The Amazon Theatre ( Portuguese : Teatro Amazonas ) is an opera house located in Manaus , in the heart of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. It is the location of the annual Festival Amazonas de Ópera (Amazonas Opera Festival) and the home of the Amazonas Philharmonic Orchestra which regularly rehearses and performs at the Amazon Theatre along with choirs, musical concerts and other performances.
117-558: More than 126 years old, it represents the city's heyday during the rubber boom . It was chosen by the magazine Vogue as one of the most beautiful opera houses in the world. The Amazonas Theatre was built during the Belle Époque at a time when fortunes were made in the rubber boom . Construction of the Amazon Theatre was first proposed in 1881 by a member of the local House of Representatives, Antonio Jose Fernandes Júnior, who envisioned
234-419: A tropical rainforest climate , with the average annual compensated temperature of 27.4 °C (81.3 °F) and high air humidity , with a rainfall index around 2,300 mm (90.6 in) annually. The seasons are relatively well-defined concerning rain: July to September is relatively dry, and December to May is very rainy. Thunderstorms are frequent every day in the summer, but they can occur at any time of
351-680: A "jewel" in the heart of the Amazon rainforest. In 1882, the State legislature approved some limited financing, but this was considered insufficient. Later that year, the president of the Province, José Lustosa Paranaguá , approved a larger budget and initiated a competition for the presentation of plans. The chosen project was made by the Gabinete Português de Engenharia e Arquitectura , an engineering and architecture office from Lisbon . By 1884, construction
468-484: A Free Economic Zone. The city has a free port and an international airport . Its manufactures include electronics, chemical products , and soap; there are distilling and ship construction industries. Manaus also exports Brazil nuts , rubber , jute , and rosewood oil . It has a cathedral , opera house , zoological and botanical gardens , an eco-park, and regional and native peoples museums . The Solimões and Negro rivers meet just east of Manaus and join to form
585-583: A French astronomer recalled how Amerindians used rubber to waterproof shoes and cloaks. He brought several samples of rubber back to France. Rubber was used as an eraser by the British scientist Joseph Priestley , with "rubber" entering English parlance as a substitute for the term "eraser". It was not until the 1800s that practical uses of rubber were developed and the demand for rubber began. A rubber factory that made rubber garters for women opened in Paris, France, in
702-476: A greater number of adherents to the movement. With that there was an integration of people in the region thus forming the state. Manaus was at the center of the Amazon region's rubber boom during the late 19th century. For a time, it was "one of the gaudiest cities of the world". Historian Robin Furneaux wrote of this period, "No extravagance, however absurd, deterred" the rubber barons. "If one rubber baron bought
819-653: A land area of about 11,401 km (4,402 sq mi). Located at the east centre of the state, the city is the centre of the Manaus metropolitan area and the largest metropolitan area in the North Region of Brazil by urban landmass. It is situated near the confluence of the Negro and Amazon rivers. It is one of the two cities in the Amazon Rainforest with a population of over 1 million people, alongside Belém . The city
936-399: A legacy to this bright economic period, the recession caused by the end of the rubber boom left profound scars on the Amazon region. There was a massive loss of state tax income, high levels of unemployment, rural and urban emigration, and abandoned and unneeded housing. Those who remained in the region had few expectations for the future. Deprived of their income, the rubber workers remained in
1053-418: A length of 7 m (23 ft). 3°07′49″S 60°01′24″W / 3.13028°S 60.02333°W / -3.13028; -60.02333 Amazon rubber boom The Amazon rubber cycle or boom ( Portuguese : Ciclo da borracha , Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈsiklu da buˈʁaʃɐ] ; Spanish: Fiebre del caucho , pronounced [ˈfjeβɾe ðel ˈkawtʃo] ) was an important part of
1170-568: A major industrial center (the Free Economic Zone of Manaus). The mobile phone companies LG , Nokia , Samsung , Siemens , Sagem , Gradiente , and BenQ-Siemens operate mobile phone manufacturing plants in Manaus. Plastic lens manufacturer Essilor also has a plant here. The Brazilian sport utility vehicle manufacturer Amazon Veiculos is headquartered in Manaus. Two airlines, MAP Linhas Aéreas and Manaus Aerotáxi , have headquarters on
