City

 

Located in

Pará, Brazil

 

Population

1,574,000 (1995)

 

Also known as

Santa Maria de Belém do Grão Pará

 

Gateway to the mighty Amazon, the city of Belém serves as the lower Amazon's chief port and as the primary trade centre of northern Brazil. Belém's harbour is located along the Pará River, a tributary of the Amazon that links the waterway with the Atlantic Ocean and is accessible to oceangoing ships. The city is the capital of Pará State.

Founded in 1616 by the Portuguese, Belém was the first centre of European colonization along the Amazon. The city's fortunes fluctuated until the late 19th century, when the opening of the Amazon, Tapajós, and Tocantins rivers to trade secured its commercial importance. A surge of profitable rubber plantations in the beginning of the 20th century established Belém as an increasingly important city. A number of the city's finest buildings, including the city palace and the Bolonha Palace, were edifices commissioned during the reign of the wealthy rubber barons.

Today the city's main exports are nuts—predominantly Brazil nuts—black pepper, and jute. The city also has a number of sawmills, machine shops, shipyards, and diverse manufacturing plants contributing to its economy. One of the most attractive cities in South America, Belém has numerous public squares and well-paved streets, many of which extend to the edge of the jungle. The cultural centre of northern Brazil, Belém is the site of the Federal University of Pará and the Goeldi Museum, with its world-famous ethnological and zoological collections on the Amazon.

Unloading at Belém
From Belém’s docks on the Pará River, fruit of the acai palm is distributed to markets. This deep-purple fruit, with a gritty texture and tasting of berries, is often used in wines and syrups. Rain forests in Brazil produce a large assortment of exotic fruit and juices.

Will & Deni McIntyre/Photo Researchers, Inc.