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Manaus
Clearly, this is a world of enormous fascination to everyone interested in nature! With its legends and myths, the reality of the Amazon is still an enigma for humanity. |
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| The City |
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Manaus is the capital of the Amazonas State and the hub of the whole Amazon Region, with a population of about one million (in 1991).
Manaus lies on the River Negro, seven kilometers from the point where the Negro meets the River Solimoes to form the Brazilian Amazon.
Transformed into a European-like capital thanks to the rubber boom, Manaus was the first Brazilian city to have trolley busses and the second to have electric lights on the streets. When rubber started to be harvested from plantations in the far East in the beginning of the 20th century, Manaus rubber market collapsed and the city went into decay.
Nowadays Manaus is a busy trade center, having been transformed into a Free Trade Zone in 1966, encouraging many new industries, especially electronics companies, to move in.
Imagine a lavish 19th-century opera house imported in its entirety from Europe that entertained the likes of Sarah Bernhardt. Imagine a big river so wide that it appears to be the edge of a vast ocean. Imagine a jungle, surrounding the city, offering expedition tours and activities you will have nowhere else on earth.Imagine a big river so wide that it appears to be the edge of a vast ocean. Imagine all this and you begin to have an idea of what Manaus has to offer.
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| History |
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The History of Amazonas
Half way through XVI century, the name Amazonas was given by a Spanish monk called Gaspar de Carvajal, the first European columnist to travel through the Amazon River. The name, Amazonas, is an allusion to the women of the Greek mythology.
The Amazon region had a period of great development that was responsible for its nowadays face in one way or another.
During the rubber cycle (1879-1912), Amazon was responsible for almost 40% of all Brazilian exports. Manaus, the capital of the State of Amazonas, was the worldwide diamond selling capital, and its theater with 681 seats, was specially brought from Europe in a ship to be assembled in Brazil.
Due to the rubber boom, in the first years of the twentieth century, Brazilian Amazon had a national per capita revenue two times higher than the coffee production areas in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Espirito Santo. But all that wealthy vanished when the British took away some "Seringueiras" seeds to Malaysia. Today, the worldwide leader in natural rubber production.
People never really had any real interest in rubber itself. Until 1839, rubber was much more a weird product among common people than something to business man. It used to melt when exposed to heat and crack in cold.
When Sir Charles Goodyear once found out the rubber vulcanization process, the product turned out to be stable. So, the industry boom came on. Between 1850 and the beginning of the twentieth century the exports of rubber in the Amazon region grew thirty times.
Sir Henry Ford tried out the plantation of Seringueiras in Amazon, but the plantations collapsed due to the "Praga da Folha" pest attack. The region had a new economic boom only in 1967, with the establishment of the Zona Franca, a free trade zone.
History of Manaus
The area of Manaus started being settled in 1657 when a rescue troop commanded by Sir Bento Maciel Parente left the State of Maranhão and settled down in the estuary of Rio Tarumã, where the ceremony of driving in the Christ's Cross occurred as a symbol of conquering the land. The next year, a second rescue troop sent to Rio Negro, stayed at the same place as the first one, consequently, the Arraial do Tarumã was created.
Its main duty was to continue the efforts of the first expedition: the colonization of the area and teams organization to pick up drugs in the forest with the work of enslaved Indians.
During the year of 1668, Sir Pedro da Costa Favela and Frei Teodósio da Veiga, both from a religious brotherhood known as Irmandade dos Marcedários, who founded the village of Santo Elias do Rio Jaú, a few kilometers from the mouth of the river Tarumã (where the city of Airão started), had news about Dutchmen soldiers coming from Suriname. So, they decided to build up a fortress to fight the invaders. In 1669, Sir Francisco da Mota Falcão and his son Sir Manuel da Mota Siqueira began the construction of São José da Barra fortress, which location is at the left side of the Rio Negro. Its purpose was to protect the region from the Dutchmen coming from Suriname. The village that grew with the fortress' presence was named Lugar da Barra, Vila da Barra, Cidade da Barra do Rio Negro, and finally, in 1856, the place was definitely called Manaus.
The name Manaus comes from a well-known Indian tribe called Manaú or Manaos, that lived in that Rio Negro's region. The meaning of the word is: mother of the Gods.
