AMAPá

'Amapá'

Flag of Amapá
Map of Brazil highlighting the state
See other Brazilian States
'Capital'	Macapá
'Largest City'	Macapá
'Area'	142 816 km²
'Population'   - Total   - Density	477 032 3.3 inh./km²
'Governor'	Waldez Góes(PDT)
'Demonym'	''Amapaense''
'HDI' (2000)	0.753 – medium
'Timezone'	GMT-3
'ISO 3166-2'

'Amapá' (pron. ^[1]) is one of the states of Brazil, located in the extreme north, bordering French Guiana in the north. In the east is the Atlantic Ocean, and to the south and west is the Brazilian state Pará.

Contents

Geography

History

Flag

Notes

See also

External links

Geography

Amapá is located at the mouth of the Amazon River, and is mostly covered with rainforest. The interior features a number of low hills that constitute the extreme eastern end of the Guiana Highlands.
The state is currently a great producer and exporter of iron, bauxite, and other ores.
See also:

★ List of cities in Brazil (all cities and municipalities)

History

As the "Capitania" of Costa do Cabo Norte, the region was invaded by the English and Dutch, who were repelled by the Portuguese. The Treaty of Utrecht, in 1713 established the boundaries between Brazil and French Guiana, but these were not respected by the French. In the 18th century, France retook control of the area. This dispute would continue until 1900.
With the discovery of gold and the increasing value of rubber on the international market during the 19th century contributing to increases in population in Amapá, the territorial dispute with France was brought to a head; finally on December 1st, 1900, the Arbitration Commission of Geneva ceded possession of the territory to Brazil, which incorporated it into the state of Pará with the joint name of Araguari (named for the river of the same name). It became the federal territory of Amapá in 1943.
The discovery of rich manganese deposits in Serra do Navio in 1945 revolutionized the local economy, but Amapá did not achieve statehood until October 5th, 1988 with the promulgation of the new Brazilian Constitution.

Flag

The flag was adopted with decree No. 008 of April 23, 1984. The blue color on the top symbolizes the sky over Ampaná and justice, the green in the middle for the native rainforest, and the yellow on the bottom for the Union and for its natural resources. The black in the small strips reminds of the deceased who worked for the state, and the white for the will of the state to live in peace and stability. The symbol in the left symbolizes the Fortress of São José, out of which the state capital grew.


Before 1984 the state had a red-white-red flag very similar to the flag of Peru.

Notes

1. The presented pronunciation is in Brazilian Portuguese. The European Portuguese pronunciation is: //.

See also

★ Calçoene - Amapá town, site of pre-colonial observatory

External links

★ Amapa's location on a 3D globe (Java)

★ Governo do Estado do Amapá (In Portuguese)