Americas · capital city

What Is the Capital of Brazil?

Q: Is Brasília the largest city in Brazil?

No. The largest urban area is São Paulo (22.6 million), while Brasília has about 4.9 million.

Q: What time zone is Brasília in?

Brasília is on UTC-3 — UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time). There is no daylight saving time.

Q: Which capital is closest to Brasília?

Among the capitals of neighbouring countries, Asunción (Paraguay) is the closest, 1,463 km away in a straight line.

Brasília

The capital of Brazil is Brasília. About 4.9 million people live in the Brasília urban area — 2.3% of the country's population.

4.9 million

Urban area population

UTC-3

Time zone

15.78°S

Latitude · 47.92°W

Largest city: São Paulo

Brasília at a glance

Name origin

The name is the Latinized form of the country name, bestowed on the new capital of Brazil in 1960; previous Brazilian capitals were Salvador (1549-1763) and Rio de Janeiro (1763 to 1960).

Time zone

UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time). No daylight saving time.

Coordinates

15 47 S, 47 55 W · IANA time zone America/Sao_Paulo

Location of Brazil

Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean

Largest cities in Brazil

São Paulo

22.6 million

Rio de Janeiro

13.7 million

Belo Horizonte

6.2 million

Brasília Capital

4.9 million

Recife

4.3 million

Porto Alegre

4.2 million

Urban-area population · CIA World Factbook (public domain)

Capitals of neighbouring countries

Capitals closest to Brasília

Straight-line distance between capitals.

Frequently asked questions about Brasília

What is the capital of Brazil?

The capital of Brazil is Brasília. About 4.9 million people live in the Brasília urban area — 2.3% of the country's population.

Is Brasília the largest city in Brazil?

No. The largest urban area is São Paulo (22.6 million), while Brasília has about 4.9 million.

What time zone is Brasília in?

Brasília is on UTC-3 — UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time). There is no daylight saving time.

Where does the name Brasília come from?

The name is the Latinized form of the country name, bestowed on the new capital of Brazil in 1960; previous Brazilian capitals were Salvador (1549-1763) and Rio de Janeiro (1763 to 1960).

Which capital is closest to Brasília?

Among the capitals of neighbouring countries, Asunción (Paraguay) is the closest, 1,463 km away in a straight line.

Data: CIA World Factbook (public domain); population: World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0).

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