Calçoene () is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

located in the east 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 ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. It is located on the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

in the

Amazon jungle The Amazon rainforest, Amazon jungle or ; es, Selva amazónica, , or usually ; french: Forêt amazonienne; nl, Amazoneregenwoud. In English, the names are sometimes capitalized further, as Amazon Rainforest, Amazon Forest, or Amazon Jungle. ...

basin near

French Guiana French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic ...

. Calçoene covers and has a population is 11,306. The name Calçoene is a corruption of "Calço N" (North Wedge, one of four mining zones defined by the Brazilian Government at the beginning of the 20th century). The city has the highest rainfall of any in Brazil, with an annual average of . Calçoene is noted for its ancient megalithic observatory, often referred to as the "Amazon Stonehenge".

History

The borders between French Guiana and Brazil were not clear, and in the 19th century, it was decided that the area between the

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...

and the

Oyapock River The Oyapock or Oiapoque (; ; ) is a long river in South America that forms most of the border between the France, French Overseas departments of France, overseas department of French Guiana and the Brazilian States of Brazil, state of Amapá. ...

was a neutral territory. Paul Quartier had a meeting with the village chiefs of Cunani and Carsewenne (nowadays: Calçoene) in 1885. In 1886, the Republic of Independent Guiana was founded by a group of French adventurers and two village chiefs with Cunani as the capital. The unrecognised republic lasted until 1891. In 1900, the territory was awarded to Brazil. Calçoene became a municipality in 1956.

Geography

Calçoene is bordered on the north and east by the

, to the south by the municipalities of

and

Pracuúba Pracuúba () is a municipality located in the mideast of the state of Amapá in Brazil. It became an independent municipality in 1992. The town can be accessed from the BR-156 highway. Location The population of Pracuúba is 5,246 and its area is ...

, and to the west by the municipalities of

Oiapoque Oiapoque () is a municipality in the north of the state of Amapá, Brazil. Its population is 27,906 and its area is . Oiapoque is also a major river in the same state, forming the international border with French Guiana. The Oyapock River Bridge, ...

and Serra do Navio. Calçoene is from the state capital of

Macapá Macapá () is a city in Brazil with a population of 512,902 (2020 estimation). It is the capital of Amapá state in the country's North Region. It is located on the northern channel of the Amazon River near its mouth on the Atlantic Ocean. The c ...

. The municipality contains 23.23% of the

Amapá State Forest The Amapá State Forest ( pt, Floresta Estadual do Amapá) is a state forest in the state of Amapá, Brazil. Location The Amapá State Forest is divided between the municipalities of Tartarugalzinho (7.64%), Pracuúba (4.52%), Porto Grande (7.7 ...

, a sustainable use conservation unit established in 2006.

Tourism

One of the most popular tourist attraction is the Goiabal beach on the

, which is located 14 kilometers from the town of Calçoene. The beach is 4 kilometres long and the water is dark due to the influence of the Amazon.

Calçoene megalithic observatory

In May 2006, archeologists announced they had found a pre-colonial

astronomical observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysical, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. His ...

, possibly 500 to 2,000 years old, near Calçoene. The age is based on pottery sherds on site that have been dated to 2,000 years old. The site is on a hill and has 127 large stones blocks of granite, each high, and dug firmly into the ground. Archaeologist Mariana Petry Cabral of the Amapa Institute of Scientific and Technological Research (IEPA) said that the observatory has been designed to align with the winter

solstice A solstice is an event that occurs when the Sun appears to reach its most northerly or southerly excursion relative to the celestial equator on the celestial sphere. Two solstices occur annually, around June 21 and December 21. In many countr ...

. Other agricultural societies also developed sophisticated ways to track important times in the solar calendar. At one time, researchers did not think any cultures in the Amazon Basin had developed such complexity as to build such a site. This has altered their thinking.

Subdivisions

The municipality of Calçoene contains three districts: * Calçoene (town) * Cunani *

Lourenço Lourenço is a town and district in the Brazilian municipality of Calçoene, in the interior of the state of Amapá. The main economic activities of the town is gold mining. It is one of the oldest mines in Brazil. History Gold mining in Louren ...

References

External links

Official website
(in Portuguese)
'Amazon Stonehenge'
- Yahoo story
Photos

"Calcoene, the Brazilian Stonehenge"
Archaeoastronomy, 14 May 2006 {{DEFAULTSORT:Calcoene Populated places in Amapá Municipalities in Amapá