Amapá () is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

located in the easternmost portion of the homonymous state of

Amapá Amapá (; ) is one of the 26 federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil. It is in the North Region, Brazil, North Region of Brazil. It is Federative units of Brazil#List, the second-least populous state and the eighteenth-largest state by area ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. Its population is 9,187 and its area is .

History

The borders between

French Guiana French Guiana, or Guyane in French, is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France located on the northern coast of South America in the Guianas and the West Indies. Bordered by Suriname to the west ...

and

were not clear. Attempts at negotiations failed, and in 1862 it was decided that the area between the

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...

and the

Oyapock The Oyapock or Oiapoque ( ; ; ) is a long river in South America that forms most of the border between the French overseas department of French Guiana and the Brazilian state of Amapá. Course The Oyapock runs through the Guianan moist for ...

was a neutral territory. In 1894 gold was discovered in the

Calçoene River Calçoene River is a river of Amapá Amapá (; ) is one of the 26 federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil. It is in the North Region, Brazil, North Region of Brazil. It is Federative units of Brazil#List, the second-least populous state an ...

, which resulted in a declaration of an autonomous state under Brazilian protection by general Francisco Cabral. In May 1895, Camille Charvein, the Governor of French Guiana, sent troops to Mapá (nowadays: Amapá). During the battle, six French, and 30 Brazilian soldiers and civilians were killed . In 1897, France and Brazil asked Switzerland to settle the dispute, and most of the territory was given to Brazil in what is nowadays the state of

. The municipality was founded in 1911 as Montenegro. In 1930, the name was changed to Amapá after the Amapá tree. The municipality contains two districts: the town of Amapá and

Sucuriju Sucuriju is a fishing village and district in the Brazilian municipality of Amapá, in the state of Amapá. The village is located on the Sucuriju River near the Atlantic Ocean. History Sucuriju is on the South American continent, however it is s ...

. The municipality is home to a

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

airbase built by the Americans which has been turned into a museum.

Geography

The municipality is home to part of the

Lago Piratuba Biological Reserve Lago Piratuba Biological Reserve () is a biological reserve in the state of Amapá, Brazil. Location The Lago Piratuba Biological Reserve, which covers , was established by decree of 16 July 1980. It is administered by the Chico Mendes Institute ...

. It also contains the

Maracá-Jipioca Ecological Station Maracá-Jipioca Ecological Station () is an ecological station covering two islands about offshore from Amapá, a municipality in Amapá state, Brazil. It protects an area of coastal mangroves and tropical rainforest. Location The ecological st ...

, which covers two very low-lying islands just off the coast with rich biodiversity. It contains 6.32% of the

Amapá State Forest The Amapá State Forest () is a state forest in the state of Amapá, Brazil. Location The Amapá State Forest is divided between the municipalities of Tartarugalzinho (7.64%), Pracuúba (4.52%), Porto Grande (7.72%), Oiapoque (24.15%), Mazagã ...

, a sustainable use conservation unit established in 2006. It contains 3.08% of the

Amapá National Forest The Amapá National Forest () is a national forest in the state of Amapá, Brazil. It supports sustainable exploitation of the natural resources in an area of Amazon rainforest in the Guiana Shield. Location The Amapá National Forest is divide ...

, a sustainable use conservation unit created in 1989. From Amapá you can access Cachoeira Grande, a series of waterfalls in the

Amapá Grande River Amapá Grande River is a river of Amapá state in eastern Brazil. See also *List of rivers of Amapá List of rivers in Amapá (Brazilian State). The list is arranged by drainage basin from north to south, with respective tributaries indented un ...

. The site is technically located in the

Calçoene Calçoene () is a municipality located in the east of the state of Amapá in Brazil. It is located on the Atlantic Ocean in the Amazon jungle basin near French Guiana. Calçoene covers and has a population is 11,306. The name Calçoene is a corr ...

municipality. Near the falls, is a sandbank and a holiday resort with restaurants.

References

External links

Official site
(in Portuguese) {{DEFAULTSORT:Amapa (city) Populated places in Amapá Municipalities in Amapá