Macapa Travel Guide, Brazil

Macapa Travel Guide – The Equator City

This Macapa travel guide will give you an insight on the Brazilian city known as “The Capital of the Middle of the World”. Macapa is located on the Amazon River and functions as the capital of the state of Amapa, which lies in the extreme north of Brazil. The unique characteristic of Macapa is that it lies exactly on the Equator at zero degrees latitude and there is a monument in the centre of the city known as Marco Zero that celebrates this particular aspect. The climate in Macapa is equatorial, a subspecies of the tropical climate which has no dry season and humidity is very high all year long. This led to the formation of the tropical rainforests that cover 70 percent of state Amapa’s territory. The tropical rainforests are characterized by very heavy rain falls and lack of sunlight which causes the trees to grow very tall and makes it possible for adventurers to walk through the jungle.

Macapa Travel Guide – Transportation and Economy

As you’ll surely find from all Macapa travel guides, the city can’t be reached only by plane or boat, as there is no road connecting it to the closest city of Belem. Its distance from the capital city Brasilia is of almost 1800 kilometers. Macapa International Airport serves several Brazil and South American destinations and there are some roads that will take you to other small cities in the state and in the country. The city has a population of 370.000 inhabitants and the main economical source for the population is mining. From gold, tin iron, manganese and lumber, to oil and fish, the locals take the best advantage they can of their natural resources and there are manufacturers that handle the production of rubber and food products which go to export.

Macapa Travel Guide – Culture and Education

Macapa grew rather slowly since its foundation in 1688, when some military men settled here next to a fortress that protected the mouth of the river Amazon. The fortress is now a museum in the city centre and another highly particular aspect in the modern city is its stadium (the Zerao), the only football field in the world which stands with each half in a different hemisphere. The official language in Macapa is Portugese, but English and French are being taught in schools as official languages. The city also has two Universities and it is the largest education centre in the state of Amapa.