Major Cities in Brazil
Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world in terms of population and geography. It takes up almost half of South America. With the Atlantic Ocean on its eastern border, Brazil has a coastline of 7,491 kilometers long. Brazil has 26 states and 5,564 municipalities. It is presently considered a Federal Republic. Many of the state capitals are the biggest cities in their individual states. Brazil has a very large amount of urbanization. Almost 8 out of every 10 Brazilians reside in a city.
Brasilia has been the country's capital since 1960. The city and its District are located in the Central-West region of Brazil, beside a plateau known as Planalto Central. The architecture within this large city inspired many urban areas that were developed in the 20th century. When seen from above, the shape of the planned part of this city looks like a butterfly or an airplane.
Brasilia has a population of roughly 2,557,000 people. Several Brazilian companies are headquartered in Brasilia such as the Banco do Brasil, Caixa Econômica Federal, Correios, and Brasil Telecom. This city of Brazil has been placed on UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites. Brasilia is currently a host to 123 foreign embassies.
The city was designed and developed in 1956. Lúcio Costa was the main urban planner and Oscar Niemeyer was the main architect. On April 22, 1960, Brasilia officially became Brazil's national capital. The city is commonly referred to as Capital Federal (or BSB). Inhabitants of Brasília are referred to as brasilienses or candangos. Candangos refers to the residents who were not born in the city, but immigrated there when the city was created.
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janerio, the second largest city of Brazil and South America, means, 'River of January.’ The city is the state of Rio de Janerio’s capital. Rio de Janerio was Brazil’s capital for two centuries. It was also an independent nation for more than 130 years. Rio is home to Christ the Redeemer, a giant statue of Jesus. This statue is now one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. Other key landmarks include Marcana stadium, the largest football stadium in the world and Sambodromo, a gigantic parade. Rio de Janerio has year-round carnivals and popular beaches, which draw in many tourists each year. Even so, it is also one of most violent cities in the world.
Other Major Cities in Brazil
Manaus is the second largest metropolitan area in Northern Brazil. Today, it is home to 1.71 million people. Since 1848, Manaus has been officially acknowledged as a city and is considered to be one of the most influential within the country. Another major city in Brazil is Salvador. Salvador is the capital of Bahia state located on the northeastern coast of Brazil. It has the third largest population in Brazil and its metropolitan area is thought to be the wealthiest in the Northeastern part of the country. It is also the oldest city in Brazil.