by national leaders motivated by ego, nationalism, visions of utopia, demand-driven economics, or, very occasionally, plain good sense. Take Yamoussoukro, a sleepy jungle town in Ivory Coast, West Africa—until a local boy, Félix Houphouët-Boigny, became president.

In 1983, Houphouët-Boigny named Yamoussoukro the country's capital—despite the fact that Abidjan, a bustling coastal metropolis, was a perfectly good commercial and administrative center. To make his point—and to ensure that heaven would have room for another wasteful and arrogant African dictator—Houphouët-Boigny ordered the construction in Yamoussoukro of a replica of Rome's St. Peter's (never mind that only about a quarter of the country's population is Christian). Houphouët-Boigny died in office in 1993, three years after Yamoussoukro's crowning glory was completed, and his capital remains a relative ghost town, with around 120,000 inhabitants, next to Abidjan's 4 million. Advertisement A sense of utopian destiny, rather than ego, drove the creation of Brasilia, Brazil's capital. A prophecy by an Italian saint in 1883 promised great bounties if the interior of the country—mostly Amazon jungle—was developed.

In 1891, a new constitution called for the move, and a foundation stone was laid in 1922. It wasn't until 1957 that the new capital project got under way, spearheaded by President Juscelino Kubitschek. Besides being the mother of all government-spending and employment-generating public works, the effort to replace Rio de Janeiro as Brazil's capital with a city 900 kilometers inland was to be a "utopian experiment in modern urbanism" that could "stimulate leaps in the development process itself, causing the nation to skip undesired stages in its evolution," wrote James Holston in The Modernist City: An Anthropological Critique of Brasilia. Brasilia has indeed abetted the development of the Brazilian heartland, helped unify the country's massive territory, and provided plenty of jobs and wealth for well-connected contractors. But the massive expense of the effort contributed to enormous budget deficits and escalating inflation—which helped spark a military coup in 1964 and subsequently took Brazil in the opposite direction of the showplace of the modern and progressive that Brasilia was intended to embody.

Brasilia fell short of utopia in other ways as well: Rather than being an ideal city to get around by car, the peculiar airplane-shape layout of the city is exceptionally challenging. The city's planners aimed to create a city that would be free of social class differentiation, but slums sprung up before construction was even finished. Many of the monumental government structures in the capital, designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, are showing their age, and are shadows of their former selves. "Brasilia has become a very different kind of city from the one its founders intended … the whole development seems to have put the very concept of the zoned city into question," observed Joseph Rykwert in The Seduction of Place: The History and Future of Cities. Kazakhstani President Nursultan Nazarbayev also had national unity in mind when he made Aqmola (renamed Astana the following year), a city in the north of the country, the capital of Kazakhstan in 1997.

Nazarbayev was concerned about the strong Russian influence in the northern part of the Central Asian republic—which, situated south of Siberia, is four times the size of Texas—and wanted to ensure that the northerners felt bound to the more populous and prosperous south, where the previous capital, Almaty, was located. Astana's shiny new office buildings, slick fresh blacktop, and shopping malls, albeit interspersed with the city's pre-existing Soviet-style slums, have spurred economic growth in northeastern Kazakhstan and helped spread the massive wealth generated by the country's oil reserves. But Turkish grocery stores and the re-naming of Aqmola—which in Kazakh means either "white tombstone" or "white sacred place," depending who you talk to—to Astana ("capital city") can't change the city's major drawback: its inhospitable weather. Winters on the wind-swept Siberian steppes are brutally cold, while steamy summers are characterized by swarms of baseball-sized mosquitoes. The move from cosmopolitan and comparatively temperate Almaty has been highly unpopular.

Advertisement The former Soviet Union was arguably the all-time king of creating cities in barely hospitable parts of the Earth that economics, geography, and plain human decency would suggest should just be left alone. During the Soviet era, cities were developed in the middle of nowhere in order to extract mineral wealth and to ensure that everyone in the country had a job (productive or otherwise). As a result, according to The Siberian Curse: How Communist Planners Left Russia Out in the Cold, 23 of the world's 25 coldest cities with populations over 500,000 are in Russia. The maintenance of the massive Soviet misallocation of people and industrial plant constitutes an enormous tax on the Russian economy today. Some cities never shake the feel that they shouldn't exist at all, or at least in their gussied-up form. Yamoussoukro, despite—or perhaps because of—its ridiculous white elephant monument to Christianity, has a hollow and vacant feel to it. Islamabad, which was built in the 1960s to replace Karachi as the home of the apparatus of Pakistani government, is modern, meticulously planned, and rigidly zoned—and as dull as ditchwater.

Brasilia, pedestrian-unfriendly and pockmarked with monstrous concrete government buildings in various states of decay, lacks a human touch. And many cities in Siberia have a post-economic-meltdown surreal artificiality about them. Washington, D.C., created in the early 1790s when President George Washington famously chose a swamp as the future site of the United States' permanent seat of government was soon reviled as "a mud-hole equal to the Great Serbonian Bog." It's not quite so bad now, but—a few vibrant downtown neighborhoods excepted—once the city's cubicle-dwellers flee to the suburbs, Washington can feel as empty as a bad high-school dance. Indeed, George hit on another motivation for cities-by-fiat: a shorter commute for the boss. In the days before the Delta Shuttle and the Acela Express , the first American president couldn't very well pop down from New York or Philadelphia to his homestead at Mount Vernon for the weekend. But the 15 miles from Mount Vernon into present-day downtown Washington is reasonable. Unfortunately, Washington didn't live to see the construction of his namesake city—or enjoy the short trip to the office.

Thanks to Brian Quigley, Maria Pagura, and Reid Andrews.

Question: Before it was moved to the purpose-built city of Brasilia, what city was Brazil's capital?
Answer: Rio de Janeiro