Macapá

Macapá, the capital of the Brazilian state of Amapá, sits in the country’s North Region on the northern channel of the Amazon Delta, close to where the river meets the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2020, its estimated population is 512,902. The city occupies a small plateau on the Amazon River in the southeastern part of Amapá. The only road link to the outside world runs from the French overseas department of French Guiana, though regular ferries connect Macapá to Belém, Brazil. Roads also tie it to other towns within Amapá. The equator cuts straight through the city, earning it the nickname “the capital of the middle of the world.” Covering 6,407.12 square kilometers (2,473.80 square miles), Macapá lies northwest of the large inland island of Marajó and south of the border with French Guiana.

The name “Macapá” comes from the Tupi word *macapaba*, meaning “place of many bacabas”—the fruit of a local palm tree. In 1544, Spanish explorer Francisco de Orellana claimed the area, calling it Nueva Andalucía (New Andalusia). The modern settlement began as a base for a Portuguese military detachment stationed there in 1738. On February 4, 1758, Sebastião Veiga Cabral—the illegitimate child of the military governor of Trás-os-Montes, also named Sebastião Veiga Cabral—founded the town of São José de Macapá, under the authority of the governor of Pará, Francisco Xavier de Mendonça Furtado. Construction of the fortress of São Joselito de Macapá started in 1764 but took 18 years to finish, delayed by illness among Indigenous workers and frequent escapes by enslaved Black people. In the summer of 1811, an intense hurricane struck Macapá, heavily damaging the fortifications but leaving much of the city intact. Around 1834, a strange month-long storm caused daily flooding of up to six inches across the region. Macapá was officially raised to city status in 1854.

The city gained international attention in December 2001 when New Zealand yachtsman Peter Blake was murdered while anchored on his explorer yacht *Seamaster* in Macapá’s port. According to *Business Insider*, Macapá ranks as the 69th most violent city in the world, with 26.06 homicides per 100,000 people.

The metropolitan area of Macapá has a population of 499,163, making it the third largest in the North Region. The city itself accounts for 60% of Amapá’s population and 3.50% of the entire northern region of Brazil. According to the 2010 census, the city’s population was 397,913, with 97.92% living in urban areas and 2.08% in rural districts. With an area of 6,563 square kilometers (2,534 square miles), the population density is about 60.62 inhabitants per square kilometer.

Macapá has a few roads to other Brazilian cities but is mostly connected to the rest of the country by air and sea. It lies 345 kilometers (214 miles) from Belém, but the large inland island of Marajó separates them, with no direct highway—only boat or plane access. The Brazilian federal highway BR-156 links Macapá to French Guiana, running north through the Amazonian jungle. Other highways include AP-010, connecting Macapá to Santana to the southwest; AP-030, linking to the city of Mazagão; and BR-156, connecting southern Amapá and Laranjal do Jari to the northern town of Oiapoque. The Oyapoque River Bridge, open to traffic since March 20, 2017, provides the first road link between Brazil and French Guiana.

Macapá International Airport (officially Aeroporto Internacional de Macapá – Alberto Alcolumbre) sits 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) from the city center and is a vital link to other Brazilian cities. Commercial flights connect it to Belém, Brasília, Fortaleza, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, and São Paulo. The airport began as a small U.S. air base built during World War II to secure strategic bases in the South Atlantic.

Macapá is an economic center in northern Brazil and a commercial hub for Amapá. Gold, iron, lumber, manganese, oil, timber, and tin ore from the state’s interior pass through the city to the Port of Santana in the neighboring municipality of Santana. It is the fifth wealthiest city in northern Brazil, with a GDP of R$2,826,458,000 (2005). The city has a notably high rate of economic growth and a per capita income of R$7,950 (2005).

Portuguese is the official national language and the primary language taught in schools. English and French are also part of the official high school curriculum. Educational institutions include Universidade Federal do Amapá (UNIFAP), Universidade Estadual do Amapá (UEAP), Instituto Federal do Amapá (IFAP), Faculdade de Macapá (Fama), Faculdade de Tecnologia do Amapá (META), Instituto Macapaense do Melhor Ensino Superior (IMMES), and Faculdade Seama.

The Fortress of St. Joseph is a Vauban-style star fort built between 1764 and 1782, replacing two earlier fortifications in the city. It was constructed to protect Brazil’s northern extremity and control the Amazon Delta, and it remains one of Macapá’s main sights. The Marco Zero monument marks the equator’s position in the city and demonstrates the sun’s passage. During the spring and autumn equinoxes, the sun rises and sets directly on the equator line, shining on the monument along Avenue Equatorial, which runs a mile due east of it. The Estádio Milton Corrêa, commonly called Zerão (“Big Zero” because its midfield line sits exactly on the equator), is a multi-purpose stadium located in central Macapá on R. Ilvaldo Alves Veras.