Macapá is the capital of the state of Amapá, in the North Region of Brazil. It is the only Brazilian capital that is crossed by the equator line and is situated close to the Amazon River. The city currently has a population of 512 thousand inhabitants and its economy is concentrated in plant extraction and in the commerce and services sector. It also houses one of the free trade areas in Brazil.
Read too: What are the capitals of Brazilian states?
Macapá general data
- Gentile: Macapaense.
- Location: North region.
- Parents: Brazil
- Federative unit: Amapá.
- Intermediate region[1]: Macapá.
- Immediate region[1]: Macapá.
- Metropolitan region: Metropolitan Region of Macapá, formed by the municipalities of Macapá, Santana and Mazagão.
- Bordering municipalities: Amapá, Cutias, Ferreira Gomes, Porto Grande, Santana, Itaubal.
geography
- Total area: 6,563,849 km² (IBGE, 2020).
- Total population: 512,902 inhabitants (IBGE, 2020).
- Density: 62.14 inhab./km² (IBGE, 2010).
- Climate: equatorial.
- Altitude: 16.48 meters.
- Time zone: GMT -3 hours.
Historic
- Foundation: February 4, 1758.
geography of macapa
Macapa is a Brazilian city located in Rnorthern region from the country, in the state of Amapá. It plays the role of state capital, housing the seat of government. The municipality is located in the southeast region of the state, with exit TheEast and southeast to the delta of the Amazon River in one of the recesses of the north coast of Brazil. It also borders six municipalities:
Amapá and Cutias, to the north;
Ferreira Gomes and Porto Grande, to the west;
Santana to the southwest;
Itaubal, to the east.
According to the classification established by IBGE, Macapá is a regional capital.
THE Macapaense territorial extension is 6,563,849 km², being the 5th municipality in the area of the state of Amapá. The city is the only Brazilian capital crossed by the Lfrom the Ecuador or parallel of 0º, which divides the territory of Amapá between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres of the Earth. The Ground Zero Monument, built in the city center, represents the passage of the imaginary line.
Macapa climate
The climate of the city of Macapá is influenced by the low latitude and relief, in addition to the high levels of humidity derived both from the extensive watercourse that bathes its area and from the Amazon Forest. So the predominant climate type in the capital of Amapá is the equatorial hot and humid.
Temperatures are high throughout the year, with averages ranging between 25 ºC and 31 ºC. Annually, the accumulated rains register 2,400 mm, with concentration between the months of January and mid-July, while the brief dry period lasts between August and late December, which is when precipitation is least bulky.
Read too: What is the difference between weather and weather?
Macapá relief
Macapá belongs to the domain ofplains and Amazon lowlands, according to the classification of the Brazilian relief proposed by Aziz Ab’Sáber. It has shapes that vary from flat to slightly wavy, these are concentrated in the northern and northwestern areas. The average altitude of Macapá is 16.48 meters.
Vegetation of Macapa
O Amazon domain encompasses the entire state of Amapá, which includes your capital. In addition, the city is part of the Brazilian coastal-marine system, with vegetation characteristic of fluvial-marine areas, such as restingas, dunes and pioneer formation.
Macapá Hydrography
The main river that bathes Macapá is the Amazon river, whose delta is located to the east of the municipality. In addition, the Araguari River stands out, which flows into the Amazon in the northern portion of the city and whose waters move the turbines of the Coaracy Nunes Hydroelectric Power Plant, 150 km from the capital. The hydrographic network of Macapá is also made up of lakes and streams.
Map of Macapa
Macapa Demographics
The city of Macapá is the most populous in Amapá, comprising 57.34% of the entire state population, equivalent to 512,902 inhabitants. It is the sixth smallest Brazilian capital and the fourth smallest in the North of the country. The distribution of this population is 62.14 inhab./km², according to information from the 2010 IBGE Census. Most Macapaenses live in urban areas, while only 4.26% of the people in the capital are located in the rural area.
The population of Macapá is considerably young, focusing on age groups ranging from 10 to 29 years old, according to the last census. Most Macapaenses, around 63%, declare themselves as brown. About 27% declare themselves white; 9.6%, black; 1.09%, yellow; and a total of 0.18% of the population of the capital of Amapá declare themselves indigenous. Regarding religiosity, the research of IBGE points out that 65% of residents profess the Catholic faith, about 27% are evangelicals and the rest corresponds to Spiritists (0.5%), followers of other religions, as well as atheists and people without religion.