Jungle
- Derived from the Sanskrit "jangala", this word was originally applied by anglo-indians to any impenetrable vegetation. Today, Jungle is the popular term for Tropical Rainforests, the World's most complex and spectacular ecosystem. Of all the regions of Tropical Rainforest in the world, the Amazon Jungle, one of the great wild places left on Earth, is by far the largest. The Amazon River itself carries a greater volume of water than any other river in the world. With an area of approximately 6.5 million square kilometers, the Amazon is a part of nine South American countries: Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Guiana, Surinam and French Guiana. The extraordinary wealth of plant and animal life in the Amazon basin has attracted explorers and scientists since the dawn of the sixteenth century. At least 30.000 out of 100.000 species of plants in Latin America are found in the Brazilian Amazon. The wildlife is equally diverse: There are thousands of creatures, amazingly different but each ideally suited for its particular way of life in the jungle. Clearly, this is a world of enormous fascination to everyone interested in nature! With its legends and myths, the reality of the Amazon is still an enigma for humanity.
Manaus
- Name of indigenous tribe which originally inhabited this particular area. Also meaning "Mother of God" in the native tongue. The city of Manaus - capital of the state of the Amazonas, with over 1.2 million inhabitants - is today the best equipped starting point for Eco-tourism in all of Brazil. Only a few hours from Manaus one can find a full variety of lodges, boats and guides for different activities. The Amazon is the ultimate last frontier, and now is the ideal moment to discover it!
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| General Inf |
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TELEPHONE AREA CODE
092/
CLIMATE
The climate in the Amazon river basin is characterized by equatorial humidity, with heavy rainfall all year round. Manaus is famous for its daily rainstorm each afternoon. The rain comes suddenly and heavily, but once the storm is over the city quickly dries off.
CLOTHING
Cool, lightweight clothing is most appropriate for this region. It is important to bring clothes which cover your arms and legs for protection against mosquitoes.
ELECTRICITY
110 V, sometimes 220 V
AIRPORT
The airport for both national and international flights is situated some 17 km outside the city. Bureaucratic formalities are notoriously slow so arrive at least 2 hours in advance.
HOTELS
Manaus has many hotels of all standards. Tourists often seek to stay in the forest lodges in the Amazon, rather than in town hotels.
BUSINESS HOURS
Business hours are the same as the rest of the country. Some banks only offer exchange services in the morning.
TAXIS
Manaus taxi drivers do not have a good reputation, it is better to use radio cabs.
MEDICAL
There is a hospital of tropical medicine, where treatment is free and the staff are used to dealing with foreigners. Tel: (092) 234-5955
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| How To Get There |
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The Eduardo Gomes Airport, is situated about 20 km from the centre.
We recommend a regular transfer with Driver / Guide, since you will be able to find out many useful details about Manaus and the area during the ride.
Specially trained guides will receive clients on the other side of customs with a name board and, on the way to the hotel, they will give all the necessary information about arrangements for the client´s stay in the Amazon.
For those who opt not to make use of this important service, other transport is available:
Taxi to the city centres is about USD 25,00.
Should you decide to spend a night in Manaus before going to a lodge, let BIT organize all local arrangements as it will guarantee a much smoother service.
TRANSFER TO LODGE
For those visiting a Lodge, transport from the airport or from the hotel to the pier is included.
Transfer procedures are described on button "Important" under each individual lodge. See Hotels.
Very Important:
* As access to the lodges involves several means of transport, passengers' luggage is, in many cases, limited to about 5 kg.
* Flying out of Manaus
As Manaus is a Free Trade Zone, airport procedures are the same as for international travel. Travellers therefore have to go through customs, even if they are flying within Brazil. Groups should arrive at the airport at least 2 hours before departure time. Prepare to cue.
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| Restaurants |
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Fish is the base of Amazonian culinary art, influenced by Indigenous and a little Portuguese kitchen. Only about 10 fishes out of 2000 different species are elected for the pan. By all means don’t miss to try Tambaqui, especially the rib BBQ (yes, we mean fish ribs, the size is amazing, really) or as a pot-au-feu. Tucunaré and Pirarucu are other two examples of delicious fishes.
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| Night Life |
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Enormous dance halls with live music are opened just for one day in the week. Ask your guide, driver or receptionist which place is on demand on this very day. Tucanos, Blue Angels, Ponta Negra (right by the Tropical Hotel) are one of many hot spots.
From may on you can't miss to visit a "Curral", the rehearsals of the "Bois" of Garantido and Caprichoso (please refer to the video of Parintins)
Praca do Congresso, at the inland end of Avenida Eduardo Ribeiro, is the centre of Manaus' nightlife, which doesn´t really get going until well after 10pm and continues through much of the night. bars and restaurants lie along Avenida Eduardo Ribeiro, Avenida Sete de Setembro and Avenida Getulio Vargas. There are a variety of bars, some with live music and a relaxing atmosphere. For those who want to try dancing forro, the main dancing establishments are clustered in the Cachoeirinha district, north of the centre.
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