1287-475: A member of the family Euphorbiaceae . A white liquid called latex is extracted from the stem of the rubber tree, and contains rubber particles dispersed in an aqueous serum. The rubber, which constitutes about 35% of the latex, is chemically cis-1,4-polyisoprene ((C 5 H 8 ) n ). Latex is practically a neutral substance, with a pH of 7.0 to 7.2. However, when it is exposed to the air for 12 to 24 hours, its pH falls and it spontaneously coagulates to form
SECTION 10
#17328556989211404-560: A navigation enterprise that linked the Mamoré and Madeira Rivers. Shortly afterwards, he realized the real difficulty of this undertaking. He changed the plans to construction of a railroad. Negotiations advanced and, by 1870, Church received permission from the Brazilian government to build a railroad along the rubber territories of the Madeira River. The Madeira–Mamoré Railroad became known as
1521-539: A simple way to transport the rubber, the engineers José and Francisco Keller organized a large expedition. They explored the rubber region of the Madeira River to find the most productive region and the most effective course for the railroad. Although the idea of river navigation was complicated, in 1869, the North American engineer George Earl Church obtained from the Bolivian government a concession to create and explore
1638-567: A solid mass of rubber. Rubber produced in this fashion has disadvantages. For example, exposure to air causes it to mix with various materials, which is perceptible and can cause rot, as well as a temperature-dependent stickiness. Industrial treatment was developed to remove the impurities and vulcanize the rubber, a process that eliminated its undesirable qualities. This process gives it superior mechanical properties, and causes it to lose its sticky character, and become stable – resistant to solvents and variations in temperature. The rubber boom and
1755-411: A vast yacht, another would install a tame lion in his villa, and a third would water his horse on champagne." The city built a grand opera house, with vast domes and gilded balconies, and using marble, glass, and crystal, from around Europe. The opera house cost ten million (public-funded) dollars. In one season, half the members of one visiting opera troupe died of yellow fever . The opera house, called
1872-474: Is a plan to restore the city centre to its former glory by removing beggars and irregular sellers from sidewalks and by doing that provide more safety for tourists and locals who are trying to walk in the historical areas of the city. All these plans were prompted by the 2014 World Cup. Manaus is the sixth-largest economy in Brazil. According to IBGE in 2014, its GDP was R$ 67,5 billion. The per capita income for
1989-436: Is a prison, Anisio Jobim Penitentiary Complex. Manaus has research centers, technology and public and private universities. Eduardo Gomes International Airport is the airport serving Manaus. The airport has two passenger terminals, one for scheduled flights and the other for regional aviation. It also has three cargo terminals . Eduardo Gomes International Airport is Brazil's third largest in freight movement, handling
2106-509: Is above the national average, and 10% above the average for the capital (Brasilia). Most of the population is located in the North and East regions of the city, and the New Town (northern area) the neighborhood is the most populous, with more than 260,000 residents. According to the results of the last census, the city's population increased from 343,038 inhabitants in 1960 to 622,733 in 1970. By 1990,
2223-616: Is located in the center of the Amazon rainforest , and home to the National Institute of Amazonian Research , being the most important center for scientific studies in the Amazon region and for international sustainability issues. It was known at the beginning of the century as Heart of the Amazon and City of the Forest. Currently, its main economic engine is the Industrial Park of Manaus,
2340-597: Is located in the middle of the Amazon Rainforest . The Amazon represents over half of the planet's remaining rainforests and comprises the largest and most species-rich tract of tropical rainforest in the world. Wet tropical forests are the most species-rich biome , and tropical forests in the Americas are consistently more species-rich than the wet forests in Africa and Asia . As the largest tract of tropical rainforest in
2457-530: Is only paved for about another 100 kilometers (60 mi) to Castanho. After that, the highway is not paved, and cannot be used. Various governments have promised to recover this land-link with the rest of the country, but environmental issues, high costs and complicated logistics have impeded any progress so far. The two major state highways are the AM-010 and the AM-070. The AM-010 heads east, to Itacoatiara, Amazonas at
