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Macapá () is a city 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 ...
with a population of 512,902 (2020 estimation). It is the capital 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 ...
state in the country's North Region. It is located on the northern channel of the
Amazon River The Amazon River (, ; es, Río Amazonas, pt, Rio Amazonas) in South America is the largest river by discharge volume of water in the world, and the disputed longest river system in the world in comparison to the Nile. The headwaters of t ...
near its mouth on the Atlantic Ocean. The city is on a small plateau on the Amazon in the southeast of the state of Amapá. The only access by road from outside the province is from the overseas French
department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
of
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 ...
, although there are regular ferries to Belem,
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 ...
. Macapá is linked by road with some other cities in Amapá. The
equator The equator is a circle of latitude, about in circumference, that divides Earth into the Northern and Southern hemispheres. It is an imaginary line located at 0 degrees latitude, halfway between the North and South poles. The term can als ...
runs through the middle of the city, leading residents to refer to Macapá as "''The capital of the middle of the world.''" It covers and is located northwest of the large inland island of
Marajó Marajó () is a large coastal island in the state of Pará, Brazil. It is the main and largest of the islands in the Marajó Archipelago. Marajó Island is separated from the mainland by Marajó Bay, Pará River, smaller rivers (especially ...
and south of the border with
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 ...
.


History

Macapá is a corruption of the
Tupi Tupi may refer to: * Tupi people of Brazil * Tupi or Tupian languages, spoken in South America ** Tupi language, an extinct Tupian language spoken by the Tupi people * Tupi oil field off the coast of Brazil * Tupi Paulista, a Brazilian municipalit ...
word ''macapaba'', or "''place of many
bacaba ''Oenocarpus bacaba'' is an economically important monoecious fruiting palm native to South America and the Amazon Rainforest, which has edible fruits. This plant is cited in Flora Brasiliensis by Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius. It can reach ...
s''", the fruit of the local palm tree. The Spaniard
Francisco de Orellana Francisco de Orellana Bejarano Pizarro y Torres de Altamirano (; 1511 – November 1546) was a Spanish explorer and conquistador. In one of the most improbably successful voyages in known history, Orellana managed to sail the length of the Amaz ...
claimed the region in 1544 and called it ''Nueva Andalucía'' (New
Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a ...
). The modern town began as the base of a Portuguese military detachment, stationed there in 1738. On February 4, 1758, Sebastião Veiga Cabral, the illegitimate child of the military governor of Trás-os-Montes, Sebastião Veiga Cabral, founded the town of São José de Macapá, under the authority of the governor of
Pará Pará is a Federative units of Brazil, state of Brazil, located in northern Brazil and traversed by the lower Amazon River. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins (state), Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas (Brazilian state) ...
, Francisco Xavier de Mendonça Furtado. The fortress of São José de Macapá was first laid out in 1764, but took 18 years to complete, due to illness among the Indian workers, and numerous escapes made by black slaves. Macapá experienced an intense hurricane in the Summer of 1811 causing extensive damage to the fortifications there but leaving much of the city intact. Around 1834 Macapá a strange, month-long storm caused flooding upwards of six inches a day for the region. Macapá was elevated to city status in 1854. Macapá gained international notoriety in December 2001 when international yachtsman Peter Blake, from New Zealand, was murdered while anchored on his explorer yacht ''Seamaster'' in Macapá port. According to ''
Business Insider ''Insider'', previously named ''Business Insider'' (''BI''), is an American financial and business news website founded in 2007. Since 2015, a majority stake in ''Business Insider''s parent company Insider Inc. has been owned by the German publ ...
'', Macapá is the 45th most violent city in the world, with 32.06 homicides per 100,000 people.


Demography

Macapá has a population of 499,163 in its
metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually com ...
, the 3rd largest in the North Region. The city alone accounts for sixty percent of the population of state of Amapá and 3.50% of the population of the entire northern region of Brazil. According to the 2010 census, the city has a population of 397,913, of which 97.92% live in urban areas and 2.08% live in rural districts. With an area of , the population density of Macapá is approximately 60.62 inhabitants per km2.


