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Federal District (Brazil)

geography Maturity 11-13 Next article →

The Federal District is a very special place in Brazil.

Bandeira do Distrito Federal (Brasil)
Bandeira do Distrito Federal (Brasil)

It sits in the Center-West Region of the country. Most of this land is surrounded by the state of Goiás. It only shares a small border with Minas Gerais. The Federal District is the smallest unit in Brazil. It is not a state or a city. Instead, it is a unique place that does both. It is home to Brasília, the capital of Brazil.

Aeroporto Internacional de Brasília visto do espaço em 2014
Aeroporto Internacional de Brasília visto do espaço em 2014

Life in the Federal District follows the rhythm of the weather. The land sits high in the Brazilian Highlands. It stays between 600 and 1,100 meters above sea level. The weather is tropical savanna. This means it has a rainy season from October to April. From May to September, the land enters a dry season. It stays warm throughout the whole year. To help with the dry months, people built Paranoá Lake. This large lake helps keep the area from getting too dry.

Central station, Metrô do DF, 04-01-2007
Central station, Metrô do DF, 04-01-2007

Building this place was a huge job. Long ago, leaders wanted to move the capital to the center. In 1955, Juscelino Kubitschek promised to make this happen. He helped create a company called Novacap to build the new capital. Architect Lúcio Costa designed the city's special layout. Oscar Niemeyer served as the main architect. Many workers called "candangos" came to help build it. These workers came from places like Goiás and Minas Gerais. It took 30,000 workers just 41 months to build Brasília.

Today, many people live and work in this region. In 2007, about 2,393,000 people lived there. The area is divided into 35 different administrative regions. One famous area is the Plano Piloto. Visitors love to see the beautiful buildings in the city. The Metropolitan Cathedral has 16 curved pillars. They look like a crown and hold colorful glass.

You can also visit the Three Powers Square. This square holds the Planalto Palace and the National Congress.

It is a very busy place for the whole country.

Because it is the capital, the Federal District has a special government. It has a governor to lead the executive power. It also has a Legislative Chamber with 24 deputies. This chamber is a mix of a city council and a state assembly. The district is much larger than Tokyo or the island of Maui. It is also a major center for the economy in Brazil. You can see many important things here, like the National Stadium.

GDF APRESENTA FORÇAS INTEGRADAS QUE ATUARÃO NAS OLIMPÍADAS 2016 (28441694746)
GDF APRESENTA FORÇAS INTEGRADAS QUE ATUARÃO NAS OLIMPÍADAS 2016 (28441694746)

It is truly a unique part of the world.

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🖼️ Images & Media (9)
File:Prédios projetados por Oscar Niemeyer na UnB ICC (8248856251).jpg
Prédios projetados por Oscar Niemeyer na...
File:Grades de proteção do Palácio do Buriti são retiradas (36832902423).jpg
Grades de proteção do Palácio do Buriti...
File:Brasilia DF Brasil - Câmara Legislativa - panoramio.jpg
Brasilia DF Brasil - Câmara Legislativa -...
File:Pietá na Catedral de Brasilia (15546597632).jpg
Pietá na Catedral de Brasilia (15546597632).jpg
File:Arquitetura de Brasilia. Praça dos Três Poderes! (15075339254).jpg
Arquitetura de Brasilia. Praça dos Três...
File:Aeroporto_Internacional_de_Brasília_visto_do_espaço_em_2014.jpg
Aeroporto_Internacional_de_Brasília_visto_...
File:Central station, Metrô do DF, 04-01-2007.jpg
Central station, Metrô do DF, 04-01-2007.jpg
File:GDF_APRESENTA_FORÇAS_INTEGRADAS_QUE_ATUARÃO_NAS_OLIMPÍADAS_2016_(28441694746).jpg
GDF_APRESENTA_FORÇAS_INTEGRADAS_QUE_ATUARÃ...
File:Bandeira do Distrito Federal (Brasil).svg
Bandeira do Distrito Federal (Brasil).svg
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