Brasilia - City of Brazil

Brasília is the capital of Brazil. The city and its District are located in the Central-West region of the country, along a plateau known as Planalto Central. It has a population of about 2,557,000 as of the 2008 IBGE estimate, making it the fourth largest city in Brazil, after passing up Belo Horizonte and Fortaleza. However, as a metropolitan area, it ranks much lower at ninth. It is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The city was planned and developed in 1956 with Lúcio Costa as the principal urban planner and Oscar Niemeyer as the principal architect. In 1960, it formally became Brazil's national capital. When seen from above, the city's shape resembles an airplane or a butterfly. The city is commonly referred to as Capital Federal, Capital da Esperança or simply BSB. People from the city of Brasília are known as brasilienses or candangos.

Brasília has a sui generis status in Brazil, given it is not a municipality like nearly all cities in Brazil. Instead, it is the first of several Administrative Regions within the Distrito Federal — which, constitutionally, cannot be divided into municipalities. Informally, however, Brasília is referred to as coterminous with the Federal District.

Brasília International Airport is a major hub for the rest of the country, connecting the capital to all major Brazilian cities and many international destinations. It is the third most important airport of Brazil, in terms of passengers and aircraft movements.

The national capital's climate is tropical savanna according to Köppen's classification, 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 warm.

Portuguese is the official national language, and thus the primary language taught in schools. But English and Spanish are part of the official high school curriculum. There are some international schools that provide conventional education in foreign languages, mainly English, such as the American School of Brasília.

The Catholic University of Brasília is located in Brasilia, capital of Brazil, and is administered by UBEC founded in 1972 by the Maristas, Lassalistas, Salesianos and Estigmatinos.

Created with the purpose of being a reference at the college level education and integrating tutoring, research and extension programs on a growing basis, the UCB fulfills the ideals of its founders through its communitarian and filantropic foundations.

"The Catholic University of Brasilia has a mission of acting effectively for the full development of human beings and society, through the creation of knowledge, comprised with the quality and Christian values, in search of the truth."

As a venue 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 an important part of the local economy, with dozens of hotels spread around the national capital.

Traditional parties take place throughout the year. In June, there are large festivals celebrating Catholic saints, such as Saint Anthony and Saint Peter, that are called "festas juninas", or June festival. Throughout the year there are local, national and international events spread through the city. Christmas is widely celebrated, and New Years Eve usually hosts major events.

The city also hosts a varied assortment of art works from artists like Bruno Giorgi, Alfredo Ceschiatti, Athos Bulcão, Marianne Peretti, Alfredo Volpi, Di Cavalcanti, Dyllan Taxman, Victor Brecheret and Burle Marx, whose works have been integrated into the city’s architecture, making it a unique landscape.

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.