Northern Brazil Overview

By Christopher Minster

Minster

The northern region of Brazil is dominated by the Amazon River and the ecosystems dependent on it.  It is made up of seven states: Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Pará, Rondônia, Roraima, and Tocantins. 

The Amazon River is the largest in the world, and most of it is in Brazil.  In fact, 1.28 million square miles of the Amazon system is within Brazilian territory.  The Amazon River and its tributaries are home to an astonishing array of bird, fish and animal life, including piranhas, parrots, anacondas, crocodiles, toucans and much, much more. 

In the heart of the Brazilian Amazon is the city of Manaus.  900 miles inland from the coast, Manaus was a sleepy frontier town when the rubber boom of the late nineteenth century hit.  When the many uses of rubber were discovered, Brazil was the world’s only producer.  In Manaus, fortunes were made overnight and the city began spending lavishly on culture.  The best example of this is the magnificent opera house, a downtown landmark.  When rubber trees were successfully grown in Southeast Asia, the boom ended.  Today, Manaus still ships out rubber as well as Brazil nuts, rosewood oil and other rain forest products, but it is also becoming known as a departure point for travelers wishing to explore the Amazon.

Another city of note in the region is Belém, located on the coast where the Amazon meets the ocean.  It was founded in 1616 as a strategic defensive position: the first building to be constructed there was a fort which could guard the Amazon and Portuguese economic interests.  Today, the old town and fort can still be visited, but the chief attraction is the ver-o-peso (“check-the-weight”) market.  A bustling fish and food market, it is frequented by international visitors because of the variety of Amazon souvenirs that can be purchased there, such as bead necklaces, blow dart guns, etc.

While you’re in the region, the local cuisine is worth sampling.  It is heavy on foods that are traditional to the indigenous people of the region, such as manioc, palm hearts and fresh fruit.

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