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| Belém |
Population : 2,249,405.
Area: 1,059.40 km2 (409.04 sq mi).
Location: Belém, Pará, Brazil.
Website: Official site.
Belém is a Brazilian city, the capital and
largest city of state of Pará in the country's north. It is the entrance gate
to the River Amazon with a busy port, airport, and bus/coach station. Belém
lies approximately 100 km upriver from the Atlantic Ocean, on the Pará River,
which is part of the greater Amazon River system, separated from the larger
part of the Amazon delta by Ilha de Marajó (Marajo Island). With an estimated
population of 1,402,056 people —or 2,249,405, considering its metropolitan
area— it is the 11th most populous city in Brazil (besides being the second
largest in the North Region, second only to Manaus, in Amazonas state) as well
as the 16th by economic relevance.
Founded in 1616 by the Kingdom of Portugal,
Belém was the first European colony on the Amazon but did not become part of
Brazil until 1775. The newer part of the city has modern buildings and
skyscrapers. The colonial portion retains the charm of tree-filled squares,
churches and traditional blue tiles. The city has a rich history and architecture
from colonial times. Recently it witnessed a skyscraper boom.
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| The city of Belem seen from the River Guama. |
Belém, literally Bethlehem is also known as
the Metropolis of the Brazilian Amazon region or the Cidade das Mangueiras
(city of mango trees) due to the vast number of those trees found in the city.
Brazilians often refer to the city as Belém do Pará ("Belém of Pará")
rather than just Belém, a reference to an earlier name for the city, Santa
Maria de Belém do Grão Pará, and also to differentiate it from a number of
other towns called Belém in Brazil. It is named after Santa Maria de Belém in
Lisbon, also better known by its shortened name, Belém.
Street
View of Belém
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