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Since the second half of the 18th century, Brazil's governing authorities considered, with varying degrees of intensity, transferring the seat of government from Rio de Janeiro to some inland area, safe from naval attacks. The first Republican Constitution (1891) went as far as defining where the future Federal District would be - a rectangle within the State of Goiás, in the heart of the country. But it was not until 1956, after eight years of surveying, that the actual design and construction of the new Capital began under President Juscelino Kubitschek. The site chosen for Brasília is located in the Federal District of 2,245 sq.miles (5,814 sq.km) on a sparsely inhabited plateau carved out of the State of Goiás, 3,609 feet (1,100 meters) above sea level and 746 miles (1,200 km) from Rio de Janeiro. The competition for the urban master plan was won by Brazilian architect and urban planner, Lúcio Costa. The major government buildings were designed by the Brazilian architect, Oscar Niemeyer.
Landscape designer, Roberto Burle Marx, planned the layout and selection of plant varieties to add a vivid green backdrop to the otherwise dry, yellow landscape of the Savannah vegetation. On April 21, 1960, Brasília was officially inaugurated and started functioning as the new capital of Brazil.
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