State of amazonas brazil. South American Journey

Manaus and its sights.

It so happened that my potential travel partner, Gennady, made an appointment for me in the city of Manaus, from where we were going to continue along the route together. Having 6 whole days left before the appointed meeting, that is why I first went to Guyana, and then arrived in Manaus, where I patiently waited for Gennady until the day he appointed, January 25th. That is, I spent 4 whole days in Manaus and during this time, slowly and thoroughly, I got acquainted with the city and its sights.

I really liked the city. I walked around it a lot and slowly.
Now about the city.

Manaus is a city in Brazil, the capital of the state of Amazonas. It is located on the banks of the great Amazon River, in its middle course (its width, together with the channels, reaches here several tens of kilometers), 3400 km. from the capital (Brazil). A port on the Amazon River accessible to ships. Population- more than 3 million people, 80% consists of Indians. Occupies an area 11,401.058 km². Population density - 141.4 people / km².
City founded October 24, 1669 like the fort of São José do Rio Negro (Sao José do Rio Negro). In 1832 it was renamed Manaus. At the beginning of the 20th century, the city gained great fame due to the flourishing of the rubber industry. Thanks to natural rubber, Manaus became the second city in Brazil to have electric lighting and the first to introduce trolleybuses.
The city has international Airport, several shopping centers, university, Institute of Geography and History of the Amazon.

What to see in Manaus. Many go to Manaus to see an unusual phenomenon of its kind - "Meeting of the Waters". "The meeting (sometimes they say - Wedding) of the waters" is the place where the Rio Negro (in Portuguese - "black river", one of the largest tributaries of the Amazon) merges with the Amazon. In the Amazon, the water, yellowish in color, resembles coffee with milk, because as long as the Amazon flows with the Cordillera, it washes away great amount earth yellow.
The Rio Negro begins in the Colombian Cordillera under the name of Guaynia, 2,300 kilometers from its confluence with the Amazon. In Rio Negro, the water is black because it flows mainly through rocks and its waters are saturated with a natural black mineral.
By the way, Rio Negro, somewhere in the middle of its course, is divided into two channels, which then flow completely independently, one of which flows into the Amazon (Brazil), and the other into another great river of South America - Orinoco (Venezuela).
The temperature of the waters is different, therefore, when the Rio Negro flows into the Amazon, the waters of the two rivers flow for seven kilometers without mixing, black and light stripes. In addition, the waters of the Amazon and Rio Negro also differ in acidity, density and flow rate, which as a result leads to the appearance of this natural effect - one water does not mix with another.
This place is located where two large rivers merge into one channel, on the Rio Negro River, southwest of the city center.

The second attraction of Manaus theater "Amazonas".
This is a symbol of the city, evidence of its former greatness. This area was next to the hostel where I lived and I really liked this place. Cozy, quiet, shady, with a large, beautiful fountain on it. And many different

Manaus became world famous during the rubber boom of the last century. Money flowed like water, the city was actively built. The city was then called the South American or tropical Paris. At that time, this theater was built.
Its construction began in 1884 on a scale appropriate for the new rich: Italian marble and Venetian glass, French furniture, dark red velvet and bronze, Scottish iron casting, wooden chairs, ceiling paintings - everything Construction Materials, despite the huge costs, ordered and delivered from Europe. This theater, erected at the end of the world, in the middle of the Amazon jungle, in wealth and luxury of decoration competed with the best theaters in the world.
The construction was completed in 1896 and the theater building, with an auditorium for 1200 seats, became a symbol of the city.
Externally, the theater building looks like a huge pink cake, on a large high plinth, the top of which is decorated with a blue and gold dome. "Amazonas", in an empty spacious square, reigns over the city, like a knight's castle.
The theater is located in the city center, on San Sebastiano Square (Largo de São Sebastião), tel. 622-18-80, inspection from 9.00 to 16.00. The theater has restored the tradition of annual opera festivals. During the day, tickets are sold for visiting the theater, they lead excursions - in Spanish and English. Booklets and CDs can be purchased at the entrance.

Beautiful nearby san sebastiano square(Largo de São Sebastião), on which this theater and the church of St. Sebastian stand. A spacious, cozy square, framed by a row of shady trees, in the shade of which, on comfortable benches, couples of lovers like to meet, a large allegorical fountain in the middle of it, brightly and colorfully painted colonial-style houses along its perimeter. Abandoned tram line and tram car model 1895.

municipal market. Another of the attractions of Manaus, recommended for a visit, is the Municipal Market. This market is located in the city center, right by the Rio Negro River, next to the port. In essence, this is just a big flea market, the main product of which is local souvenirs - lacquered stuffed piranhas, pyraruku scales, roots of magical plants and dried frogs. There are fruit and fish departments, and many "nutritional" points. I do not advise buying, because outside the territory of this market everything the same will cost half as much.
This market bears the name of the Eiffel, because the project of the market was commissioned by the Eiffel workshop and was supposed to reproduce the famous Parisian market in Manaus - Le Halle. The famous openwork iron structures were made in Paris, delivered and assembled here. It is impossible to see them. From the roof to the base - solid rags from China.

