Tucuruí 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' ...

in the

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Pará Pará () is a Federative units of Brazil, state of Brazil, located in northern Brazil and traversed by the lower Amazon River. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins (state), Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas (Brazilian st ...

in the Northern region of

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 ...

. The city is served by Tucuruí Airport. The name Tucuruí is a Tupi word that means "river of ants" or "river of locusts". It is the concatenation of two Tupi words: tukura (ants, locusts) and 'y (water). The city is very famous because of its colossal Dam, the

Tucuruí Dam The Tucuruí Dam (Tucuruí means "grasshopper's water", translated from Tupí language; ) is a concrete gravity dam on the Tocantins River located on the Tucuruí County in the State of Pará, Brazil. The main purpose of the dam is hydroelectric ...

which is administered by Eletrobrás Eletronorte – the constructor company of this large infrastructure project.

Economy

Currently, Tucuruí city's economy is based on agriculture and general commerce. During its 60 years the commerce activity varied a lot. In the beginning there was a railroad for draining out the production of the Brazil Nut (known in Brazil as "Pará's Nut"), a very abundant available product in the region. The Tucuruí Dam developed the municipality and brought large industries for the region.

Tourism

In Tucuruí, you can explore the dam lake, one of the largest artificial lakes ever made by man. It has of depth and more than of total extension. You can visit islands, fishing Cichla or

Tambaqui The tambaqui (''Colossoma macropomum'') is a large species of freshwater fish in the family Serrasalmidae. It is native to tropical South America, but kept in aquaculture and Introduced species, introduced elsewhere. It is also known by the names ...

and see natural beauties that you can only find in Amazon. The historical site of city has old buildings and the Museum of Extinct Railroad - the historical museum with many pictures and objects from the city's beginning. There is a train that was used in the period of Brazil Nut that was restored and placed in front of the Eletrobás Eletronorte Cultural Center. Inside the Cultural Center, visits to the inside the hydroelectric dam to see its workings are scheduled. In February there is the Tucuruí carnival party, one of the most known in region. In June, there is the Tucunaré's festival (Cichla Festival), when traditional preparations of fish are served.

Gastronomy

Tucuruí has a privileged lake with many species of fish. Naturally, the local gastronomy has much fish in it. The most known is the Peixe no Saco (Fish in the Bag). The Peixe no Saco is a preparation of Chichla or Tambaqui with a wide variety of spices and herbs placed within the fish's stomach. The fish is then placed on a special waterproof bag with soy sauce and roasted in oven or in firewood. Other gastronomic options include indigenous food. There is the Tacacá (a broth made of tucupi, jambu native variety of paracress starch and shrimp served in a gourd usually to drink without spoon or fork. There is just a toothpick for eating the shrimp and the herbs) and the Vatapá and maniçoba.

Airport

Tucuruí airport is located about far from the city. It is currently only served by Azul Brazilian Airlines.

Climate

References