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Beachcomber Pete
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Macapa Brazil
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Macapá, the capital of Amapá, bisected by the equator, may be the most isolated Brazilian state capital. The name is Portuguese for “a good thing.“
It is a river port north of the mouth of the Amazon River, the Rio Amazonas estuary. Opposite it is the Marajó archipelago. No roads, except the road into French Guyana, lead out from it. It’s also approachable by air or boat from Belém.
The city is so isolated that travelers seldom visit it for its own sake, but only stop at Macapá on their way to French Guiana, sometimes spending one or two days there, enjoying the gentle sea breeze and interesting historical forts or natural places like the San Antonio waterfall or the national parks. The Fazendinha and Araxá beaches, fed by the Amazon River, are a soothing and relaxing detours on the way to French Guyana.
In the lush green, forested parks, the fauna is rich and diverse. The tropical rainforests are rich in armadillos, ant eaters, manatees, gigantic alligators, sea and river turtles, and flamingos. Migrating birds also pass through here.
Macapá, apart from its natural beauty, has numerous historical monuments.
An example of the brutal French military influence is the Sao Jose Fort, which lies at the entrance of the city. Indians and slaves spent 18 horrific years building it in the blazing tropical heat before it was completed in 1787. The fort required so much labor that slaves were imported from Africa to make up for the large loss in numbers from those that escaped.
Just outside Macapá is a popular tourist attraction, Curiaú, a village created by the escaped slaves.
The oldest city monument is the Church of Sao Jose de Macapá, a colonial building built by the Jesuits in 1761.
The main place to buy indigenous souvenirs is at Casa do Artesão. The ceramics are coated in manganese, the weapons are made of wood, and the utensils and ornaments are fashioned out of animal teeth and bones, bird feathers, and seeds and fibers.
Because of it’s location, much research on the rainforest is carried here and there is a museum that details the research.
Although today Macapá looks like a calm and peaceful place, it has a violent historical past because of its location at the mouth of the Amazon River. Founded in 1688 around Forte de São José do Macapá, it has a long history of attacks from French, Dutch, and English military forces. The fort is now a regional museum.
Today, Macapá is considered an important mining center, exporting manganese, gold, and tin iron. Other industries are around fish, animal skins, oil, and lumber.
Macapá has a fascinating characteristic that makes it one of the most unique cities in the world. It has a monument, the Marco Zero, that establishes it exactly on the equator, or 0 degrees North. The football field here has half the field in one hemisphere and half the field in the other hemisphere.
The official language is Portuguese, but the official high school curriculum includes English and French. |
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