Tucuruí 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 ...

in the

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

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) ...

in the Northern region of

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 ...

. The city is served by Tucuruí Airport. The name Tucuruí is a Tupi word that means "river of ants" or "river of locusts". It's the concatenation of two tupi words: tukura (ants, locusts) and 'y (water). The city is very famous because of its colossal Dam, the

Tucuruí Dam The Tucuruí Dam (Tucuruí means "grasshopper's water", translated from Tupí language; pt, Tucuruí) is a concrete gravity dam on the Tocantins River located on the Tucuruí County in the State of Pará, Brazil. The main purpose of the dam is ...

which is administered by Eletrobrás Eletronorte – the constructor company of this large infrastructure project.

Economy

Currently, Tucuruí city's economy is based on agriculture and general commerce. During its 60 years the commerce activity varied a lot. In the beginning there was a railroad for draining out the production of the Brazil Nut (known in Brazil as "Pará's Nut"), a very abundant available product in the region. The Tucuruí Dam developed the municipality and brought large industries for the region.

Tourism

A Vision of Tocantins River in Tucuruí City

In Tucuruí, you can explore the dam lake, one of the largest artificial lakes ever made by man. It has of depth and more than of total extension. You can visit islands, fishing

Cichla Peacock bass or Brazilian tucunaré are large freshwater cichlids of the genus ''Cichla''. These are diurnal predatory fishes native to the Amazon and Orinoco basins, as well as rivers of the Guianas, in tropical South America. They are someti ...

Tambaqui The tambaqui (''Colossoma macropomum'') is a large species of freshwater fish in the family Serrasalmidae. It is native to tropical South America, but kept in aquaculture and introduced elsewhere. It is also known by the names black pacu, blac ...

and see natural beauties that you can only find in Amazon. The historical site of city has old buildings and the Museum of Extinct Railroad - the historical museum with many pictures and objects from the city's beginning. There is a train that was used in the period of Brazil Nut that was restored and placed in front of the Eletrobás Eletronorte Cultural Center. Inside the Cultural Center, visits to the inside the hydroelectric dam to see its workings are scheduled. In February there is the Tucuruí carnival party, one of the most known in region. In June, there is the Tucunaré's festival (Cichla Festival), when traditional preparations of fish are served.

Gastronomy

Tucuruí has a privileged lake with many species of fish. Naturally, the local gastronomy has much fish in it. The most known is the Peixe no Saco (Fish in the Bag). The Peixe no Saco is a preparation of Chichla or Tambaqui with a wide variety of spices and herbs placed within the fish's stomach. The fish is then placed on a special waterproof bag with soy sauce and roasted in oven or in firewood. Other gastronomic options include indigenous food. There is the Tacacá (a broth made of

tucupi Tucupi is a yellow sauce extracted from wild manioc root in Brazil's Amazon jungle. It is also produced as a by-product of manioc flour manufacture. The juice is toxic when raw (containing hydrocyanic acid). Tucupi is prepared by peeling, gratin ...

, jambu native variety of paracress starch and shrimp served in a gourd usually to drink without spoon or fork. There is just a toothpick for eating the shrimp and the herbs) and the

Vatapá Vatapá (Yoruba: vata'pa, ) is an Afro-Brazilian dish made from bread, shrimp, coconut milk, finely ground peanuts and palm oil mashed into a creamy paste. It is a typical food of Salvador, Bahia and it is also common to the North and Northea ...

and

maniçoba Maniçoba is a festive dish in Brazilian cuisine, especially from the Amazonian region state of Pará and Bahia. It is of indigenous origin, and is made with leaves of the Manioc plant that have been finely ground and boiled for at least four d ...

Airport

Tucuruí airport is located about far from the city. It is currently only served by

Azul Brazilian Airlines Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras S/A (''Azul Brazilian Airlines''; or simply Azul) is a Brazilian carrier based in Barueri, a suburb of São Paulo. The company's business model is to stimulate demand by providing frequent and affordable air serv ...

Economy

Tourism

Gastronomy

Airport

See also