Laranjal do Jari () (''Jari Orangery'') is a municipality located in the west of the state of

Amapá Amapá () is one of the 26 states of Brazil. It is in the northern region of Brazil. It is the second least populous state and the eighteenth largest by area. Located in the far northern part of the country, Amapá is bordered clockwise by Fr ...

in Brazil. It is the only municipality in the west boundaries of Amapá, except for a small part of

Vitória do Jari Vitória do Jari (), (''Jari's Victory'') is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality located in the southernmost tip of the state of Amapá in Brazil. Its population is 16,254 and its area is . Vitória do Jari has a population density of 5.9 inh ...

. Its population is 51,362 and its area is 30,783 km², which makes it the largest municipality of Amapá.

History

The land was originally inhabited by Amerindians. Later businessmen set up rubber plantations. The largest plantation was owned by who owned of land which made him the biggest landowner at the time. In 1948, his tenants revolted and he was forced to sell the land to Portuguese businessmen who sold it to

Daniel K. Ludwig Daniel Keith Ludwig (June 24, 1897 – August 27, 1992) was an American shipping businessman, who was also involved in many other industries. He pioneered the construction of super tankers in Japan, founded Exportadora de Sal, SA in Mexico and de ...

, an American billionaire, in 1964. Flood Laranjal do Jari Amapá Brazil 1

In 1967, Ludwig conceived the Jari project. He wanted to replace the

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

with '' Gmelina arborea'' for the pulp industry. A planned city called

Monte Dourado Monte Dourado is a town and district in the Brazilian municipality of Almeirim, in the state of Pará. Monte Dourando is a planned town established in 1967 to house the workers for the Jari project. The city is located on the Jari River. History ...

was built in Almeirim, however it was unable to provide housing for all the workers, and a shanty town called Beiradão emerged on the other side of the

Jari River The Jari River, or Jary River ( pt, Rio Jari), is a northern tributary of the Amazon River on the border between the states of Pará and Amapá in northeastern Brazil. It is in the most downstream regions of the Amazon Basin and borders the Guian ...

. The project turned into a major money losing failure, and in 1982, he sold the land. In 1987, the land became an independent municipality, and Beiradão was renamed Laranjal do Jari. The city is still mainly a river slum, and suffers from fires, floods, and open sewage.

Transport

Laranjal do Jari is connected to the BR-156 and BR-210 highways. The city of Monte Dourado can be reached by ferry.

Nature

The municipality contains 39% of the Rio Cajari Extractive Reserve, created in 1990. It also contains 69% of the Rio Iratapuru Sustainable Development Reserve, created in 1997. A part of the Tumucumaque Mountains National Park is located within the municipality.

Indigenous peoples

The Wayampi Indigenous Territory is located in the municipality and is home to the Wayampi and Aparai people. The area inside Laranjal do Jari measures . A group of Wayampi have settled along the Amapari and Anakui Rivers, however information about the group is very limited.

Villages

* São Francisco do Iratapuru

References

External links

Official website
(in Portuguese) * {{Municipalities of Amapá Municipalities in Amapá Populated places in Amapá Populated places established in 1987 1987 establishments in Brazil