As tourists, it actually pays to do a little research about the city you are going to visit. So when going to the capital city of Brazil which is Brasilia, this information may help you.

Brasilia Facts

Aside from being a planned city, Brasilia is also a planned capital headed by the president, Juscelino Kubitschek who had the slogan, “fifty years of progress in five”. In some sense, the city is a memorial to Juscelino.

Brasilia was designed to have the shape of an airplane, sometimes viewed as a giant bird. It has different zones assigned for a particular function (i.e. banking, commerce, hospitals, and housing). On the central portion of the city is the Monumental Axis, referred to as Eixo Monumental, while on its end are government buildings. Residential zones are located on the “wings” of the airplane-shaped city; the commercial center lies in the intersection.

Addresses

Addresses in Brasilia, especially in the Monumental Axis, maybe a bit confusing to many tourists since most of these are presented in their acronyms. Divided into two sectors (north and south), it is good to note that acronyms ending in N refer to the northern side of the sector, while those ending in S are on the opposite side. Here are what some acronyms stand for:

•  SES/SEN – Setor de Embaixadas (Embassy sectors)
•  SQS/SQN –  Superquadras (Residential sectors)
•  CLS/CLN –   Comércio Local (Local commerce sectors)
•  SCS/SCN – Sector Commercial (Commercial sectors)
•  SHS/SHN –  Setor Hoteleiro (Hotel sectors)

Communication

Brasilia has an area code of 61, but if you are calling from abroad, you should add 55 along with the area code and the number you are calling. The numbers in the city used to be in 7 digits but have been up to one more digit by adding 3 prior to the number.

Climate and Weather

On average, the city’s temperature range from 17°C up to 28°C, on winter it can go as low as 1°C then as high as 34°C during September to October. The best time to visit Brasilia is from May to June when the trees are still green, but is no longer too hot. It is in this period that you can enjoy strolling around the city and make the most out of your stay.

Being on a place for the first time may be a mix of both excitement and worry, yet putting in mind the information above, you’ll have less to worry about and would have more to look forward to.