Amapá

Prehistory

A team of Brazilian archeologists discovered with Calçoene, in the Amazonian basin, close to the French Guiana, an astronomical observatory probably going back to 2000 years. (study of the ceramics found on the spot).

According to the archeologist Mariana Petry Cabral, Scientific and Technological Research institute of Amapá (IEPA), only an organized company could be able to set up such a monument Mégalithique.

The observatory consists of 127 blocks of granite, each one a 3 meters height, laid out in regular circles in a clearing of the Amazon forest.

History

By the Treated of Tordesillas, the territory of current Amapá belonged to the Spaniards. During the union of the crowns Spanish and Portuguese, the area was set up in harbor office of Costa de Cabo Norte (Coast of the Northern Cape) under the direction of Bento Parente. This decision, kept in mind its protection against the French, the Dutchmen and the English who settled little by little in the area.

Although, according to the treaty of Tordesillas, the area is Spanish, it asserted forever by Spain. The adversaries of the Portuguese were the French installed with Cayenne. The Treated of Utrecht, in 1713, definitively recognized Portugal as Master of the area. Until the 19th century, Amapá was used only as military rampart without economic activity. At the time of independence in 1822, it belonged to Pará.

The argument with France continued until 1900 when the rights of Brazil were recognized by a Swiss arbitration. The cycle of rubber at the 19th century century profited in Amapá. In 1943, it was separated from Pará and was set up in territory.

In the Years 1940, were discovered layers of Manganèse exploited by a subsidiary company of Bethlehem Steel Company. In 1970, was established, by an American industrialist, a méga-project: the Jari Project. It was about manufacture of cellulose, of exploitation of wood and rice culture. This project does not succeed.

In 1988, Amapá becomes a State at the time of the new Brazilian constitution.

Flag

The flag goes back to 1984 (decree No 008 of April 23rd). The blue color at the top symbolizes the sky with the top of Amapá, as well as justice; green in the center local rain forests; the yellow with the lower part is a symbol of union and natural wealths. The black of the narrow bands points out those which died for the good of the state, and the white the will of this last to live in peace in stability. The left symbol points out the fortress of São Jose, from where was born the Macapá capital.

Population

The inhabitants are called amapaenses in Portuguese. One dénomrait 600.000 of them in July 2006 (src. IBGE). There is a rather important emigration of Brazilian coming from other poor states mainly of the nordeste, in particular of garimpeiros or gold diggers.

The Macapá capital concentrates more half of the population of the state (355.000) inhabitants, and 455.000 with conurbation.

Geography

The relief is not very broken; in general lower than 300 Mr. the most important rivers are: the the Amazon, the Jari, the Oyapock or Oiapoque, the Araguari, the Calçoene and the Maracá. The state is subdivided in 16 very wide municipes on average.

Economy

The economy is based on the extraction of nut of Pará, the wood and the exploitation of the Manganèse.

Transport

Amapa is the single federal state which is not connected by road has any other state. There exist two federal roads, the BR-156 which cuts the state of north in south, starting on the border with Guyana and finishing on the banks of the Jari river in extreme cases with the state of Parà. The BR-210 usually called Perimetral Norte was to connect Macapà to the State de Roraima but its construction was abondonné. Today they are mud 250km. The few kilometers which were asphalted one be by foreign companies in order to convey the enormous quantities of Manganèse produced in the area. Dimensioned harbor Amapà has a very competitive port which receives goods of the whole world and exports its products. It is located has 30km of Macapà, in the commune of Santana. The state has a international Aéroport located almost in the center town but it already passed the quota hoped for passengers per annum. The federal government with then ordered the construction of an airport new bright burning coal which should leave ground at the end of 2007. And the amapaenses will be able to count now as of the end of 2008 on a bridge which will connect them with Guyana.

Land borders enters Brazil and France

Simple: Amapá

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