Macapá

Macapá, city, capital of Amapá estado (state), northern Brazil. It lies on the northern channel (Canal do Norte) of the Amazon River delta, situated on a small plateau of firm ground 50 feet (15 metres) above sea level, just on the Equator.

Macapá was given city status in 1856. A duty-free zone, it is the commercial, manufacturing, and transportation centre of the state, exporting high-grade manganese (including silicomanganese and ferromanganese), gold, iron, and tin ores and lumber from its hinterland. Automobiles, timber, oils, pelts from jungle animals, and fish from both the river and the ocean are exported from Macapá’s port, Pôrto Sontana. The city has air links with Belém in Pará state and with Rio de Janeiro, and local roads and a railroad lead to the manganese mines at Serra do Navio. Pop. (2010) 398,204.