Why is Brasilia where it is?

The construction of the new federal capital of Brazil was a dream that began with the foundation of the country. The location for this capital had to be the center of the land, so that the government would be equidistant from all the capitals of the states and the other populated centers. Although other locations were investigated - such as Serra do Mar, Goiás Velho, and the island of Bananal - the decision to build the new federal capital in the interior of the country was not an easy one to make, nor one that was arrived at quickly.

The main concerns expressed by opponents to the idea were the high cost of infrastructure as well as the difficulties of occupying and populating the new capital, which was located almost at the very center of the country, surrounded by savanna and distant from the more developed and populated coastal regions. Nevertheless, the need to decentralize the country and to increase its economic and demographic integration, motivated successive political elites to transform this dream into reality.

The decision was solidified during Juscelino Kubitschek's government (1956 - 1961). Kubitschek commissioned a group of urbanists (which included Lúcio Costa and Oscar Niemeyer) to design the new capital, which would be named Brasilia. Construction of Brasilia began in 1956 and the first government buildings were completed in 1960. Brasilia was officially inaugurated as the capital of Brazil in 1960.

At present, Brasília is the third most populated city in Brazil and the capital of its Federal District.