It is the third (after Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro) most populous city in the country. Brasilia became the capital on April 21, 1960. The city is built on a plan referring to a flying condor or airplane.
Brasilia's architecture, characterized by futuristic buildings made of steel, glass, marble, and concrete, is considered an example of a masterpiece of 20th-century modernism and has been included in UNESCO's International Cultural Heritage List.
