Federal District
With the urban design of Lúcio Costa and the architecture of Oscar Niemeyer, Brasília is the headquarters of the Executive, Legislative and Judiciary powers of Brazil. Inaugurated in 1960, the city is the only one recognised by UNESCO as a Cultural Heritage of Humanity in the modern era. Its pilot plan, in the shape of an airplane, reflects the mixture of cultures, flavours and accents that mark the Brazilian capital.
Located in the Planalto Central of Goiás state, Brasília is the capital and the only city in the Federal District – an autonomous territory, subdivided into administrative regions which are also known as satellite cities (cidades-satélite). The seasons are distinct with low air humidity during winter. Its population of approximately 2.5 million is largely from other regions of the country.
The federal capital hosted the 2011 and 2012 International Volleyball Cup, while in 2010, it hosted a phase of the World Beach Volleyball Tour – an event that elected the Brasília state born Harley twice as the most valuable player. Other athletes born in Brasília include wing-spiker Paula Pequeno, opposite hitter Tandara and setter Fabiola, of the Women's Brazilian National Volleyball Team, and the Paralympic athlete Shirlene Coelho, who won the silver medal in the Javelin event of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.