I liked Manaus port. It was built by the British in 1902. Structurally, it is unusual - floating and adapted to huge drops in the water level in the Amazon, reaching 20-30 meters. The port is very large and large ocean cruise ships come here. The Amazon (Rio Gradu) in this place drank the sea. Width - beyond the horizon. A special atmosphere of the port is given by multi-colored, brightly colored boats-launches of various types and designs, nestling at its berths.

Also in Manaus Museum of the Indians, monasteries and many different markets, as well as many colorful houses built during the city's former prosperity. The imposing Rio Negro Palace, which served until 1917 as the home of one of the rubber barons. Now in this pompous position Cultural Center. Clock tower on Matriz square. The clock on this tower is over three hundred years old. As long as they walk well.

The whole city is a typical, colorful and noisy Hispanic settlement.
There are several modern skyscrapers in the city center. Further from the center - small private houses.

The standard program of stay in Manaus is an acquaintance with the sights of the city, a trip to the "Confluence of the Rivers", two or three days of accommodation in hotels in the jungle - behind. During this time, tourists get acquainted with the Amazonian flora and fauna, walk through the jungle, canoe, get acquainted with the rituals local residents.
For an additional fee, you can go fishing with piranhas from a canoe, and go to the surrounding jungle. To watch folk dances, to take part in some theatrical performance-rite.

You can go even further and live for a while in the Amazonian jungle. They say that even today tribes still live there who have never seen white man. You can be the first. True, in this case you risk being the first white person eaten. But what's an adventure without risk?

For pale-faced lovers of safe extreme sports, bungalow hotels in the jungle are widely used - backyards opened by the same Indians. For example, on a large island in the Amazon, right at the place where the waters meet. Prices in such "wild" places are very extreme. Here you can join the catching of the legendary piranha fish. By the way, there are more than 50 species of these piranhas in the Amazon and most of them are ordinary vegetarians. The most famous predatory piranha common, the main souvenir of the Amazon. Indeed, a flock of these fish can gnaw any animal that has fallen into the water in a matter of minutes. But, they don't attack people. All these are legends. And Indian children bathe in the piranha-infested river without any worries.

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Amazonas a state in northwestern Brazil.

Description of the state of Amazonas

The name of the Amazonus state comes from the Amazon River. main river state and all of South America. Administrative center state - the city of Manaus.

Amazonas is quite possibly the most unique state in Brazil. After all, on its territory there is half of all the tropical forests of the planet. Therefore, there are a lot of different animals here. In addition, during the "rubber fever" years, Amazonas was able to greatly strengthen its economic position, which allowed it to develop even after the fall in demand for rubber.

History of Amazonas

The original inhabitants of the Amazonas were tribes of Indians who did not lead a sedentary lifestyle. It was with them that the first colonists encountered when they began to explore the lands of the state. Moreover, the first colonists were monks who tried to coexist peacefully with the Indians. They were peacefully engaged in agriculture and sought to make zealous Catholics out of the Indians.

Only in the XVIII century, Spanish and Portuguese adventurers massively rushed to the central regions of the mainland. By this time, all coastal lands were developed. As a result, armed conflicts constantly broke out between the Portuguese and the Spaniards for control of one or another inland region of South America. Only in 1750 an agreement was concluded between these countries, according to which Amazonas became a Portuguese colony.

And in 1822, Brazil got rid of the power of the metropolis. As a result, Amazonas becomes part of an independent Brazil. Manaus became the state capital in 1850. In 1879, the "rubber fever" began. The state began to prosper through the export of rubber. The local elite invested easy money in luxurious mansions that were being built in the state capital. In addition, the money went to the development of the infrastructure of the state. After all, only with the development of infrastructure it was possible to get a big profit from the export of rubber.

But after the fall in demand for rubber in the state, economic crisis. But a developed infrastructure remained here, which became the key to the state's economy getting out of the crisis. Today it is a fairly developed state economically. Almost all industrial enterprises are concentrated in its capital. Well, most of the state is the property of nature reserves and national parks. In total, 33 reserves have been created here. After all, it is the tropical forest that is the main attraction of the state.

