Nicknames for Brasilia include “Fantasy Island” reflecting the disparity between the capital and surrounding poor regions, “BSB”and “Capital Federal”. Among Latin American cities, Brasilia finishes first for the highest per-capita Gross Domestic Product.
Research website numbeo ranks Brasilia in the top 26% compared to the 250 cities evaluated on its overall quality of life index at June 2020. Brasilia scores relatively well on index factors such as climate (top 4%), cost of living (bottom 16%), pollution (lowest 22%) and traffic commute time (fastest 26%). However, Brasilia badly lags other cities for health care (worst 4%) and safety (bottom 17%).
Brasilia was recognized by the Guinness World Records as the site for the largest fruit display ever assembled. On July 28, 2016, Brazil’s department of agriculture and fisheries constructed a fruit displaying 19 different fruits and weighing 41,460 pounds (18,806 kilograms).
From an international trade perspective, Brazil shipped US$224 billion worth of goods around the globe in 2019. Its most valuable exports are soya beans (11.7% of Brazil’s global total), crude oil (10.7%), iron ores and concentrates (9.9%), corn (3.3%), chemical woodpulp (3.2%), chicken (2.9%), oil cake and other solid residues (2.6%), refined petroleum oils (2.6%), frozen beef (2.5%), sugar (2.3%), coffee (2%), cars (1.7%), and gold (1.6%) according to the International Trade Centre.
Capital Facts for Brasilia, Brazil: Quick Reference
Geography
Capital landmarks: Catedral Metropolitana, Santuário Dom Bosco, JK Bridge and Itamaraty Palace
Famous People
Below, you will find 10 of the most famous people born in Brasilia, Brazil.
- Digão, footballer/soccer player (born Oct. 14, 1985)
- Antônio Silva, mixed martial artist (born Sep. 14, 1979)
- Kaka, professional soccer player (born Apr. 22, 1982)
- Syang, musician, model and writer (born Nov. 7, 1968)
- Kátya Chamma, singer-songwriter & poet (born Aug. 19, 1961)
- Eryk Rocha, film director (born Jan. 19, 1978)
- Leandra, footballer/soccer player (born May 12, 1993)
- Daniel Matsunaga, model, actor, athlete & host (born Nov. 28, 1988)
- Juliana de Aquino, singer & actress (born Aug. 5, 1980)
- Karoline Amaral, model (born Dec. 30, 1984)
Note: Data for our Famous People tab was sourced from Google searches of published Wikipedia articles specific to each person’s name.
Population
Demonym for a Brasilia resident: Brasiliense
Population: 4,645,843 (Brasilia) at July 24, 2020
Density: 2,074 people per square mile (801 per square kilometer)
Population: 212,661,570 (Brazil) at July 24, 2020
Density: 66 people per square mile (25 per square kilometer)
Median age for all Brazil: 33.5 years old
Financial
GDP: US$3.456 trillion for 2019 (Brazil)
GDP per person: $16,462
Note: The above country-level GDP metrics are on a Purchasing Power Parity basis and are in U.S. dollars. Credible city GDP statistics for Brasilia were unavailable.
Official currency used in Brasilia: Brazilian real
Research
Research Sources:
Brookings Institution, Global Metro Monitor Report (includes GDP data).
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, Field Listing: Major Urban Areas.
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, South America: Brazil.
CityMetric, Where are largest cities in the world? 2015 edition.
Demographia, World Urban Area, 12th Annual Edition.
Guinness World Records, Largest fruit display.
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Databases.
International Trade Centre, Trade Map.
Numbeo, Quality of Life Index by City.
Official Government Website, Brasilia Government (population).
Wikimedia Commons, City Flags.
Note: Some city flags were unavailable. If so, attribution belongs to Wikimedia Commons for pertinent country flags.
Wikipedia, Brazil.
Wikipedia, Brasilia.
Wikipedia, Federal District (Brazil).
Wikipedia, Capital Districts and Territories.
WorldOMeter, Brazil Population.
Brazil won its freedom from Portugal on September 7, 1822. Consequently, Brazilians celebrate Independence Day each September 7.
Brasilia is commonly used as a synonym for the Federal District (Brazil)–a vast union of 26 Brazilian states in addition to one district where the capital is located. Federal District (Brazil) extends over 2,240 square miles (5,802 square kilometers) and was home to about 4.6 million residents at July 2020.
Brazil is the world’s fifth-largest nation in terms of land mass behind only Russia, Canada, United States and China. Brazil’s land area covers 3,227,095 square miles (8,358,140 square kilometers). The national population count was 212.7 million inhabitants as of July 24, 2020.
Population density is more concentrated within Brasilia’s extensive Federal District (Brazil), averaging 2,074 people per square mile (801 per square kilometer).
Zooming out to Brazil’s overall land boundaries, population density dilutes to an average 66 inhabitants per square mile (25 per square kilometer).