See too: Manaus — capital of Amazonas and the most populous city dthe North Region
Geographical division of Macapa
The capital of Amapá is officially composed of 28 neighborhoods, although a survey by the city government points to the existence of another 33 neighborhoods that are not legally recognized. They are divided between the northern, southern, central and western zones of Macapá.
The territorial division of Macapá takes place through its five districts, that are:
Macapa;
Bailique;
Carapanantuba;
Little farm;
São Joaquim do Pacuí.
Economy of Macapa
The economy of Macapa is the main one in Amapá, bringing together the main economic activities and administrative services in the state. Its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is around R$ 10.94 billion, one of the smallest among Brazilian capitals.
The largest portion of Macapá's GDP corresponds to the tertiary sector, which brings together both the public administration and the activities of commerce, retail, tourism and services in general. The presence of the Macapá and Santana Free Trade and Service Area (ALCMS), which, among other attributions, was created in 1991 with the purpose of establishing and improving commercial and economic relations with the countries neighbors.
In industry, the wood, food and construction sectors stand out. Plant and mineral extractivism have great relevance for the state and municipal economy, such as the expressive production of açaí, which exceeded 700 tons in 2019, in addition to palm heart, charcoal, firewood and ore. manganese. This is in second place in Macapá's export basket, which is leader in soy production. Thus, in agricultural production, this grain and the cultivation of corn, beans, rice, vegetables, bananas, oranges, papaya and passion fruit stand out. Other activities relevant to the generation of income for the municipality are the creation of cattle, swine, buffalo and also fishing.
Macapa Government
The Macapaense government is of the representative democratic type. Both the head of the Executive, who is the Mayor of the city, how much the 23 councilors that make up the Legislative Chamber they are chosen to occupy their positions by popular vote through a election, which takes place every four years.
Macapá also plays the role of capital of the state of Amapá. This means to say that the municipality houses the seat of the state government, located in the Palácio do Setentrião, in the historic center of Macapa.
Macapá Infrastructure
Most Macapaense households are located in their urban area, which requires a wide range of services to serve the population. IBGE information shows that most of them have access to the city's electricity network, whose generation takes place both through hydroelectric and thermoelectric plants. The water supply network serves just over half of the households, and a large part has their own wells or systems. Overall, adequate sanitary sewage covers a share of 26.8% of the capital of Amapá.
Displacements in the city and between different regions are made through the fleet of buses, vehicles and through rivers, which are important routes of movement in the North of the Brazil. One of the ports located near Macapá is the Port of Santana, on the banks of the Amazon River. Air connections are made through the Macapa International Airport, the busiest in the state.
Macapa culture
Macapa has a rich culture, which presents traces of the different populations that make up the state of Amapá, which includes Portuguese, Africans, indigenous peoples, people from neighboring countries and Brazilians from other regions of the country.
The city it houses museums and cultural entities, such as the Sacaca Museum — which brings together the natural wealth of the state of Amapá —, the Joaquim Caetano da Silva Museum, the Amapá Black Culture Center, the Sustainable Development Museum and others. Some of the main tourist attractions in the capital of Amapá, in addition to the natural landscapes, such as the Amazon River itself and parks, are Marco Zero and Fortaleza São José de Macapá.
Between the typical celebrations of the city are the Círio de Nazaré, a religious procession that annually brings together hundreds of thousands of faithful in the streets of Macapá, the Feast of the Divine and the Marabá, a manifestation that mixes the folklore, African and Amazonian rhythms and dances.
History of Macapa
The city of Macapá emerged from the need to strengthen the protection of conquered lands by the Portuguese, then settlers, in the region. This took place a few decades after the Dutch invasions in the Northeast of the country, in the mid-17th century.
In the following period, in 1740, the king of Portugal authorized the construction of a fortification in the ruins of the Fortaleza de Santo Antônio, a process that was still in progress. in 1748, when the occupation of the area by the Azoreans began. That same year, the then Vila de São José de Macapá was founded. The city status and the simplified name, Macapá, only came in 1856.
Amapá was transformed into a federal territory in the year 1943, through a decree of law signed by the then president, Getulio Vargas. Initially, it was composed of only three municipalities, one of them being Macapá, which became the capital of that territory the following year, in 1944. From that period onwards, especially in the 1970s, the city experienced an acceleration in its development. economic and urban, which is largely due to extractive economic activities and the arrival of immigrants from other countries. regions.
By Paloma Guitarrara
geography teacher
