BRASÍLIA, CAPITAL OF BRAZIL

Brasília is the capital of Brazil, located in the central part of the country. It has a population of about 2,383,784 as of the 2006 census estimate, and is the seat of the federal government: the President (residing in the Palácio da Alvorada), the Brazilian supreme court and the Brazilian parliament. Brasília is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

These photos were taken by my son Fernando in June 2007

Catedral Metropolitana "Nossa Senhora Aparecida"

Brasília's Cathedral - Basilica of Our Lady Aparecida, by Oscar Niemeyer, Brazilian Architect, born 1907.

Our Lady of Aparecida is the patron saint of Brazil, represented by a statue of the Virgin Mary.

A Catedral, o Congresso Nacional e a Esplanada dos Ministérios

The Catedral, National Congress and Ministries Esplanade

Fernando in front the Ministries Esplanades at left and the Catedral at right

Palácio do Itamaraty

Itamaraty Palace

Palácio do Itamaraty. Em primeiro plano a escultura "Meteoro", do escultor Bruno Giorgi.

Itamaraty Palace is the name of the building of the head office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Itamaraty is one of Niemeyer's most radiant buildings. The bridge over an enormous ornamental pool dotted with islands of tropical plants leads to one of the largest public art collections in Brazil. The Brazilian artist Bruno Giorgi (1905 - 1993) (the same artist who created the Hanging Angels in the Brasilia Cathedral) carved the sculpture "Meteoro" from a single four-ton block of Carrar marble, which has been exposed in the water garden in front of the Palace since 1967.

Palácio do Planalto

The Palácio do Planalto is the official workplace of the President of Brazil. It is located at the Praça dos Três Poderes in Brasília.

O Palácio da Alvorada, residência oficial do Presidente da República

The Palace of the Dawn is the official residence of the Presidente of Brazil. The palace was designed, along the rest of the city of Brasília, by Oscar Niemeyer and inaugurated in 1958

Congresso Nacional

National Congress

Brazil's bicameral National Congress, consists of Senate of Brazil (the upper house) and and the Chamber of Deputies of Brazil (the lower house)

National Congress

Museu Nacional, Complexo Cultural da República
Cultural Complex of the Republic

View from the interior of the Cultural Complex of the Republic

Procuradoria Geral da República

Federal Prosecutors' Office is another project by Oscar Niemeyer

The Juscelino Kubitschek bridge, also known as the 'President JK Bridge' or the 'JK Bridge', crosses Lake Paranoá in Brasília. It is named afterJuscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira, former President of Brazil. It was designed by architect Alexandre Chan and structural engineer Mário Vila Verde.

Ponte Juscelino Kubitschek, também conhecida como "Ponte JK", foi inaugurada em dezembro de 2002.

Photos by Fernando de A. Mascaro

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