Clevelândia do Norte is a district of the

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 ...

ian city 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, c ...

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 ...

, by 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. ...

History

In 1922 an agricultural outpost called the Núcleo Colonial Cleveland was transformed into a political and criminal concentration camp during the presidency of

Arthur Bernardes Artur da Silva Bernardes (; 8 August 1875 – 23 March 1955) was a Brazilian politician who served as 12th president of Brazil during the First Brazilian Republic. Born in Viçosa, Minas Gerais, he was elected Governor of Minas Gerais in 1918. ...

(1922–1926). Many Brazilian anarchist militants were sentenced to hard labour here. Of the 946 prisoners interned at Clevelândia between 1924 and 1927, 491 died. Many of the survivors returned to

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...

and Rio de Janeiro permanently sickened with malaria. Since 1940, the 34th Infantry Battalion of Selva is stationed at Clevelândia do Norte.

Vila Brasil

The village of Vila Brasil is located in the district on the Oiapoque River opposite Camopi, French Guiana. The village is inside the Tumucumaque Mountains National Park. Vila Brasil was founded in the 1930s as a tiny hamlet around the post of the Indian Protection Service. In the 1980s, it developed into a commercial centre catering to the French town of Camopi, because of significantly lower prices. In 2002, the Tumucumaque Mountains National Park was created, and even though the area was supposed to be uninhabited, it was decided to allow the village. In 2019, the population was estimated at about 200 people.

Ilha Bela

Later, the village of Ilha Bela emerged next to Vila Brasil as a ''garimpeiros'' (illegal gold prospector) settlement. The population was estimated at almost 400 people in 2019. The village operates a safe haven for the gold prospectors who do their exploration in French Guiana. The French 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment has been stationed across the river to protect the border and prevent gold exploration. Ilha Bela was raided by the Brazilian police and army in May 2019, however everybody had left the village, and only supplies were confiscated.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clevelandia do Norte Populated places in Amapá Neighbourhoods in Brazil Military installations of Brazil Squatting in Brazil