Amapá

Amapá is a state in northern Brazil, with its capital Macapa. The census of 2010 counted 669 526 inhabitants in an area of 142,828.5 km2.

• 4.1 Archaeology

Geography

Amapá is located on the northern Atlantic coast and is bordered to the north by French Guiana and Suriname to the west and south by the Brazilian state of Pará.

Just five kilometers south of the capital Macapa runs the equator. The point is marked by a stone.

The extreme north is occupied by the up to the border with French Guiana reaching, 619,000 acre Parque Nacional Cabo Orange, which is a nature reserve since 1980.

The Atlantic coast is characterized by mangrove vegetation, the rest of the state of the tropical rainforest.

History

The border of Brazil to French Guiana was controversial until an arbitration award in 1900. In 1943, Amapá was declared a federal territory. On 5 October 1988, was the entry into force of the new Brazilian Constitution State.

Policy

Governor since 2011 Camilo Capiberibe of the Partido Socialista Brasileira (PSB ).

Cities

The largest of the 16 cities Amapas, municipios from population from 20,000, as of 2010 are:

• Macapa - 398 204 (estimated 2012: 415 554 )
• Santana Porto de Santana - 101 262 (estimated 2012: 104 407 )
• Laranjal do Jari - 39 942 (estimated 2012: 41,668 )
• Oiapoque - 20 509 (estimated 2012: 21 661 )

Culture

Archeology

Archaeologists have discovered and explored, which is compared with the English Stonehenge a stone complex in a remote area of the state. The complex consists of 127 stone steles, which have a height of up to 3 meters. The granite steles are placed so that they fix astronomical cardinal points; Thanks to this construction could, for example, the solstices are determined exactly what is the definition of the harvest cycles of importance. One is about the age of the plant is not yet clear; Pottery shards that were found at the site are, however, dates back to an age of 2000 years.

Economy

Amapá has a thriving economy based on crab catching and manganese removal.

In Monte Dourado is to substitute for pulp production by fast-growing eucalyptus plantations the remains of 1,400,000 acre Jari project, the failed experiment in the 1980s, the American billionaire Daniel K. Ludwig, the natural forest on the Rio Jari.