Laranjal do Jari

History

The land was originally inhabited by Amerindians. Later businessmen set up rubber plantations. The largest plantation was owned by José Júlio de Andrade who owned 35,000 square kilometres (14,000 sq mi) of land which made him the biggest landowner at the time. In 1948, his tenants revolted and he was forced to sell the land to Portuguese businessmen who sold it to Daniel K. Ludwig, an American billionaire, in 1964.

In 1967, Ludwig conceived the Jari project. He wanted to replace the rainforest with Gmelina arborea for the pulp industry. A planned city called Monte Dourado was built in Almeirim, however it was unable to provide housing for all the workers, and a shanty town called Beiradão emerged on the other side of the Jari River. The project turned into a major money losing failure, and in 1982, he sold the land.

In 1987, the land became an independent municipality, and Beiradão was renamed Laranjal do Jari. The city is still mainly a river slum, and suffers from fires, floods, and open sewage.