Today I want to offer some background on the state of Amazonas.
Amazonas is the largest of the twenty-six states and one Federal Region that comprise the country of Brazil. Located in the North Region Amazonas borders the states of Acre, Para, Rondonia, and Mato Grosso. In addition, Amazonas borders the South American countries of Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela.
In Amazonas is found the highest part of Brazil, the Pico da Neblina.
The capital and largest city of Amazonas is Manaus, the one time rubber capital of the world.
Known by a variety of titles - Green Hell, Paradise of Rivers and El Dorado are a few.
The state received its name because of the Amazons legend, and it is also the name of its major river, the second longest river in the world. Other rivers in Amazonas are Rio Jurua, Rio Purus, Rio Madeira, Rio Negro, Rio Ica, Rio Uaupes, Rio Solimoes and Rio Japura.Amazonas' economy is based in agriculture, mining, fishing and industry.
History
The name "Amazonias" was given to the Amazon River by early Spanish explorers. These explorers fought minor battles with female Amerindian warriors who reminded the Spanish conquistadors of the fierce female warriors in Greek mythology. Another, more local belief is that the term Amazon comes from a local Amerindian word, amassunu, meaning "sounds of the waters".
The 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas, divided the planet (excluding Europe) between the Spanish and the Portuguese, territories west of (approximately) 46° 37' W belonging to Spain, those east of that longitude, to Portugal. Therefore originally, most of South America (with the exception for a small part of the east coast of modern Brazil) belonged to Spain. However, the Portuguese controlled the area along the Amazon River, with numerous settlements and large numbers of Portuguese soldiers. Finally, Spain officially ceded control of the region after signing the Treaty of Madrid in 1750.
Officially, the state of Amazonas was created by Dom Pedro II in 1850.
The state had an era of splendour beginning in the 1850s and in ending in 1900 with the end of rubber boom. However, the economic gains were built on the bodies of human suffering: thousands of Amerindian seringueiros (rubber tappers) died through disease and overwork.
As the 1800s came to an end, the Brazilian rubber monopoly was slowly dying, due to the competition of British and Dutch plantations in Southeast Asia that produced cheaper, superior quality rubber. The Amazonas state fell into serious economic decline by 1900. No serious aid came to the region until the 1950s when the Federal Government decided to rescue state from complete financial ruin.
The state capital of Manaus once a rich city, having street lighting and streetcars before London, fell into disrepair with the end of the rubber boom. In 1967, the federal government implemented a plan to revive the city by creating a Zona Franca (a free trade Zone), and today the city is the financial centre of the region.
Climate
Amazonas has an equatorial climate in which there is no dry season – all months produce rain fall.
Tropical rain forest is the natural vegetation in equatorial regions.
Tomorrow we will begin our tour of the cities, towns and rivers that are a part of this fasinating part of the world.
Amazonas is the largest of the twenty-six states and one Federal Region that comprise the country of Brazil. Located in the North Region Amazonas borders the states of Acre, Para, Rondonia, and Mato Grosso. In addition, Amazonas borders the South American countries of Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela.
In Amazonas is found the highest part of Brazil, the Pico da Neblina.
The capital and largest city of Amazonas is Manaus, the one time rubber capital of the world.
Known by a variety of titles - Green Hell, Paradise of Rivers and El Dorado are a few.
The state received its name because of the Amazons legend, and it is also the name of its major river, the second longest river in the world. Other rivers in Amazonas are Rio Jurua, Rio Purus, Rio Madeira, Rio Negro, Rio Ica, Rio Uaupes, Rio Solimoes and Rio Japura.Amazonas' economy is based in agriculture, mining, fishing and industry.
History
The name "Amazonias" was given to the Amazon River by early Spanish explorers. These explorers fought minor battles with female Amerindian warriors who reminded the Spanish conquistadors of the fierce female warriors in Greek mythology. Another, more local belief is that the term Amazon comes from a local Amerindian word, amassunu, meaning "sounds of the waters".
The 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas, divided the planet (excluding Europe) between the Spanish and the Portuguese, territories west of (approximately) 46° 37' W belonging to Spain, those east of that longitude, to Portugal. Therefore originally, most of South America (with the exception for a small part of the east coast of modern Brazil) belonged to Spain. However, the Portuguese controlled the area along the Amazon River, with numerous settlements and large numbers of Portuguese soldiers. Finally, Spain officially ceded control of the region after signing the Treaty of Madrid in 1750.
Officially, the state of Amazonas was created by Dom Pedro II in 1850.
The state had an era of splendour beginning in the 1850s and in ending in 1900 with the end of rubber boom. However, the economic gains were built on the bodies of human suffering: thousands of Amerindian seringueiros (rubber tappers) died through disease and overwork.
As the 1800s came to an end, the Brazilian rubber monopoly was slowly dying, due to the competition of British and Dutch plantations in Southeast Asia that produced cheaper, superior quality rubber. The Amazonas state fell into serious economic decline by 1900. No serious aid came to the region until the 1950s when the Federal Government decided to rescue state from complete financial ruin.
The state capital of Manaus once a rich city, having street lighting and streetcars before London, fell into disrepair with the end of the rubber boom. In 1967, the federal government implemented a plan to revive the city by creating a Zona Franca (a free trade Zone), and today the city is the financial centre of the region.
Climate
Amazonas has an equatorial climate in which there is no dry season – all months produce rain fall.
Tropical rain forest is the natural vegetation in equatorial regions.
Tomorrow we will begin our tour of the cities, towns and rivers that are a part of this fasinating part of the world.
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