Holidays in Amazonas

Amazonas attracts lovers of ecotourism. The state's virgin rainforests beckon them. In addition, houses on stilts were built along the river in protected areas so that tourists would spend the night in them, and not in tents. It should be noted here that in the territory of Amazonas there are such wild places where tourists can get only after the written permission of the local authorities. You can also say that in the forests of Amazonas, scientists are constantly finding more and more new plant species.

The state of Amazonas was one of those regions that experienced thirty golden years in the wake of the rubber rush. Although the loss of market advantage was a major blow to the state, he managed to prepare a good base for future development.
The colonial history of Amazonas was predetermined by the signing of the Treaty of Tordesillas between Portugal and Spain on June 7, 1494. This document established the line of dividing the influence of the two states, however, at that time, even the signatories themselves did not have complete information about which territories were in their power: many geographical discoveries were still ahead.
Brazil was discovered only in 1500, however, according to the treaty, it automatically passed under the control of Portugal. By the time the colonialists began to develop the discovered lands, the basis of the population of the future state of Amazonas were semi-nomadic Indian tribes.
The first European settlements in Amazonas were founded by missionaries. The monks were engaged in agriculture, logging and tried to find mutual language with the Indians, convert them to Christianity.
Many factors associated with the appearance of foreigners in the future Brazil led to a rapid decline in the indigenous population: over four centuries, the number of Amazonas tribes decreased from two thousand to two hundred, which was also associated with the spread of diseases. Nevertheless, in isolated areas of the state, descendants of the indigenous inhabitants of this region still live.
The colonialists, who initially concentrated their activities on the coast of South America, by the 18th century. began to move inland. From that moment, the settlement of Amazonas by the Spaniards and the Portuguese began, and conflicts for the right to control certain areas were inevitable. It was only in 1750, after the Treaty of Madrid was signed that canceled the Treaty of Tordesillas, that the i was dotted. As a result, Amazonas remained in the possession of Portugal.
In 1822, Brazil gained independence. In 1850, Manaus was appointed the main city of Amazonas.
The golden era for the state of Amazonas, as well as for many other equatorial lands, was the time of the so-called rubber fever. This era did not last long, from 1879 to 1912. The export of rubber provided an influx of foreign currency into the region. Funds were invested mainly in luxurious buildings: the city of Manaus, nicknamed "Tropical Paris", became a real gem of its time.
Some of the profits from the rubber trade were still used to build infrastructure that was supposed to facilitate the extraction and transportation of rubber. With the advent of competitors in the rubber market (primarily in the UK), Amazonas plunged into a deep crisis, many local entrepreneurs went bankrupt, and workers were left out of work. Nevertheless, after the Second World War, it was precisely the infrastructure that was created at the turn of the century in the wake of the rubber fever.

The state of Amazonas, located in the northwest of Brazil, is almost completely covered by the characteristics of the Amazon basin. tropical forests. The equator passes through the state, and most of it is in the southern hemisphere. The relief is predominantly flat, only in the north is the mountainous area of ​​Serra Imeri.

The state of Amazonas contains more than half of the world's rainforests, which are famous for their amazing biodiversity.
The modern state of Amazonas is the largest of the Brazilian states in terms of area, and it occupies approximately 18% of the country's territory. But at the same time, Amazonas is also the most sparsely populated state in Brazil, although the population growth here is higher than the national average. The state was never able to repeat the success of the early 20th century, when there was a record influx of population.
However, the same cannot be said about the economy of the region. If at the beginning of the last century it was based on the rubber trade and the entire infrastructure of the region was adapted specifically for the extraction and transportation of this resource, then today it has become largely diversified. Here developed as a traditional Agriculture and mining, as well as high-tech production.
The heart of the economic life of Amazonas is the city of Manaus. In 1957, it was officially declared a free economic zone, and now most of the state's industrial enterprises are based here.
In terms of population, Manaus ranks seventh in Brazil.
Almost the entire territory of Amazonas is covered with tropical forests, known for their extremely wide variety of flora and fauna. About a third of the species found in the world live in these parts. Moreover, specialists are still making many discoveries in the local forests, as there are still unexplored species.
The Amazonas contains more than half of the world's rainforests. Due to the rapid decline in forest area in South America deforestation makes the state's green treasure even more valuable. The region has gained fame as an ideal place for ecotourism. True, the wild places of Amazonas accept only selected guests: most of the territories protected by law are difficult to access. In addition, a number of parks can only be entered with the written permission of the state authorities.
Amazonas is home to many national parks and reserves, with a total of 33 such protected areas. The most impressive among them is national park Jau, which covers an area of ​​2.2 million hectares and is the largest such park in South America. This site is practically isolated from the outside world, and those who wish can get to it only by water. In addition, it is completely protected from regular human contact: there is no permanent population on the territory of the national park, even among the indigenous inhabitants of the region.
Brazil is known for its colorful festivals, and the Amazonas completes the colorful picture of the annual festivities. The city of Parintins hosts the second largest folklore festival in Brazil. For three days at the end of June, teams compete in their traditional dancing and singing skills. It is in this symbolic form that the participants try to present the legendary stories that are passed from mouth to mouth.

general information

Location: northwestern Brazil, on the border with Peru, Colombia and Venezuela.
Administrative division: 4 meso-regions and 13 micro-regions, 62 municipalities.

