Macapá

Macapá
Municipality
The Municipality of Macapá

Macapá equator

Flag
Seal
Nickname(s): "A Capital do Meio do Mundo" ("The Capital of the Middle of the World")

Location of Macapá in the State of Amapá
Macapá

Location in Brazil

Coordinates: 0°2′2″N 51°3′59″W / 0.03389°N 51.06639°WCoordinates: 0°2′2″N 51°3′59″W / 0.03389°N 51.06639°W
Country  Brazil
Region North
State Amapá
Founded February 4, 1758
Government
 • Mayor Clécio Luís (PSOL)
Area
 • Municipality 6,407.12 km2 (2,473.80 sq mi)
Elevation 12 m (39 ft)
Population (2010 census)
 • Municipality 397,913
 • Density 62/km2 (160/sq mi)
 • Metro 499,166
Time zone UTC-3
Postal Code 68900-000
Area code(s) (+55) 96
Website www.macapa-ap.com.br

Macapá is a city in Brazil and the capital of Amapá state in the country's North Region. The city has few land connections to other parts of the country, owing to Amapá's difficult terrain. The equator runs through the middle of the city, leading residents to refer to Macapá as "The capital of the middle of the world."

History

Macapá is a corruption of the Tupi word macapaba, or "place of many bacabas", the fruit of the local palm tree. The Spaniard Francisco de Orellana claimed the region in 1544 and called it Nueva Andalucía (New Andalusia).[1] The modern town began as the base of a Portuguese military detachment, stationed there in 1738. On February 4, 1758 Sebastião Veiga Cabral, the illegitimate child of the military governor of Trás-os-Montes, Sebastião Veiga Cabral, founded the town of São José de Macapá, under the authority of the governor of Pará, Francisco Xavier de Mendonça Furtado. The fortress of São José de Macapá was first laid out in 1764, but took 18 years to complete, due to illness among the Indian workers, and numerous escapes made by black slaves.[1]

Macapá gained international notoriety in December 2001 when international yachtsman Peter Blake, from New Zealand, was murdered while anchored on his explorer yacht Seamaster in Macapá port.[2] According to Business Insider, Macapá is the 45th most violent city in the world, with 32.06 homicides per 100,000 people.[3]

Demography

Macapá has a population of 499,166 in its metropolitan area, the third largest in the North Region. The city alone accounts for 60% of the population of state of Amapá and 3.50% of the population of the entire northern region of Brazil. According to the 2010 census, the city has a population of 397,913, of which 97.92% live in urban areas and 2.08% live in rural districts. With an area of 6563 km ², the population density of Macapá is approximately 60.62 inhabitants per km ².

Transportation

Macapá International Airport.

Macapá is located 345 km from Belém, but is accessible only by boat or airplane. There are few roads[1] to mainland Brazil, although it is possible to drive to Georgetown, Guyana. The city is connected with the rest of the North Region via the following highways: the AP-010, linking Macapá to Santana to the southwest; the AP-030, linking to the city of Mazagão; the BR-156, linking to the south of Amapá and Laranjal do Jari; and the Ap-330, linking to the northern town of Oiapoque. Once customs facilities are complete, the Oyapoque River Bridge will open for traffic, linking Brazil and French Guiana for the first time. The city is served by Alberto Alcolumbre International Airport.

Economy

Macapá is the fifth wealthiest city in northern Brazil,with a GDP of R$ 2,826,458,000 (2005).[4] The city has a notably high rate of economic growth and a per capita income of R$ 7,950 (2005).[5]

Education

Portuguese is the official national language, and thus the primary language taught in schools. However, English and French are part of the official high school curriculum due to Macapá's proximity to French Guiana and Guyana.

Educational institutions

Among others,

Geography and climate

The Macapá region includes large tracts of tropical rainforest and experiences relatively high rainfall. Macapá features a tropical monsoon climate (Am) under the Köppen climate classification, with a lengthy wet season from December through August, and a relatively short dry season that covers the remaining three months. However, a noticeable amount of rain is observed even during the dry season, a trait common to a number of other areas with this climate.[6] Average temperatures are relatively consistent throughout the year, hovering around 23 °C (73 °F) in the mornings[7] and 31 °C (88 °F) in the afternoon.[8]