Transportation

Macapá has a few roads to other cities in Brazil but is mainly connected to the rest of the country by air and sea. Macapá is located from
Belém Belém (; Portuguese for Bethlehem; initially called Nossa Senhora de Belém do Grão-Pará, in English Our Lady of Bethlehem of Great Pará) often called Belém of Pará, is a Brazilian city, capital and largest city of the state of Pará in t ...
, but the cities are separated by the large inland island of
Marajó Marajó () is a large coastal island in the state of Pará, Brazil. It is the main and largest of the islands in the Marajó Archipelago. Marajó Island is separated from the mainland by Marajó Bay, Pará River, smaller rivers (especially ...
and have no direct highway connections; the city is accessible only by boat or airplane. Macapá is connected to
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 ...
by the Brazilian federal highway
BR-156 BR-156 is a federal highway of Brazil. The road consists of 552 km between Oiapoque and Macapá, and 271 km between Macapá and Laranjal do Jari (except via Santana city), totalling 823 km of road through forest and savannah. Only the road betwe ...
, which runs north of the city through the Amazonian jungle. The city is connected with the rest of the North Region via the following highways: the AP-010, linking Macapá to
Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer Boats * Santana 20, an American sailboat design by W. D. Sch ...
to the southwest; the AP-030, linking to the city of
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 ...
; the BR-156, linking the south of Amapá 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 northern town 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, ...
. The Oyapoque River Bridge has been open to traffic since March 20, 2017, linking Brazil and French Guiana by road for the first time.


Airport

Macapá International Airport (officially: ''Aeroporto Internacional de Macapá – Alberto Alcolumbre'') is located from the city center and serves as a vital link between Macapá and other cities in Brazil. Commercial flights connect Macapá to
Belém Belém (; Portuguese for Bethlehem; initially called Nossa Senhora de Belém do Grão-Pará, in English Our Lady of Bethlehem of Great Pará) often called Belém of Pará, is a Brazilian city, capital and largest city of the state of Pará in t ...
,
Brasília Brasília (; ) is the federal capital of Brazil and seat of government of the Federal District. The city is located at the top of the Brazilian highlands in the country's Central-West region. It was founded by President Juscelino Kubitsche ...
,
Fortaleza Fortaleza (, locally , Portuguese for ''Fortress'') is the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeastern Brazil. It belongs to the Metropolitan mesoregion of Fortaleza and microregion of Fortaleza. It is Brazil's 5th largest city and the t ...
,
Recife Airport That it may shine on all (Matthew 5:15) , image_map = Brazil Pernambuco Recife location map.svg , mapsize = 250px , map_caption = Location in the state of Pernambuco , pushpin_map = Brazil#South Am ...
, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, and
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 ...
. The airport traces its history to a small air base built by the United States during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
to secure strategic bases in the South Atlantic region.


Economy

Macapá is an economic center of northern Brazil and serves as a commercial hub of the state of Amapá. Gold, iron, lumber, manganese, oil, timber, and tin ore from the interior of the state pass through Amapá on to Port of Santana in the neighboring municipality of
Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer Boats * Santana 20, an American sailboat design by W. D. Sch ...
. It is the fifth wealthiest city in northern Brazil, with a GDP of R$2,826,458,000 (2005). The city has a notably high rate of economic growth and a per capita income of R$7,950 (2005).


Education

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...
is the official national language, and thus the primary language taught in schools. However, English and French are part of the official high school curriculum due to Macapá's proximity to
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 ...
and
Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...
.


Educational institutions

* Universidade Federal do Amapá (UNIFAP) * Universidade Estadual do Amapá (UEAP) * Instituto Federal do Amapá (IFAP) * Faculdade de Macapá (Fama) * Faculdade de Tecnologia do Amapá (META) * Instituto Macapaense do Melhor Ensino Superior (IMMES) * Faculdade Seama


Landmarks


Fortress of St. Joseph

The fortress of St. Joseph is a Vauban-style
star fort A bastion fort or ''trace italienne'' (a phrase derived from non-standard French, literally meaning ''Italian outline'') is a fortification in a style that evolved during the early modern period of gunpowder when the cannon came to domin ...
built between 1764 and 1782 to replace two previous fortifications located in the city. It was built to safeguard the northern extremity of Brazil and to control the estuary of the Amazon. It is one of the main sights of the city of Macapa.