Administrative center: Manaus (1,982,179 people - 2013).
Largest cities: Parintins (110,411 people - 2014), Ithakuatiara (95,714 people - 2014), Manakapuru (92,996 people - 2014).

Languages: Portuguese, Nyengatu ( official language Municipality of San Gabriel da Cachoeira), English, Spanish.
Ethnic composition: Mestizo (74.3%), European Brazilians (21%), African Brazilians (4.3%), Brazilian Indians and Asians (0.4%).

Religions: Catholicism, Protestantism, Afro-Brazilian cults.
Currency unit: Brazilian Real

Major airport: Eduardo Gomes International Airport Manaus.

Numbers

Area: 1,570,745.7 km2.

Population: 3,807,923 (2013).
Population density: 2.4 persons/km 2 .
highest point: Mount Neblina (2994 m above sea level).

Climate and weather

Equatorial.

The uniform distribution of precipitation 8 during the year is typical.

Average annual temperature: +27°С.

Average annual rainfall: 2100 mm.

Economy

The city of Manaus is a free economic zone.
Industry: oil, gas, ores, gold, precious stones, building materials, electronics, mechanical engineering.

Agriculture: crop production (sugarcane, coconuts, coffee, corn, rice, soybeans, beans, bananas, guarana, pineapples, watermelons, oranges), collection of hevea and brazil nuts juice, animal husbandry (sheep, pigs, horses, rabbits).

Fishing, catching fish for aquariums.

Service sector: tourism, transport, finance.

Attractions

■ City of Manaus: Saint Sebastian Church (1888), Amazonian Opera theatre(1896), Amazonia Stadium (2014), Relogio Municipal & Correio Central Monument, Ponta Negra Park, Botanical Garden, Mindou Municipal Park, confluence of the rivers and Solimões.
■ Anavillana archipelago.
■ National parks jau, Serra do Araka, Luco da Neblina.

Curious facts

■ Despite the relative economic prosperity of the state of Amazonas, it has the fifth highest crime rate in the nation.
■ A culture unique to the Amazon is the Tucuman. The nuts that are harvested from these thorny palms are edible and can be tasted, including in Amazonas.
■ Amazons - female warriors - were originally the heroines of Greek mythology. However, in 1539, the Spanish conquistador Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada wrote that while exploring the territories of modern Colombia, he learned about the supposedly existing Indian tribe of the Amazons, who led the same lifestyle as the ancient Greek warriors. Evidence of the existence of the South American Amazons was never found, however, both the great river of the continent and the Brazilian state in its basin were named after them.

ESTADO DO AMAZONAS (AM)

Capital - Manaus(Manaus);

Other cities: Parintins, Itacoatiara, Tefe, Manacapuru.

State official website : http://www.amazonas.am.gov.br

Economy: agriculture, industry, minerals, ecotourism.

Important media : Critica.

Amazonas is the largest Brazilian state, with an area of ​​over 1,500,000 sq. km. It is bigger than Germany, France, Great Britain and Italy all together; slightly larger than Alaska, and larger than California and Texas combined.

The state of Amazonas is named after the great Amazon River. This name is associated with the legend of the Amazon women, who were, according to legend, the first inhabitants of the area.

The entire territory of the state is covered with dense tropical forests. The Amazon forest is one of the world's most untouched wilderness regions. Although much is now known about the rich biodiversity of the forest - one of the richest on earth - it is still very far from being fully explored and catalogued. According to the measured length, the Amazon River is the second in the world, after the Nile in Egypt. However, in terms of volume of water, nothing can compare even close to the Amazon: it is believed that one quarter of the entire fresh water thrown into the oceans of the world.

State capital - Manaus. During the first few decades of the 20th century, when Brazil was the world's almost monopoly rubber producer, Manaus was one of the most unusual cities on the planet. Most of the large buildings in Manaus (such as the Opera House) date back to that era and were brought disassembled from Europe. Other important cities are Parintins (the state's second most populous city), Tefe, Manakapuru and Ithacoatira.

The Amazon and its tributaries are the main thoroughfares of the state (all important cities are built along the river); It's modern and safe. Given the width and depth of the Amazon, ocean-going ships easily pass far inland to Manaus.