Pedra Branca do Amapari () (''White Stone of Amaphary''), also known simply as Amapari, 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 midwest of the state of Amapá in

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 ...

. Its population is 17,067 and its area is . The municipality has a population density of 1.13/km2, and the population remains even divided between rural and village areas.

Geography

Pedra Branca do Amapari is bordered 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, ...

to the north, Serra do Navio to the east,

Porto Grande ''For São Vicente's main port, see Porto Grande, Cape Verde'' Porto Grande (Portuguese: ''Grand Harbor'', ) is a municipality located in the southeast of the state of Amapá in Brazil. Its population is 22,452 and its area is 4,425 km². ...

to the southeast,

Mazagão Mazagão ( pt, Município de Mazagão}, ) is a municipality located in the south of the state of Amapá in Brazil. Its population is 22,053 and its area is . Mazagão Velho located in the municipality of Mazagão is known for the Festival of S� ...

to the south, and

Laranjal do Jari Laranjal do Jari () (''Jari Orangery'') is a municipality located in the west of the state of Amapá in Brazil. It is the only municipality in the west boundaries of Amapá, except for a small part of Vitória do Jari. Its population is 51,362 an ...

to the west. The town is rich in rivers and streams (igarapé). The Amapari River and its tributaries, the Mururé, Tucumpi and Cupixi, all cross through the municipality. The Amapari River feeds in to the Araguari River in the southwest of the town. The municipality contains 12% of the

Rio Iratapuru Sustainable Development Reserve The Rio Iratapuru Sustainable Development Reserve ( pt, Reserva de Desenvolvimento Sustentável do Rio Iratapuru) is a sustainable development reserve in the state of Amapá, Brazil. It contains a well-preserved area of terra firme forest with ric ...

, created in 1997. It contains 6.39% 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.

History

The municipality of Amapari was originally explored by members of the

Saramaka The Saramaka, Saamaka or Saramacca are one of six Maroon peoples (formerly called "Bush Negroes") in the Republic of Suriname and one of the Maroon peoples in French Guiana. In 2007, the Saramaka won a ruling by the Inter-American Court for ...

, a Maroon group from Suriname, who searched for gold in the area. Manganese ore was discovered in the region in 1953. Travel to Pedra Branca do Amapari was possible only by airplane, and pilots used a huge white rock (''pedra branca'') in the Amapari River as a reference point. Thereafter the town was known as Pedra Branca do Amapari. The town can nowadays be accessed via the

BR-210 BR-210 is a federal highway of Brazil. The 411.7 kilometre road, popularly known as ' ("north perimeter"), is primarily located in the Northern Brazilian state of Roraima, with other segments in Amazonas, Pará, and Amapá. The planning of the ...

highway.

Economy

Amapari supports the small-scale production of

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...

, corn, beans, and

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively cultivated ...

for the domestic market.

Cupuaçu ''Theobroma grandiflorum'', commonly known as cupuaçu, also spelled cupuassu, cupuazú, cupu assu, or copoazu, is a tropical rainforest tree related to cacao. Native and common throughout the Amazon basin, it is naturally cultivated in the jung ...

pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centuri ...

orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

s, bananas, and

melon A melon is any of various plants of the family Cucurbitaceae with sweet, edible, and fleshy fruit. The word "melon" can refer to either the plant or specifically to the fruit. Botanically, a melon is a kind of berry, specifically a " pepo". Th ...

s are grown for local consumption. Per capital income in Amapari is R$ 24,782 (US$9629), as compared to the Brazilian national average of R$20,988 (US$12,536).

Gold mining Gold mining is the extraction of gold resources by mining. Historically, mining gold from alluvial deposits used manual separation processes, such as gold panning. However, with the expansion of gold mining to ores that are not on the surface, ...

has become a major part of the economy, and resulted in a steep population growth. The biggest concession is the Tucano mine which is operated by Great Panther Mining.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pedra Branca Do Amapari Municipalities in Amapá Populated places in Amapá