圣玛丽亚 城镇

Gama (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈɡɐ.ma]) is an administrative region in the Federal District in Brazil. It is bordered by Recanto das Emas to the north, Riacho Fundo II and Park Way to the northeast, and Santa Maria to the east.

History

Founding

In late 1746, Bandeirante Antônio Bueno de Avezedo left Paracatu, Minas Gerais, leading a group of friends and numerous slaves. The group traveled northwestward, reaching the banks of a river that Bueno named São Bartolomeu, in honor of the saint of the day. Three months later, he continued west and reached the banks of the Vermelho River. There he built farms and some ranches. In December of that year, Bueno continued westward, settling in the place he named Santa Luzia. Santa Luzia village eventually grew into today's Luziânia, Goiás and was officially renamed such in 1943.

The settlement's founding was linked to gold mining. Mining was so intense that the newly founded settlement soon had a population of 10,000, including slaves. The first Mass in Santa Luzia was officiated by Father da Gama Mendonça on March 25, 1747, with over 6,000 people in attendance. Due to the settlement's rapid growth, it was designated a Judiciary in 1749 and became a collective parish by decree in 1756. Two years later, in 1758, Santa Luzia was elevated to an Ecclesiastical District, with Father Domingos Ramos appointed as its Vicar.

That same year, in April 1758, a major engineering project began to better exploit the "Cruzeiro" mines.

Geography

The Administrative Region of Gama is bounded to the south by the parallel 16°03′ S, where it borders the municipalities of Santo Antônio do Descoberto and Luziânia in the state of Goiás. Its western boundary is formed by the Descoberto River, while to the east it borders the Administrative Region of Santa Maria. To the north, it adjoins the regions of Recanto das Emas, Riacho Fundo, and Núcleo Bandeirante.

The terrain of the region is predominantly gently flat to gently undulating, with a notable feature being the Vale do Tamanduá. Altitudes in the region are distributed as follows: flat surfaces above 1,200 m, with a maximum elevation of approximately 1,271 m, predominantly covered by cerrado and cerradão; surfaces between 1,000 m and 1,200 m, with vegetation including sparse cerrado (cerrado ralo), cerrado, cerradão, and patches of gallery forest (mata ciliar); and surfaces below 1,000 m down to 900 m, covered by sparse cerrado, semi-deciduous forest (mata subcaducifólia), and some gallery forest. The soils in Gama are generally acidic and of low fertility, consisting mainly of cambic, latosolic, and textural B horizon types, with smaller areas of hydromorphic soils and alluvial soils found in low-lying areas along streams and creeks.

Urban Sectors

The administrative region of Gama was designed with a central plan, originally conceived with five distinct sectors, each serving a specific function. Over time, the city's growth has led to a more complex structure, now officially comprising nine sectors.

The West Sector contains a mix of residential and commercial areas, consistent with its initial urban plan.

The East Sector is characterized by a blend of commercial, industrial, and residential areas, reflecting its original role as a hub for both industry and housing.

The North and South sectors were established as the city's more affluent areas with larger residential lots. Specifically, the South Sector is officially designated as the "Gama Mansions Sector" and is primarily a residential area with larger plots.

The Central Sector serves as the commercial heart of the city, known for its high pedestrian traffic and concentration of various businesses.

While initially considered part of the East Sector, the Industrial Sector has become a distinct area due to its significant development of civil construction, industries, factories, and workshops.

The current official administrative division of Gama includes the following nine sectors: Leste, Central, Industrial, Norte, Oeste, Sul, Ponte Alta Sul, and Ponte Alta Norte.

Economy

Based on data from the 2018 Household Sample Survey (PDAD), conducted by the Federal District Planning Company (Codeplan), 58.7% of the population (64,833 people) aged 14 or older was economically active. Among this group, 68.6% of respondents reported working in the Services sector, 25% in Commerce, and 5.1% in Industry. Nearly half of the working population (about 43.2%) is employed within the administrative region of Gama itself. According to a 2021 Codeplan study, the majority of the population is classified as lower-middle class.

Beyond public service, established commerce is the main economic driver, with over 6,500 businesses. Business owners estimate that around 600,000 people from neighboring cities in Goiás (Novo Gama, Valparaíso, Cidade Ocidental, Luziânia, and Santo Antônio do Descoberto) visit Gama daily, transforming it into a key economic and geographic hub for the region. The city also has universities, banks, industries, a shopping mall (Gama Shopping Center), and national chains of gyms, pharmacies, and supermarkets.

The Industrial Sector of Gama has been transformed into a mixed-use area, allowing for the incorporation of commercial and residential developments.

Education

Both primary and secondary education are offered through the federal public system and by private institutions in the administrative region of Gama. For higher education, the area features numerous private institutions, including Faculdade Apogeu, Centro Universitário do Planalto Central Apparecido dos Santos (Uniceplac), UNIP, Faculdade Mauá, UniBrasília, IESB, Universidade Norte do Paraná, and the Catholic University of Brasília (UCB).

Additionally, several universities focused on distance learning, such as Cruzeiro do Sul and UniCesumar, maintain local support centers in the region. On the public side, the University of Brasília (UnB) operates the Faculty of Gama (FGA). The FGA campus specializes in engineering, offering undergraduate degrees in Aerospace, Automotive, Electronics, Energy, and Software Engineering. Together with the Gama campus of the Federal Institute of Brasília (IFB), it forms an educational corridor along the DF-480 highway.

Demographics

According to the 2021 District Household Sample Survey (PDAD), conducted by the Companhia de Planejamento do Distrito Federal (CODEPLAN), the estimated urban population of the Gama Administrative Region (RA) was 137,331 people.

Politics and Administration

The Regional Administration of Gama is a direct administration body of the Federal District Government, subordinate to the Secretariat of Government (SEGOV), in coordination with the Executive Secretariat of Cities (formerly linked to the former Secretariat of State for Cities, as per Decree No. 37,625/2016).

Its competencies include representing the Federal District Government in the region, supervising, inspecting, and executing public programs, projects, and actions of public interest within its jurisdiction, in addition to coordinating essential public services.

Urban maintenance services, such as pothole patching, tree pruning, and the collection of trash and debris, can be requested directly through the Regional Administration of Gama's Ombudsman (Ouvidoria). In addition to service requests, citizens can also register compliments, suggestions, complaints, requests for information, and reports of irregularities.

Sports

Football has been a significant source of national recognition for Gama, supplementing its economic importance. In the late 1990s, Sociedade Esportiva do Gama gained prominence among the country's major teams by winning several competitions and defeating top clubs from the Rio-São Paulo axis, culminating in the 1998 Campeonato Brasileiro Série B title. The club's continued regional dominance was cemented when Gama won the 2025 Campeonato Brasiliense, securing their 14th state championship and qualification for national competitions in the following season.

The Walmir Campelo Bezerra Stadium, commonly known as Bezerrão, is located in the central sector of the city. It serves as the home field for Sociedade Esportiva do Gama, which has the largest fanbase among teams in the Federal District. The stadium was remodeled in 2008 as a multi-purpose arena with installations designed to host large events and shows.

The stadium has hosted high-profile international matches, including a 2008 friendly game between the Brazilian and Portuguese national football teams. Furthermore, the stadium was one of the host venues for the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup, where it held both the opening match and the final of the competition.

Notable people

Kaká, footballer

Igor Thiago, footballer

Sport

Gama is home to the Bezerrão stadium, and the local professional association football team is SE Gama.