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Aerial view of central axis in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil.

and experts consider it an outstanding example of modern-urban planning and design. The city was conceived by Lucio Costa, an urban planner, and architect Oscar Niemeyer, in 1956. The two men wanted Brasilia to have a symmetrical design. A GIANT OF MODERN ARCHITECTURE As aModernist, Oscar Niemeyer broke rankswith themore established classical architects of his day, employing clean, simple lines in his buildings and designing futuristic looking structures, including a flying-saucer shaped museum in Rio. In 1943, Niemeyer’s work was introduced to the world in a special exhibition on architecture in Brazil at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. People were so taken with his designs that in 1947 he was asked to collaborate with several others in designing the United Nations complex.

From the air, the city looks like the out- stretched wings of a bird. That’s because the city is centered on what is known as the Monumental Axis, which links the government and adminis- trative buildings. The most amazing buildings in The original city plan for Brasilia designed by Oscar Niemeyer, showing its likeness to the wings of a bird.

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MAJOR NATIONS IN A GLOBAL WORLD: BRAZIL