Serra do Navio (), (''Mountain range of the Ship'') 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 center of the state of

Amapá Amapá () is one of the 26 states of Brazil. It is in the northern region of Brazil. It is the second least populous state and the eighteenth largest by area. Located in the far northern part of the country, Amapá is bordered clockwise by Fr ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. Its population is 5,488 (2020 est.) and its area is 7,713 km². In the 1947,

Manganese Manganese is a chemical element with the symbol Mn and atomic number 25. It is a hard, brittle, silvery metal, often found in minerals in combination with iron. Manganese is a transition metal with a multifaceted array of industrial alloy u ...

was discovered in the area. Serra do Navio was built as a planned city to house the workers. On 22 June 1993, the capital of the municipality was changed from Água Branca do Amapari to Serra do Novio.

History

In the 1947,

was discovered in the area. ICOMI was given the concession to exploit the mines, however the scale of the operation was such, that

Bethlehem Steel Company The Bethlehem Steel Corporation was an American steelmaking company headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. For most of the 20th century, it was one of the world's largest steel producing and shipbuilding companies. At the height of its succe ...

was given a 49% stake in 1950. The Amapá Railway, and two towns for the workers were constructed: Serra do Navio and Vila Amazonas near Santana where a harbour was built. Serra do Navio was built according to North-American standards and was considered a model town. During the 1980s, the mine produced about 1,000,000 tons of ore, however Bethlehem Steel wanted to end the cooperation, because the deposits were being exhausted. The contract was originally set to end in 2003, however in 1996, Bethlehem Steel decided to end the contract. Serra do Navio Amapá Brazil

The closing of the main mine, led to a steep decrease in population, and the appearance of a

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * ''Ghost Town'' (1956 film), an American Western film by All ...

. Smaller mines still operate in the region. Other economic activities include agriculture, and forestry. Serra do Navio is located on the

BR-210 BR-210 is a federal highway of Brazil. The 411.7 kilometre road, popularly known as ' ("north perimeter"), is primarily located in the Northern Brazilian state of Roraima, with other segments in Amazonas, Pará, and Amapá. The planning of the ...

highway. The municipality is subdivided in two districts: The town of Serra do Navio and

Cachaço Cachaço is a village on the island of Brava, Cape Verde. It is situated in the mountains, 4 km south of the island capital Nova Sintra. In 2010 its population was 228. Its elevation is 592 meters. Cachaço is the second southernmost settlement in ...

Nature

The municipality contains 7.83% of the Amapá State Forest, a sustainable use conservation unit established in 2006.

Notable people

Fernanda Takai Fernanda Barbosa Takai (; born 25 August 1971) is a Brazilian singer, better known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of rock band Pato Fu. She has also been working on a solo career since 2007. In 2011, she collaborated with Atom™, ...

(1975), singer and guitarist

Climate

References

External links

Official website
(in Portuguese) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Serra Do Navio Manganese mines in Brazil Municipalities in Amapá Planned cities in Brazil Populated places in Amapá