SECTION 20
#17328556989212574-553: Is operated by wide-body jets. Other freight routes include North America and Europe. The passenger terminal had been fully refurbished and expanded in time for the 2014 FIFA Football World Cup , which held 4 games in Manaus. The airport currently operates daily international flights to Miami and Orlando , United States, by American Airlines and LATAM Airlines Brasil ; to the city of Panama , by Copa Airlines ; and to Barcelona, Venezuela , by Avior Airlines . The airport has direct flights to all major airports in Brazil, operated by
2691-589: The Amazon River (using the Brazilian definition of the river; elsewhere, Solimões is considered the upper part of the Amazon ). Rubber made it the richest city in South America during the late 1800s. Rubber also helped Manaus earn its nickname, the Paris of the Tropics . Many wealthy European families settled in Manaus and brought their love for sophisticated European art , architecture , and culture with them. Manaus
2808-767: The Anglican Episcopal Church , the Baptist Church , an Assembly of God Church, the Seventh-day Adventist Church , the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God , and the Jehovah's Witnesses among others. These churches are experiencing considerable growth, mainly in the outskirts of the city. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also has a large presence, with a LDS temple having been built in
2925-484: The Government of Colombia issued a formal apology to the indigenous communities of the Amazon basin for allowing the forced enslavement and systematic brutality they endured during the rubber booms of the 19th and 20th centuries which, in the Amazon region of Colombia , resulted in the death of about 60,000 indigenous people. Anthropologist Klaus Rummenhoeller describes widespread prosecution of Bolivian natives, as
3042-564: The Italian opera , La Gioconda , by Amilcare Ponchielli . The theatre's architectural style is considered typically Renaissance Revival . The roofing tiles were imported from Alsace , the steel walls from Glasgow , Scotland and the Carrara marble for the stairs, statues and columns, from Italy. The dome is covered with 36,000 decorated ceramic tiles painted in the colors of the national flag of Brazil. The interior furnishing came from France in
3159-448: The Lineage B.1.1.248 variant starting in early January 2021. The largest city in northern Brazil, Manaus occupies an area of 11,401 square kilometres (4,402 sq mi), with a density of 158.06 inhabitants per square kilometre (409.4/sq mi). It is the neighboring city of Presidente Figueiredo , Careiro , Iranduba , Rio Preto da Eva , Itacoatiara , and Novo Airão . Manaus
3276-611: The Louis Quinze style . Italian artist Domenico de Angelis the Younger painted the panels that decorate the ceilings of the auditorium and of the audience chamber. The curtain, with its painting "Meeting of the Waters", was originally created in Paris by Crispim do Amaral . The theatre's 198 chandeliers were imported from Italy, including 32 of Murano glass . The Auditorium seats 701 persons. The ground floor (stalls, in British usage) seats 266;
3393-626: The Teatro Amazonas , was effectively closed for most of the 20th Century. However it was used in scenes of the Werner Herzog film Fitzcarraldo (1982). After a gap of almost 90 years, it reopened to produce live opera in 1997 and is now attracting performers from all over the world. When the seeds of the rubber tree were smuggled out of the Amazon region to be cultivated on plantations in Southeast Asia, Brazil and Peru lost their monopoly on
3510-468: The "Devil's Railroad", on account of having caused the death of around six thousand workers (in legends said to be one dead worker per railroad tie attached to the rails), was constructed by the United States corporation of Percival Farquhar . The construction of the railroad began in 1907 during the government of Afonso Pena and was one of the most significant episodes in the history of the occupation of
3627-403: The 19th century, rubber began to exert a strong attraction to visionary entrepreneurs. The activity of latex extraction in the Amazon revealed its lucrative possibilities. Natural rubber soon achieved a place of distinction in the industries of Europe and North America, reaching a high price. This caused various people to travel to Brazil with the intention of learning more about the rubber tree and
Amazon Theatre - Misplaced Pages Continue
