Brazil Tourism

Amapá State possesses a 96% preservation rate of its territory, and all its Indian land boundaries are clearly marked. The Amazon Forest covers approximately 80% of the State, which holds the world’s largest National Park, the Tumucumaque Mountain Range Park with 3.8 million hectares.

Its ecological passageway is bigger than Portugal (10 million hectares) and 12 conservation areas and four ethnical Indian tribes can be found therein. The Araguari River, on meeting the Atlantic Ocean, leads to the formation of waves – a phenomenon known as pororoca – of up to three meters, which have been ridden in surfing tournaments in the area.

Amapá seeks development through sustainable and environmental protection programs. The State’s economy is dependent on the services sector – responsible for 86% of GDP (PIB) – and industry (8%). The main products are wooden posts, palm leaves, Brazil nuts and the açaí fruit. It is the second and sixth largest producer of manganese and gold in Brazil, respectively.

In the area of agriculture, the region’s forte is subsistence crop production, especially manioc, rice, beans and corn, as well as bananas. The fishing sector is worthy of mention – over 100 commercial and sporting species – and a traditional interchange with the French Guyana, and consequently, with France.

History
The whole of the State of Amapá was once the property of one man, a Portuguese citizen called Bento Maciel Parente, who was given the area by the Portuguese Crown in 1637, during the period known as the Iberean Union. For years the region was coveted by many countries: at the beginning of the 18th Century it was invaded by the British and the Dutch and claimed by France, who in 1713 accepted Brazilian possession through the Treaty of Utrecht. The raids on the region continued, however, and so the Portuguese decided to found the Fortress of São José de Macapá.

Initial development in the region began with the discovery of gold in its forest waterways (igarapé), which once again aroused France’s greedy intentions, leading the French to attempt to regain control over the area in 1895. This fresh dispute would only come to an end in 900, when the Geneva Arbitration Commission confirmed Brazil’s right to possession. In that year, Amapá was incorporated as a territory to the State of Pará, from where it would separate in 1945. But it would only gain autonomy as a state after the 1988 Constitution, marking the Brazilian redemocratization process.

Places to Visit in Brazil

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