The Federal District was first divided into administrative regions by a 1964 federal law. Prior to this, the regions were not officially defined, but the seven oldest
seats of government (
Gama,
Taguatinga,
Brazlândia,
Sobradinho,
Planaltina,
Paranoá, and
Núcleo Bandeirante) already existed and were often called
satellite cities () to the capital
Brasília, located in the Brasília administrative region. The 1988
Constitution of Brazil divides the country into
federated states and these into
municipalities with a degree of autonomy, headed by an elected
mayor, but explicitly forbids the
Federal District to divide into municipalities. It is instead divided into administrative regions headed by a regional administrator who is appointed by the
Governor of the Federal District , as opposed to the elected
mayors of
municipalities. Regional administrations are tasked with representing the
government of the Federal District and coordinating local public services, and carry out most tasks reserved for municipalities, except for matters exclusive to states, which are handled by the governor themself. ==List of administrative regions==