3744-476: The Amazon, revealing the clear attempt to integrate it into the global marketplace via the commercialization of rubber. On April 30, 1912, the final stretch of the Madeira–Mamoré Railroad was belatedly completed. The occasion was commemorated by the arrival of the first train to the city of Guajará-Mirim, founded on that same day. First, the price of latex fell precipitously in the world market, making
3861-589: The Americas, the Amazonian rainforests have unparalleled biodiversity . More than one-third of all species in the world live in the Amazon rainforest. Despite being located in the Amazon, Manaus is densely developed and has few green areas in the city. The largest green areas are: Manaus has a tropical monsoon climate ( Am ) according to the Köppen climate classification system, just dry enough in its driest month to not be
3978-565: The Beni region, a U.S. minister said they were harsh but the scarcity of labor in the region made it less so than in the Putumayo. Many indigenous groups in Bolivia interned themselves into the jungle, abandoning their land and agriculture in the hopes of escaping the slavers. Many natives from the Beni, Madeira, and Mamoré regions were enslaved, so that they could work collecting rubber, or transportation along
4095-715: The Indian people of the Amazon during the height of the rubber boom were like nothing that had been seen since the first days of the Spanish Conquest. During the first rubber boom in Colombia, natives from the Cofán , Siona , Oyo , Coreguaje , Macaguaje , Kichwa , Teteté , Huitoto , and other nations were indebted and exploited as a work force by various patrons. The Caqueta , Putumayo, Napo and Vaupés Rivers were active areas of rubber extraction during this time period. On 23 April 2024,
4212-643: The Manaus Free Trade Zone Authority, SUBFRAME, was created. SUBFRAME is an independent body with its own legal status and assets and has financial and administrative autonomy. Tax incentives and the subsequent complementary legislation created comparative advantages in the region with respect to other parts of the country and as a result the Manaus Free Trade Zone attracted new investment to the area. These incentives constituted tax exemptions administered federally by SUBFRAME and SUDAM. There
4329-421: The Manaus Free Trade Zone in more concrete terms. The new Decree-Law stipulated that the Manaus Free Trade Zone would have a radius of 10 km (6.2 mi) with an industrial center as well as an agricultural center and that these would be given the economic means to allow for regional development in order to lift the Amazon out of the economic isolation that it had fallen into at that time. On August 28, 1967,
4446-570: The Peruvian selvas inherited the memory of a catastrophe proportional to the genocides of the Final Solution and the Armenian massacres ." Rubber had catastrophic effects in parts of Upper Amazonia, but its impact should not be exaggerated nor extrapolated to the whole region. The Putumayo genocide was a particularly horrific case. Many nearby rubber regions were not ruled by physical violence, but by
4563-596: The Peruvian government in 1903 and 1906: these crimes were witnessed and reported by Catholic missionaries as well as several men employed by the Peruvian government. While writing in 1907, Charles R. Enock claimed that the Peruvian Government had, for a long time, been aware of the brutal exploitation of indigenous people by rubber merchants and collectors. Several government reports and articles written on this subject, both by travelers and government officials, were published prior to 1908. Enock stated that since
4680-489: The Peruvian rubber patrons employed two labor systems, one of these systems was referred to as enganche [ por deudas ], or hooking by debt. Enganche was typically employed with Mestizo workers, Varese wrote that the debt was "an eternal debt that the worker would never be able to repay." The second system of labor was used against indigenous people and entailed "simply enslaving" a large number of young indigenous men and women and then relocating them from their homeland. One of
4797-565: The Provincial Assembly of Para, it was renamed the City of Barra do Rio Negro. On September 4, 1856, the governor, Herculano Ferreira Pena, finally gave it the name "Manaus". The Cabanagem was the revolt in which blacks, Native Americans, and mestizos fought against the white political elite and took power in 1835. The Cabanagem reduced the population of the then state of Grão-Pará from about 100,000 to 60,000. The involvement of rebels from
Amazon Theatre - Misplaced Pages Continue
4914-496: The Putumayo region of Peru as a British consul from 1910 to 1911, documented the abuse, slavery, murder and use of stocks for torture against the natives: The crimes charged against many men now in the employ of the Peruvian Amazon Company are of the most atrocious kind, including murder, violation, and constant flogging. According to Wade Davis , author of One River : The horrendous atrocities that were unleashed on
