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Amapá

State of Brazil

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Through Atlantic Ocean, Pará and Gross domestic product

In the colonial period the region was called Portuguese Guiana and was part of Portugal's State of Brazil. Later, the region was distinguished from the other Guianas. Amapá was once part of Pará, but became a separate territory in 1943, and the decision to make it a state was made in 1988. The first state legislators took office on 1 January 1991.

The dominant feature of the region, and 90 percent of its total area, is the Amazon rainforest. Unexplored forests occupy 70 percent of Amapá, and Tumucumaque Mountains National Park, established in 2002, is the largest tropical forest park in the world. The mouth of the River Oiapoque is the northern end of Brazil's coastline.

History

During the colonial era from 1637 to 1654 the Amapá region was merged into the Captaincy of Pará, which was the Captaincy of Cabo de Norte. In the early colonial period the Amapá region was a rich source of lumber, resins, annatto, vegetable oils, and salted fish, all of which were exported to Europe. The French established sugarcane plantations in this period.

With the discovery of mineral deposits the Amapá region was invaded by the British and Dutch, who were ultimately repelled by the Portuguese. The Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 established the boundaries between the colony of Brazil and French Guiana, but these were not respected by the French. A fort was constructed at São José de Macapá, in present-day Macapá, as a base of Portuguese power in the region. In the 18th century, France retook control of the area. This international dispute continued until 1900.

The discovery of gold and the increasing value of rubber on the international market during the 19th century increased the Portuguese population of Amapá, bringing the dispute with France to a head. Although French settlers had established the Republic of Independent Guyana (1886–1891), Brazil challenged the Amapá claim through international arbitration in Geneva on 1 December 1900, which was found in favour of Brazil. It was subsequently incorporated into the state of Pará, as Araguari after the Araguari River and in 1943 this became the federal territory of Amapá.

The discovery of rich manganese deposits in Serra do Navio in 1945 revolutionized the local economy. Manganese remains the largest source of revenue in the state. Amapá's move to statehood was made on 5 October 1988, at the time of the promulgation of the new Brazilian Constitution, with the first state legislators taking office at the start of 1991.

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