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Brazilian Congress being washed by rain

Photo credit: Eurico Zimbres

Since the 1960s, the National Congress of Brazil has had its seat in Brasilia. As with most of the official buildings in the city, it was designed by Oscar Niemeyer following the style of Brazilian modern architecture. The hemisphere to the left is the seat of the Senate, and the hemisphere to the right is the seat of the Chamber of the Deputies. Between them there are two towers of offices. The Congress also occupies other surrounding buildings, some of them interconnected by a tunnel.

The building is located in the middle of the Monumental axis, the city main street. In front of it there's a large lawn, where demonstrations take place. At the back of it, there are the Praça dos Três Poderes, where the Palácio do Planalto and the Palace of Justice lie.