Page 53 - POR320Summer2018

The Manaus Harbour in Manaus
Named after the indigenous Manaós people, Manaus officially became a city in 1848. Over
50% of Amazonas' inhabitants live in this state capital and it’s the 7th most populous city in all
of Brazil. Manaus is located in the middle of the dense Amazon rainforest and on the north
bank of the Rio Negro, “only 11 miles above it’s influx into the Amazon River” (Britannica). This
large and isolated metropolitan city and river port is primarily accessible by boat or airplane.

Teatro Amazonas in Manaus
Manaus initially became a rich and bustling city because of the Amazon Rubber Boom in the
mid-19th century. The economic wealth of the times can be seen throughout the city’s
European architecture, such as the Teatro Amazonas (pictured above). There was a demand

for the production and export of natural rubber as a result of the Industrial Revolution in
Europe. The rubber barons enslaved the indigenous people who resided in the area and
forced them to tap rubber out of the trees.

Today’s Manaus has the 6th largest economy in all of Brazil. Since its inception in 1967, the
Free Economic Zone of Manaus, has turned the surrounding region into a major industrial
center. Petroleum refining, soap manufacturing, and chemical industries are the largest
reasons for the thriving economy, as are local exports such as açai and capuaçu, and brazil-

nuts. LG, Samsung, and Nokia are a few of the mobile phone companies with manufacturing
plants in Manaus.
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