5031-568: The Ucayali River and affected all of the indigenous groups in that area. The displacement and decimation of Conibo and Yine natives on the Ucayali and Urubamba River eventually led to the Asháninka demographic becoming the largest indigenous group in that region. Some native groups agreed to accept "advances" of supplies that rubber firms offered, in exchange these natives would extract rubber for
5148-565: The Upper Amazon (Manaus today) in what was originally a movement based in Belém was crucial for the birth of the current state of the Amazon. During the brief period of revolution, the Cabanos of the Upper Amazon, bands of rebels, roamed throughout the region, occupying Manaus twice, and, in most settlements, their arrival was greeted by the non-white population spontaneously joining their ranks, leading to
5265-468: The ambassador Joaquim Francisco de Assis Brasil , in part financed by the "rubber barons," led to negotiations with Bolivia and the signing of the Treaty of Petropolis , signed November 17, 1903, during the government of president Francisco de Paula Rodrigues Alves . While it halted conflict with Bolivia, the treaty guaranteed effective control by Brazil of the forests of Acre . Brazil was given possession of
5382-450: The architecture and culture; and the two cities enjoyed their greatest economies and influence in the 19th century. The Amazon Basin was the source in the era for nearly 40% of all Brazil's exports. The new riches of Manaus made the city the world capital in the sale of diamonds. Thanks to rubber, the per capita income of Manaus was twice as much as the coffee-producing region ( São Paulo , Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo ). As payment for
5499-455: The arrival of migrants from other regions of Brazil. Manaus has the largest neighborhood in Latin America, the neighborhood of Cidade Nova, which has 264,449 inhabitants, but it is estimated that the population exceeds 300,000 inhabitants. Cidade Nova is larger than all the cities inside the rest of Amazonas state. With the permanence and the strengthening of Free Economic Zone of Manaus ,
5616-426: The associated need for a large workforce had a significant negative effect on the indigenous population across Brazil, Bolivia, Venezuela , Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. As rubber plantations grew, labor shortages increased. The owners of the plantations or rubber barons were rich, but those who collected the rubber made very little as a large amount of rubber was needed to be profitable. The rubber barons rounded up all
5733-554: The banks of the Amazon River, which is the third largest city of the state. The AM-070 heads south, starting on the other side of the new Rio Negro Bridge at Manaus, and reaching Manacapuru , which lies at the banks of the Solimoes River , also known as the upper River Amazon, and which is the fourth largest city of the state. Both roads are paved and operate all year round. Ships dock at the main port in Manaus directly downtown on
5850-669: The banks of the Negro River. The terraced city is home to a network of bridged channels that divide it into several compartments. Several mobile phone companies have manufacturing plants in the port area, and other major electronics manufacturers also have plants there. Major exports going through the port include Brazil nuts, chemicals , petroleum , electrical equipment, and forest products. Regular Manaus taxis are white and can be stopped anywhere. They are organized into separate cooperatives, each with their own contact phone numbers. All taxis are metered, which does not necessarily mean
5967-672: The beginning of rubber exploitation in the Peruvian Amazon, authorities were aware of the sale of indigenous people in Iquitos and else where, as well as the constant trafficking of indigenous women. Hildebrando Fuentes , the prefect of Loreto between 1904-1906, described the practice of Correrias , or slave raids in a report to his government. Fuentes noted that many of the indigenous people in Peru were being killed during these correrias and in writing he referred to these raids as "the great crime of
SECTION 50
#17328556989216084-496: The capital of the State of Roraima and to Venezuela. Strictly speaking, Manaus is connected by road to the rest of Brazil, as it is possible to drive continuously from Manaus into Venezuela, and then reenter Brazil through the BR-364 in Acre and its capital, Rio Branco , therefore passing through the countries of Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. As such a route is impractical for most motorists,
