Caracaraí () is a

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

located in the state of

Roraima Roraima (, ) is one of the 26 states of Brazil. Located in the country's North Region, it is the northernmost and most geographically and logistically isolated state in Brazil. It is bordered by the state of Pará to the southeast, Amazonas ...

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 22,283 and its area is , making it the largest municipality in Roraima state. Caracaraí is located on the

Branco River The Branco River ( pt, Rio Branco; Engl: ''White River'') is the principal affluent of the Rio Negro from the north. Basin The river drains the Guayanan Highlands moist forests ecoregion. It is enriched by many streams from the Tepui highlands ...

Overview

Caracaraí was founded by

cattle rancher Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ma ...

s from Moura. The town was originally known as Cidade Porto and was the capital of the Rio Branco Territory which was later renamed Roraima. The word ''caracaraí'' means "little hawk", a very common bird in the region. Its territory cuts Roraima's in two and keeps boundaries with both the Brazilian state of Amazonas and

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in ...

. It is not the only municipality in the state to do so; Caroebe also borders both the state and the country, and has boundaries with

Pará Pará is a state of Brazil, located in northern Brazil and traversed by the lower Amazon River. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas and Roraima. To the northwest are the borders of Guyana a ...

too. Caracaraí is located near the intersection of the

BR-174 BR-174 is a federal highway of Brazil. The road connects Cáceres to Pacaraima on the Venezuelan border. It is the only road connection of the state of Roraima with the rest of the country. 458 kilometres are under construction, and there is n ...

and

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 ...

highways. Caracaraí became an independent municipality in 1955. Between 1960 and 1982, the municipality contained the districts of

Santa Maria do Boiaçu Santa Maria do Boiaçu is a village in the Brazilian municipality of Rorainópolis, in the state of Roraima. It is located on the Branco River, and inside the Baixo Rio Branco-Jauaperi Extractive Reserve. Overview Santa Maria do Boiaçu is an iso ...

and

São José de Anauá SAO or Sao may refer to: Places * Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD * Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso * Saco Transportation Center (station code SAO), a train station in Saco, Maine, U.S. ...

. Santa Maria do Boiaçu became part of the municipality of Rorainópolis. The municipality contains the

Caracaraí Ecological Station Caracaraí Ecological Station ( pt, Estação Ecológica de Caracaraí) is an ecological station in the state of Roraima, Brazil. Location The ecological station, which covers , was created on 31 May 1982. It is in the municipality of Caracaraí ...

and the

Niquiá Ecological Station Niquiá Ecological Station ( pt, Estação Ecológica de Níquia) is an ecological station in the Caracaraí municipality of Roraima state, Brazil. History The station, which has an area of , was created on 3 June 1985. It is administered by th ...

. The economy used to be based on cattle ranching. The cattle used to shipped to Manaus. Caracaraí developed in the supply centre for the region, because it is located on the

south of the waterfalls. It is the largest producer of fish in the state.

References

External links

Official site
(in Portuguese) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Caracarai Populated places established in 1955 Municipalities in Roraima 1955 establishments in Brazil