Marco Zero monument

The was built to mark the position of the
equator The equator is a circle of latitude, about in circumference, that divides Earth into the Northern and Southern hemispheres. It is an imaginary line located at 0 degrees latitude, halfway between the North and South poles. The term can als ...
in the city and to show the passage of the sun. At the spring and the autumn
equinox A solar equinox is a moment in time when the Sun crosses the Earth's equator, which is to say, appears directly above the equator, rather than north or south of the equator. On the day of the equinox, the Sun appears to rise "due east" and se ...
the sun rises and sets on the line of the equator and shines on the monument along the Avenue Equatorial, which runs for a mile due east of it.


Milton Corrêa stadium

The '' Estádio Milton Corrêa'', usually known as the ''Zerão'' ("Big Zero", from its position on the equator), is a
multi-purpose stadium A multi-purpose stadium is a type of stadium designed to be easily used by multiple types of events. While any stadium could potentially host more than one type of sport or event, this concept usually refers to a specific design philosophy tha ...
located in central Macapá on the R. Ilvaldo Alves Veras east of the university (UNIFAP). The stadium has a maximum capacity of 10,000 people and was built in 1990. It is used mostly for
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
matches and hosts the home matches of several local teams.


Geography

The municipality contains the
Parazinho Biological Reserve The Parazinho Biological Reserve ( pt, Reserva Biológica do Parazinho ) is a biological reserve in the state of Amapá, Brazil. It protects an island at the mouth of the Amazon River. Location The Parazinho Biological Reserve is in the municipa ...
, created in 1985 to protect an island in the Amazon river. It contains the Rio Curiaú Environmental Protection Area, created in 1992 to protect an area near the urban center from city sprawl, and to protect the culture of the traditional inhabitants. It contains the
Fazendinha Environmental Protection Area The Fazendinha Environmental Protection Area ( pt, Área de Proteção Ambiental da Fazendinha) is an environmental protection area in the state of Amapá, Brazil. There has been ongoing conflict between the residents and the state agency respons ...
, created in 2004.


Climate

The Macapá region includes large tracts of
tropical rainforest Tropical rainforests are rainforests that occur in areas of tropical rainforest climate in which there is no dry season – all months have an average precipitation of at least 60 mm – and may also be referred to as ''lowland equatori ...
and experiences relatively high rainfall. Macapá features a
tropical monsoon climate An area of tropical monsoon climate (occasionally known as a sub-equatorial, tropical wet climate or a tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate) is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category ...
(''Am'') under the
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
, with a lengthy
wet season The wet season (sometimes called the Rainy season) is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. It is the time of year where the majority of a country's or region's annual precipitation occurs. Generally, the sea ...
from December through July, and a relatively short
dry season The dry season is a yearly period of low rainfall, especially in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which moves from the northern to the southern tropics and back over the course of the year. The te ...
that covers the remaining four months. However, a noticeable amount of rain is observed even during the dry season, a trait common to a number of other areas with this climate. Average temperatures are relatively consistent throughout the year, hovering around in the mornings and in the afternoon.


Subdivisions

The municipality is subdivided in five districts: * Macapá, the city proper *
Bailique Bailique is a district in the Brazilian municipality of Macapá, in the state of Amapá. Bailique is an archipelago of islands in the Amazon River. It consists of eight major islands. The district is limited to the north by the Araguari River, t ...
* * Fazendinha * In 1992, the villages of Curiaú de Dentro, Curiaú de Fora, Casa Grande, Curralinho and Mocambo in the municipality of Macapá were recognised as ''
quilombo A ''quilombo'' (; from the Kimbundu word , ) is a Brazilian hinterland settlement founded by people of African origin, and others sometimes called Carabali. Most of the inhabitants of quilombos, called quilombolas, were maroons, a term for e ...
s'', settlements by escaped slaves, resulting in the establishment of the Rio Curiaú Environmental Protection Area.


References


External links

* City website
Cidade de Macapá
in Portuguese {{DEFAULTSORT:Macapa Populated places in Amapá Populated places established in 1758 Municipalities in Amapá Equator monuments