6201-509: The captaincy of São José do Rio Negro, with capital in Mariuá (now Barcelos ), but with the governor, Lobo D'Almada, fearing a Spanish invasion, the seat went back to Lugar de Barra in 1791. Being located at the confluence of the Rio Negro and Amazon Rivers, it was a strategic point. On November 13, 1832, Lugar da Barra was elevated to town status and named Manaus. On October 24, 1848, under Law 145 of
6318-584: The city began to receive investments and constant migration of people from many parts of the state and northern Brazil . The wealthiest neighborhood in Manaus is Adrianópolis, located in the Central-South Area of the city. Downtown Manaus is located in the Southern area of the city, next to Rio Negro River . After years of development, the historical center has been neglected by the authorities and it has become an area mostly for commerce and poor housing. There
6435-434: The city centre, simply known as the "Aeroclube" ( Portuguese : Flying club ). On Sundays, it is used for parachuting and where flying classes can be hired. Due to the fact that it is surrounded by residential areas, and has a recent history of crashes, it is under constant pressure to be moved. There are two federal highways that intersect Manaus. There is a paved road heading North (BR-174) connecting Manaus to Boa Vista ,
6552-463: The city has had the highest rate of population growth in recent years, and has the largest neighborhood of the city, the Nova Cidade neighborhood. The Center-South region has the highest per capita income . The Eastern Zone is known for having a large number of hills. The first neighborhood (bairro) established in Manaus was Educandos. From there, other areas of the city began to be occupied since
6669-426: The city was R$ 33,446. Although the main industry of Manaus through much of the 20th century was rubber , its importance has declined. Given its location, fish, wild fruits like Açaí and Cupuaçu, and Brazil nuts initiate important trades, as do petroleum refining, soap manufacturing, and chemical industries. Over the last decades, a system of federal investments and tax incentives has turned the surrounding region into
6786-462: The city, the sixth in Brazil. The Metropolitan Region of Manaus (RMM) is a metropolitan area that comprises eight cities of the Amazonas state, but without conurbation. Manaus is divided into seven regions: North, Southern, Central-South, East, West, Mid-West, and Rural area. The eastern region of the city is the most populated, with approximately 600,000 inhabitants (2007). The northern region of
6903-632: The city. Judaism , Candomblé , Islam , and spiritualism , among others, are also practised. There is a community of Amazonian Jews in Manaus. The city's Catedral Metropolitana Nossa Senhora da Conceição is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manaus . The city has a very diverse presence of Protestant or Reformed faiths, such as the Presbyterian Church , Calvary Chapel , For Christ International Church of Grace of God, Pentecostal Church of God in Brazil, Methodist Church ,
7020-478: The climate, causing the temperature to drop to 18 °C (64.4 °F) or below. The proximity to the forest usually avoids extremes of heat and makes the city wet. According to the National Institute of Meteorology (INMET), the highest temperature registered in the city was 39 °C (102.2 °F), in 2015 and the lowest was 12 °C (53.6 °F) in 1989. On November 26, 2009, a case of acid rain
7137-622: The east boundary of the urban area in its lower section. According to the IBGE in 2019, there were 2,182,763 people residing in the city, and 2,676,936 people in the Metropolitan Region of Manaus . The population density was 191.45 inhabitants per square kilometre (495.9/sq mi). Manaus is the seventh largest city in Brazil , after São Paulo , Rio de Janeiro , Salvador , Brasília , Fortaleza and Belo Horizonte . The city's population growth
SECTION 60
#17328556989217254-408: The end of the 19th century. The Brasilian Army, led by José Plácido de Castro , was sent into the area to protect Brasilian resources. The newly proclaimed Brazilian republic was drawing a considerable profit from the lucrative rubber trade, but the "Acre question" (as the border conflicts caused by rubber extraction became known) preoccupied it. Intervention by the diplomat Barão do Rio Branco and
7371-401: The export of rubber, the workers were paid in pounds sterling (£), the currency of the United Kingdom, which circulated in Manaus and Belém during this period. Developers in Bolivia in 1846 began to promote the idea of constructing a railroad along the Madeira and Mamoré Rivers, to reach ports on the Atlantic Ocean for its export products. It has never reached the coast. Rivers had long been
