Final answer:
The capital of Brazil is Brasília, established in 1960 to aid in developing the country's interior and moving focus from the coastal cities like Rio de Janeiro, which was the capital prior to Brasília.
Step-by-step explanation:
The capital of Brazil is Brasília. Brasília was established in 1960 with the intent to promote the development of the interior of Brazil, a move from the coastal regions which traditionally held the country's political and economic focus. Prior to this, Rio de Janeiro had served as the capital since 1763. Brasília is located within the West Central region of Brazil, and it stands as a symbol of the country's progress and challenges, including rapid urban expansion and environmental considerations.
Since its construction, Brasília has grown substantially and encounters issues similar to those in other major Brazilian cities, such as Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. These include rapid urbanization, the growth of favelas, or slums, and a continued rural-to-urban migration as people seek economic opportunities. The plan for Brasília was to direct growth towards the vast, underdeveloped regions of the country's interior and to ease the congestion of the coastal cities by moving the political capital inland.