Brasília
Brasília
Brasília is the capital of Brazil, located in the central part of the country. It has a population of about 2,383,784 as of the 2006 census estimate, and is the seat of the main federal government: the president (residing in the Palácio do Planalto), the Brazilian supreme court, and the Brazilian parliament. Brasília is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Building of the city began in 1956 with Lúcio Costa as the principal urban planner and Oscar Niemeyer as the principal architect. In 1960, it formally became Brazil's capital. When seen from above, the city's shape resembles an airplane or a butterfly.
Brasília is located in the Federal District, which has the same borders as the city. The federal district is surrounded by the Brazilian state of Goiás. The city is not a traditional municipality by Brazilian law.
Climate
The national capital’s weather is semi-arid, with seasons being defined according to the degree of humidity of the air: one season is dry and colder, while the other one is humid and hot. The average temperature is 20.5°C (69°F). October is the hottest month of the year, with highest temperatures standing at 29°C (85°F), while July is the coldest one, with lowest temperatures standing at 13°C (55°F).
The best time to visit the city is from April to June, when the dry season has yet to begin and beautiful days of the bluest sky are quite common – an unforgettable, unique spectacle. From August to September, it is the driest time of the year, with gorgeous purple and yellow flowered Ipê trees spread alongside the city’s greyish vegetation at this time of the year. Rains start pouring down, usually, in October.
Accommodation
The city’s planned design included specific areas for almost everything, including lodging – Hotels Sectors North and South. However, other areas are receiving new hotel facilities, such as the hotels and tourism Sector North, located on the shores of Lake Paranoá. Brasilia offers modern and comfortable hotels, including hotels managed by international networks; but it also offers cosy and modest inns, pensions and hostels.
Being a city that receives visitors from the whole of Brazil and the world, it offers a good network of restaurants with great diversity of food; from simple small restaurants, serving the authentic food of Central-Western areas of Brazil, to selected bistros.
Tourist attractions
Cultural Complex of the Republic
The Cultural Complex of the Republic ("Complexo Cultural da República" in Portuguese) is a cultural center located along the Monumental Axis, in the city of Brasília. It is formed by the National Library of Brasília and the National Museum of the Republic'.
The National Library of Brasília (Biblioteca Nacional de Brasília in Portuguese) occupies an area of 14,000 m², consisting of reading and study rooms, auditorium and a collection of over 300,000 items.
The National Museum of the Republic (Museu Nacional da República in Portuguese) consists of a 14,500 m² exhibit area, two 780-seat auditoriums, and a laboratory. The space is mainly used to display temporary art exhibits.
Paranoá Lake
Paranoá Lake is a giant artificial lake built in order to increase the amount of water available to the region. It holds the second largest marina in Brazil, and is home to the capital's wakeboard and windsurf practitioners.
Juscelino Kubitschek bridge
The Juscelino Kubitschek bridge, also known as the 'President JK Bridge' or the 'JK Bridge', crosses Lake Paranoá in Brasília. It is named for Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira, former president of Brazil. It was designed by architect Alexandre Chan and structural engineer Mário Vila Verde. Chan won the Gustav Lindenthal Medal for this project at the 2003 International Bridge Conference in Pittsburgh.
It consists of three 200 foot tall asymmetrical steel arches that crisscross diagonally. With a length of 0.75 miles, it was completed in 2002 at a cost of US$56.8 million. The bridge has a pedestrian walkway and is accessible to bicyclists and skaters.
The bridge design is very similar to a pedestrian walkway in the Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium.
Praça dos Três Poderes
Praça dos Três Poderes (Portuguese for Square of the Three Powers) is a plaza in Brasília. The name is derived from the encounter of the three powers around the plaza; the Executive, represented by the Palácio do Planalto (presidential office; the Legislative represented by the Congresso Nacional (National Congress); and the Judiciary, represented by the Palácio da Justiça.
It is a tourist attraction in Brasília. It was designed by Lúcio Costa and Oscar Niemeyer as a place where the three powers would meet and harmonically.
Cathedral of Brasília
The Cathedral of Brasília in the capital of the Federative Republic of Brazil, is an expression of the architect Oscar Niemeyer. This concrete-framed hyperboloid structure, seems with its glass roof to be reaching up, open, to heaven. On 31 May 1970, the Cathedral’s structure was finished, and only the 70 m diameter of the circular area were visible. Niemeyer's project of Cathedral of Brasília is based in the hyperboloid of revolution which sections are asymmetric. The hyperboloid structure itself is a result of 16 identical assembled concrete columns. These columns, having hyperbolic section and weighing 90 t, represent two hands moving upwards to heaven. The Cathedral was dedicated on 31 May 1970.