7488-476: The firms, and in this way many natives became indebted to these firms. Natives along the Ucayali and Urubamba that did not agree to extract rubber were often targeted by slave raids. By 1891, most of the Piro natives along the Urubamba were indebted to patrons. The work force in the form of slaves had at this time been converted into a commodity as part of the economy of the region. The correrías after indigenous slaves were common in all parts and involved all of
7605-421: The first four and a half centuries following the discovery of the New World , the native populations of the Amazon Basin lived practically in isolation. The area was vast and impenetrable, no gold or precious stones had been found there, as neither colonial Brazil nor imperial Brazil was able to create incentives for development in the region. The regional economy was based on use of diverse natural resources in
7722-403: The fort there were many indigenous mestizos , who helped in its construction and began to live in the vicinity. The population grew so much that, in 1695, the missionaries ( Carmelite , Jesuit , Franciscan ) built a nearby chapel dedicated to Nossa Senhora da Conceição (Our Lady of the Conception), who, in time, became the patron saint of the city. A Royal Charter of March 3, 1755 created
7839-547: The full extent of the devastation caused by the rubber boom in this area may never be known. "Correrías" are rapid slave raids which became institutionalised during the rubber boom around the turn of the century, to obtain labourers for the rubber extraction. A patron would give a small group of slave hunters Winchester rifles, which were in great demand, in return for which Ashéninka settlements were attacked and all individuals potentially capable of working taken captive, that is, preferably children and young women, who were taken to
7956-454: The grounds of Eduardo Gomes International Airport in Manaus. The initial idea of a Free Trade Port in Manaus came from Deputy Francisco Pereira da Silva and was subsequently formalized by Law No. 3.173 on June 6, 1957. The project was approved by the National Congress on October 23, 1951, under No. 1.310 and regulated by Decree No. 47.757 on February 2, 1960. It was then amended by rapporteur Maurício Jopper, an engineer, who by agreement with
8073-436: The growth of cities such as Manaus and Belém , capitals within the respective Brazilian states of Amazonas and Pará , among many other cities throughout the region like Itacoatiara , Rio Branco , Eirunepé , Marabá , Cruzeiro do Sul and Altamira ; as well as the expansion of Iquitos in Peru, Cobija in Bolivia and Leticia in Colombia. The first rubber boom and genocides occurred largely between 1879 and 1912. There
8190-424: The import and export demand from the Manaus Industrial Complex . For this reason, Infraero invested in the construction of the third cargo terminal, opened on December 14, 2004. TAM Airlines also inaugurated its own cargo terminal near the airport in 2008, which claims to be the largest cargo terminal in Brazil. The country's major dedicated freight route is between Manaus and Viracopos International Airport , which
8307-474: The indigenous groups of the Ucayali. With the booming economy of rubber extraction, in 1880 human exploitation and perversion reached new heights. Slave raids into the Peruvian side of the Madre de Dios River and its tributary the Manú River began around 1894. This was largely due to the development of the Isthmus of Fitzcarrald . Hundreds of natives from the Toyeri and Araseri ethnic groups were massacred around that time because they would either not allow
8424-476: The intentions of this forced relocation was to cultivate submission in the enslaved indigenous population. Elderly indigenous individuals were typically killed because they were unable to easily adapt to the new circumstances brought on by forced migrations and therefore they were viewed as disruptive elements. In certain areas of the Peruvian Amazon, correrías primarily captured women and children while men were eliminated. Beatriz Huertas Castillo wrote that this
8541-481: The key to navigation and travel through the Amazon Basin. An initial proposal was based on travel up the Mamoré in Bolivia and down the Madeira River in Brazil. However, the river course had substantial obstacles to industrial-level transport: twenty cataracts obstructed navigation. Constructing a railroad to bypass the problematic stretches of the rivers was the only solution. In 1867, in Brazil, also trying to develop
8658-456: The military dictatorship in Brazil, the newly installed government concerned about the "demographic gap in Brazil", began to introduce numerous projects in the interior of the country, especially in the Amazon region, with the introduction of the Manaus free trade zone in 1967, and with the opening of new roads within the region, the city had a wide period of investments in financial and economic capital, both national and international, attracted by
