Oiapoque

See also: Oyapock (homonymy)

Oiapoque is a city of the State of the Amapá to the Brésil, located along the river Oyapock facing the French city of Saint-Georges-in-the Oyapock in Guyana.

History

The first inhabitants of the area are ancestors of the people Wayãmpi, which occupied the territorial extent of the Rio Oiapoque, of the Kali' Na and the Palikur, concentrated in the valley of the Rio Uaçá and its affluents. The word Oiapoque is of origin Tupi-guarani, derived from " oiap-oca" , meaning " House of Wayãmpi".

During the colonial period, the territory of current Oiapoque belonged to the Harbor office of Cabo Norte. At the beginning of the 16th century, the Portuguese of America carried out fights against other Europeans to establish their control on the area ranging between Rio Oiapoque - at the time known under the name of Vicente Pinzón -, with north, and the Rio Amazonas, in the south, to extend their colonial empire.

The municipality of Oiapoque draws its origin from the installation, with an unspecified date, of a Métis of the name of Emile Martinique, first inhabitant not-native of the place. It is known that the locality was called then " Martinique" ( Martinica ), and, nowadays still, it is not rare to hear this designation, in particular on behalf of the oldest habnitants. A little later it also bore the name of Villa C Espírito Santo. In 1907, the Federal government created the 1st military Detachment of the commune, which was useful for the retention of the political prisoners. A few years after, this detachment was transferred to Santo Antônio - current district of Clevelândia C Norte - with the denomination from Military Colony. To mark Brazilian national sovereignty on the areas bordering on the country vis-a-vis the Disputed free-Brazilian one of Amapá solved in 1901, a Monument with the Fatherland was set up to mark the beginning of the Brazilian territory.

The municipality was created the May 23rd, 1945 , by law 7578.

Geographical location

The municipality of Oiapoque is located in the most septentrional part of State d' Amapá. It is limited, in North, by the French Guiana (common of Saint-Georges-with-the Oyapock) and, in the South, by the municipalities of Calçoene, Serra C Navio and Pedra Branca C Amapari. In the East, it is bathed by the Atlantic Ocean and, in the West, it makes limit with Laranjal C Jari.

It is made up of a district sits municipal, Oiapoque, and others two districts:

• Clevelândia C Norte (military zone);

• Villa Velha (zone of properties of agricultural extraction);

Other localities of the municipality:

• Villa Brasil (hamlet which is used as a basis back to the last clandestine prospectors in French Guiana);

• Taperebá (bases fishermen of the littoral);
• Big shot C Cassiporé;
• Rio Cassiporé, not multimode truck driver-river important, mainly for the stockbreeders and the farmers of the area;
• Amerindian Villages: Manga, Santa Isabel, Espírito Santo, Açaizal, Urucaura and Kumarumã.

There exists only one road connecting to the capital, Macapá: BR-156, long of approximately 600km. Oiapoque is folkloriquement known like the main door and of exit of the Europe, by the means of the French Guiana.

Economy

The main activity of the city is the trade of Or. Indeed, the Brazilian clandestine gold washers of Guyana come to sell their gold to with it.

In addition, the many Guianese tourists boostent the marketing activity of the city. Indeed, those are attracted by this frontier city considered to offer better prices that in Guyana, in particular for the alcohol S, the Tabac, the Brazilian meat and the Prostitution. The majority of the stores accept besides the payments in Euro and the salesmen speak French.

• Returned per head (2000): R$ 257,93 (Exchange 2000: R$1,00 = 4,00 FF) Source: Atlas of the Human Development UNDP

• GDP per head (2004): R$ 9187,00 (Exchange 2004: 1,00€ = R$ 3,40) Source: IBGE/2004