Amapá

For the municipality located within this state, see Amapá (city).

State of Amapá
—  State  —
Flag Coat of arms
Location of State of Amapá in Brazil
Coordinates: 1°23′N 51°49′W
Country	Brazil
Capital and Largest City	Macapá
Government
• Governor	Camilo Góes Capiberibe
• Vice Governor	Dora Nascimento de Souza
Area
• Total	142,814.585 km2 (55,141.020 sq mi)
Area rank	18th
Population (2012)
• Total	698,602
• Rank	26th
• Density	Bad rounding here4.9/km2 (Bad rounding here13/sq mi)
• Density rank	24th
Demonym	Amapaense
GDP
• Year	2006 estimate
• Total	R$ 5,260,000,000 (25th)
• Per capita	R$ 8,543 (14th)
HDI
• Year	2005
• Category	0.780 – medium (12th)
Time zone	BRT (UTC-3)
Postal Code	68900-000 to 68999-000
ISO 3166 code	BR-AP

Amapá (Portuguese pronunciation: [ɐmɐˈpa]) is one of the states of Brazil, located in the extreme north, bordering French Guiana and Suriname to the north. To the east is the Atlantic Ocean, and to the south and west is the Brazilian state of Pará. The estuary of the River Oiapoque, once considered the northernmost point of Brazil, is at the extreme north of the Brazilian coast. The dominant feature of the region—90 percent of the total area—is the Amazon Rainforest. Unexplored forests occupy 70 percent of its territory. The state's capital and largest city Macapá can only be reached by boat or airplane.

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 the colony of 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, which led to population increases in Amapá, the territorial dispute with France was brought to a head; finally, on December 1, 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 5, 1988, with the promulgation of the new Brazilian Constitution.

Geography

The State of Amapá also possesses the lowest rate of loss of its original vegetation for any Brazilian state at only 2%. Most of the Amapá territory is covered with forest, while the remaining areas are covered with savannah and plains. On the Amapá coast, almost intact beaches mix with swamps, creating the largest representation of this biome in Brazil, and this mixture of salt and fresh water is perfect for the food chain reproduction for several animal species.

Climate

An equatorial climate is a type of tropical climate in which there is no dry season—all months have mean precipitation values of at least 60 mm. It is usually found at latitudes within five degrees of the equator, which are dominated by the Intertropical Convergence Zone. The equatorial climate is denoted Af in the Köppen climate classification. Tropical rainforest is the natural vegetation in equatorial regions.

Vegetation

Amazon Rainforest

The Amazon represents over half of the planet's remaining rainforests and comprises the largest and most species-rich tract of tropical rainforest in the world. Wet tropical forests are the most species-rich biome, and tropical forests in the Americas are consistently more species-rich than the wet forests in Africa and Asia. As the largest tract of tropical rainforest in the Americas, the Amazonian rainforests have unparalleled biodiversity. More than 1/3 of all species in the world live in the Amazon Rainforest.

Demographics

According to the IBGE of 2007, there were 619,000 people residing in the state with a population density of 4.3/km².

Urbanization: 93.7% (2006); Population growth: 5.7% (1991–2000); Houses: 144,000 (2006).

The last PNAD (National Research for Sample of Domiciles) census revealed the following numbers: 429,000 Brown (Multiracial) people (69.4%), 148,000 White people (24.0%), 40,000 Black people (6.5%), 6,000 Asian or Amerindian people (1.0%).

Economy

The service sector is the largest component of GDP at 87.6%, followed by the industrial sector at 7.8%. Agriculture represents 4.6% of GDP (2004). Amapá exports: wood 75.5%, ores 18.7%, heart of palm 5.5% (2002).

Share of the Brazilian economy: 0.2% (2005).

Education

Portuguese is the official national language, and thus the primary language taught in schools while French is the second language taught in every school due to the proximity of French Guyana. There is also a creole language spoken called Lanc-Patuá.

Educational institutions

• Universidade Federal do Amapá (Unifap) (Federal University of Amapá);
• Universidade Estadual do Amapá (UEAP);
• Instituto Federal do Amapá (IFAP);
• Centro de Ensino Superior do Amapá (Ceap);
• Instituto de Ensino Superior do Amapá (Iesap);
• Instituto Macapaense de Ensino Superior (IMMES);
• Faculdade Seama;
• and many others.

Infrastructure

International Airport

The state of Amapá will soon have a new airport. Infraero will start work on the new Macapá International Airport, which will contain 17,000 square meters of space to serve 700,000 passengers a year. The current airport, with an area of 2,900 square meters, operates annually with 324,000 passengers. The work, scheduled for conclusion in 30 months [ACTUAL DATE?], will enlarge the parking lot to 258 spots against the current 80 and expand the total area from 2,400 to 11,000 square meters. The apron area will be increased from its current area of 21,000 square meters to 30,000 square meters, with capacity for four large airplanes and 30 small aircraft.

Flag

The flag was adopted by decree No. 008 of April 23, 1984. The blue on top symbolizes the sky over Amapá and justice, the green represents the native rainforest, and the yellow at the bottom stands for the Union and its natural resources. The black in the small stripes stands for the deceased who worked for the state, and the white for the will of the state to live in peace and stability. The symbol at 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.

See also

• Brazil
• Calçoene - Amapá town, site of pre-colonial observatory

External links

• (Portuguese) Official Website