Brasília

Why it's the capital

Brazil's first capital was Salvador, and Rio de Janeiro took over in 1763. The 1891 constitution said the capital should move to a place near the centre of the country. President Juscelino Kubitschek finally had Brasília built from 1956 and opened it on 21 April 1960.

Fun facts

1. From above, the plan looks like an airplane: the long Monumental Axis is the body and the Three Powers Square is the cockpit, though planner Lúcio Costa said he started from a simple cross.
2. Paranoá Lake is artificial, and under its water lies Vila Amaury, the old village where the first construction workers lived. Divers can visit it.
3. By the end of the 20th century, Brasília was the largest city in the world that had not existed when the century began.