Calçoene

Calçoene is a municipality of the State of the Amapá to the Brésil. On its territory is the mysterious Archeological site of Calçoene.

History

The origin of the current municipality goes back to the 17th century qund the incursions of the European navigators encouraged the Portuguese Couronne then, plain with the Spain, to take measures to maintain its domination in the area. In 1634, by the Royal decree of June 14th, Philippe {{IV}} creates the Harbor office of Cabo Norte, also called Côte of the Northern Cape (Costa C Cabo Norte), which it allotted to Bento Maciel Parente. The grounds extended from the Rio Oiapoque until the Rio Amazonas and, in the east, until the Rio Paru, where the territory of Calçoene was located, an old district of the municipality of Amapá since the integration of the free-Brazilian Contesté of Amapá to the Brazilian territory in 1901.

The discovery of the mine S of Or of the Rio Calçoene awoke the fever of gold among inhabitants of the French Guiana, reactivating the political problems of borders accumulated since the colonial era. The fight for the control of the area ended in the victory of Brazilian, ordered the Francisco Xavier da Veiga Cabral, said Cabralzinho .

The establishment of Calçoene was done by the arrival of prospectors and gold washers and by the movement generated by the activity of the mines. Located on left bank of Rio Calçoene, with the foot of the first Cascade, not important for goods transport towards the mines of Lourenço, the locality developed quickly. Before the incorporation of the area to the Brazilian territory, explorers construirent, in the last quarter of the 19th century, a monorail train connecting Calçoene to Lourenço.

Geographical location

Calçoene is bordered by the municipal territories of Amapá and Pracuúba in the South, of Serra C Navio in the West and of Oiapoque in North. It is bathed by the Atlantic Ocean in the East.

It is made up of three districts:

• Calçoene, municipal seat;

• Cunani;
• Lourençao.

Administrative formation

The district was created the April 16th 1903, by the law n° 15 and the municipality, the December 22nd, 1956 , by the law n° 3055, l'" émancipant" municipality of Amapá.

Economy

The extraction of gold was to recently an important station of the economy, leaving durable traces on the environment of the area.

• Returned per head (2000): R$ 136,15 (Exchange 2000: R$1,00 = 4,00 FF)

• GDP per head (2000): R$ 515,37