Macapá () is the capital of the Brazilian state of Amapá, in the country's North Region, located on the northern channel of the Amazon Delta near its mouth on the Atlantic Ocean. Its population is estimated to be 512,902 (2020). The city is on a small plateau on the Amazon in the southeast of the state of Amapá. The only access by road from outside the province is from the overseas French department of French Guiana, although there are regular ferries to Belém, Brazil. Macapá is linked by road with some other cities in Amapá. The equator runs through the middle of the city, leading residents to refer to Macapá as "The capital of the middle of the world." It covers and is located northwest of the large inland island of Marajó and south of the border with French Guiana. According to Business Insider, Macapá is the 69th most violent city in the world, with 26.06 homicides per 100,000 people.

Demography

Macapá has a population of 499,163 in its metropolitan area, the 3rd largest in the North Region. The city alone accounts for sixty percent of the population of state of Amapá and 3.50% of the population of the entire northern region of Brazil. According to the 2010 census, the city has a population of 397,913, of which 97.92% live in urban areas and 2.08% live in rural districts. With an area of , the population density of Macapá is approximately 60.62 inhabitants per km<sup>2</sup>.

Transportation

Macapá has a few roads to other cities in Brazil but is mainly connected to the rest of the country by air and sea. Macapá is located from Belém, but the cities are separated by the large inland island of Marajó and have no direct highway connections; the city is accessible only by boat or airplane. The Oyapoque River Bridge has been open to traffic since March 20, 2017, linking Brazil and French Guiana by road for the first time.

Airport

Macapá International Airport (officially: Aeroporto Internacional de Macapá – Alberto Alcolumbre) is located from the city center and serves as a vital link between Macapá and other cities in Brazil. Commercial flights connect Macapá to Belém, Brasília, Fortaleza, Recife Airport, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, and São Paulo. The airport traces its history to a small air base built by the United States during World War II to secure strategic bases in the South Atlantic region.

It contains the Rio Curiaú Environmental Protection Area, created in 1992 to protect an area near the urban center from city sprawl, and to protect the culture of the traditional inhabitants.

It contains the Fazendinha Environmental Protection Area, created in 2004.

Climate

The Macapá region includes large tracts of tropical rainforest and experiences relatively high rainfall. Macapá features a tropical monsoon climate (Am) under the Köppen climate classification, with a lengthy wet season from December through July, and a relatively short dry season that covers the remaining four months. However, a noticeable amount of rain is observed even during the dry season, a trait common to a number of other areas with this climate.

|source 2=Meteo Climat (record highs and lows) and Weather Atlas (UV index)

Subdivisions

thumb|Sunset in Vila Progresso, Bailique

The municipality is subdivided in five districts:

  • Macapá, the city proper
  • Bailique
  • Carapanantuba
  • Fazendinha

In 1992, the villages of Curiaú de Dentro, Curiaú de Fora, Casa Grande, Curralinho and Mocambo in the municipality of Macapá were recognised as quilombos, settlements by escaped slaves, resulting in the establishment of the Rio Curiaú Environmental Protection Area.

See also

  • Central Market of Macapá

References

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  • City website: Cidade de Macapá in Portuguese