Climate data for Macapá (1961–1990)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 34
(93)		 33.4
(92.1)		 32.9
(91.2)		 33.2
(91.8)		 33.1
(91.6)		 33
(91)		 32.8
(91)		 33.7
(92.7)		 35
(95)		 36.3
(97.3)		 39.6
(103.3)		 36
(97)		 39.6
(103.3)
Average high °C (°F) 29.7
(85.5)		 29.2
(84.6)		 29.3
(84.7)		 29.5
(85.1)		 30
(86)		 30.3
(86.5)		 30.6
(87.1)		 31.5
(88.7)		 32.1
(89.8)		 32.6
(90.7)		 32.3
(90.1)		 31.4
(88.5)		 30.7
(87.3)
Daily mean °C (°F) 25.9
(78.6)		 25.7
(78.3)		 25.7
(78.3)		 26
(79)		 26.2
(79.2)		 26.2
(79.2)		 26.1
(79)		 26.8
(80.2)		 27.5
(81.5)		 28
(82)		 27.8
(82)		 27.1
(80.8)		 26.6
(79.9)
Average low °C (°F) 23
(73)		 23.1
(73.6)		 23.2
(73.8)		 23.5
(74.3)		 23.5
(74.3)		 23.2
(73.8)		 22.9
(73.2)		 23.3
(73.9)		 23.4
(74.1)		 23.5
(74.3)		 23.5
(74.3)		 23.4
(74.1)		 23.3
(73.9)
Record low °C (°F) 20
(68)		 20.4
(68.7)		 21.1
(70)		 21.4
(70.5)		 21.4
(70.5)		 21
(70)		 20.2
(68.4)		 21
(70)		 21
(70)		 21
(70)		 21
(70)		 20.4
(68.7)		 20
(68)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 305.5
(12.028)		 341.5
(13.445)		 407.7
(16.051)		 378.9
(14.917)		 361.7
(14.24)		 219.8
(8.654)		 182.3
(7.177)		 97.8
(3.85)		 43
(1.69)		 31.9
(1.256)		 58.6
(2.307)		 132.5
(5.217)		 2,561.3
(100.839)
Avg. rainy days (≥ 1 mm) 20 19 22 21 22 18 16 10 5 3 4 9 169
Average relative humidity (%) 86 87 88 89 88 86 85 81 76 75 76 80 83.1
Mean monthly sunshine hours 147.3 110.1 109.2 114.8 152 190.1 227.1 271.4 272.5 282.4 252.9 205.4 2,335.2
Source: Brazilian National Institute of Meteorology (INMET).[9][8][7][6][10][11][12][13][14]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 História de Macapá in Portuguese
  2. ↑ "Sir Peter Blake Murdered". TV NZ. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  3. ↑ Pamela Engel; Christina Sterbenz; Gus Lubin (27 November 2013). "The Most Violent Cities In The World". Business Insider. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
  4. ↑ GDP (PDF) (in Portuguese). Macapá, Brazil: IBGE. 2005. ISBN 85-240-3919-1. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
  5. ↑ per capita income (PDF) (in Portuguese). Macapá, Brazil: IBGE. 2005. ISBN 85-240-3919-1. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Precipitação Acumulada Mensal e Anual (mm)" (in Portuguese). Brazilian National Institute of Meteorology. 1961–1990. Archived from the original on May 4, 2014. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Temperatura Mínima (°C)" (in Portuguese). Brazilian National Institute of Meteorology. 1961–1990. Archived from the original on May 4, 2014. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Temperatura Máxima (°C)" (in Portuguese). Brazilian National Institute of Meteorology. 1961–1990. Archived from the original on May 4, 2014. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Temperatura Média Compensada (°C)" (in Portuguese). Brazilian National Institute of Meteorology. 1961–1990. Archived from the original on May 4, 2014. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Número de Dias com Precipitação Mayor ou Igual a 1 mm (dias)". Brazilian National Institute of Meteorology. Archived from the original on May 4, 2014. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Insolação Total (horas)". Brazilian National Institute of Meteorology. Archived from the original on May 4, 2014. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Umidade Relativa do Ar Média Compensada (%)". Brazilian National Institute of Meteorology. Archived from the original on May 4, 2014. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Temperatura Máxima Absoluta (ºC)". Brazilian National Institute of Meteorology (Inmet). Archived from the original on June 21, 2014. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
  14. ↑ "Temperatura Mínima Absoluta (ºC)". Brazilian National Institute of Meteorology (Inmet). Archived from the original on June 21, 2014. Retrieved August 29, 2014.

External links