8775-456: The mountain". These raids also managed to capture many indigenous people, which were then trafficked to Iquitos or nearby rubber camps. According to Fuentes, indigenous people were being sold at Iquitos for prices ranging between £30-£50 and the majority of the indigenous population in Iquitos consisted of people captured during the correrias. Anthropologist Søren Hvalkof stated that the correrias after native peoples were common in all areas of
8892-446: The municipal market, and the customs house , in the case of Manaus; and the fish market, the iron market, Teatro da Paz , corridors of mango trees, and various residential palaces in the case of Belém, constructed in large part by the intendant Antônio Lemos . These technologies and construction did not take place anywhere else in south and southeast Brazil of the time. The European influence later became notable in Manaus and Belém, in
9009-450: The natives and forced them to tap rubber out of the trees. One plantation started with 50,000 natives but, when discovered, only 8,000 were still alive. Slavery and systematic brutality were widespread, and in some areas, 90% of the native population was wiped out. These rubber plantations were part of the Brazilian rubber market, which declined as rubber plantations in Southeast Asia became more effective. For indigenous people throughout
9126-549: The original author, justified the creation of a Free Trade Zone instead of a Free Trade Port. For the first ten years, the ZFM (Manaus Free Trade Zone) was located in a warehouse rented from Manaus Harbour, in the Port of Manaus, and relied on federal funds. It was perhaps due to this lack of its own resources that there was little credibility in the project. On February 28, 1967, President Castelo Branco signed Decree-Law No. 288, which redefined
9243-556: The other host cities. A massive prison riot occurred in January 2017 , having begun in Manaus and later spreading to two additional cities in Brazil, thus unleashing security problems within the country. During the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil , an estimated 76% of the population of Manaus was infected with coronavirus, and the possibility of herd immunity was discussed. However, a second outbreak infected people in Manaus, this time with
9360-444: The patron as his personal property. Adult men were more difficult to control and thus they were preferably killed, to avoid witnesses and possible reprisals. These parties frequently consisted of Indians, who had long been subjugated by the patron through debt bondage. The Ashéninka, Yíne and Conibo were all active in these correrías. But colonists also participated as leaders of raiding parties. Anthropologist Stefano Varese noted that
9477-473: The peaceful resolution of this issue, the capital of Acre was named Rio Branco after the Brazilian diplomat. Two of the municipalities in the state were named Assis Brasil and Plácido de Castro , after the ambassador and another key figure. Belém , the capital of Pará state, as well as Manaus , the capital of Amazonas , were the most developed and prosperous cities in Brazil during the rubber boom. They were located in strategic sites, and prominent men in
9594-516: The periphery of Manaus, searching for new work. Because of the lack of housing, in the 1920s they built the cidade flutuante ("floating city"), a type of residence that was consolidated in the 1960s. Manaus Manaus ( Portuguese: [mɐˈnaws, ma-] ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Amazonas . It is the seventh-largest city in Brazil, with an estimated 2022 population of 2,063,689 distributed over
9711-471: The population grew to 1,025,979 inhabitants, increasing its density to 90 inhabitants per square kilometre (230/sq mi). According to a 2013 genetic study, the ancestry of the inhabitants of Manaus is 45.9% European, 37.8% Native American, and 16.3% African. The city has been influenced by Catholicism since the time of European colonialism, and the majority of Manauenses are Catholic —there are nevertheless dozens of different Protestant denominations in
9828-443: The process of latex extraction, from which they hoped to make their fortunes. Because of the growth of rubber extraction, industrial processing and related activities, numerous cities and towns swelled on waves of immigrants. In 1855, over 2,100 tons of rubber was exported from the Amazon; a figure which reached 10,000 tons by 1879. Belém and Manaus were transformed and urbanized. Manaus was the first Brazilian city to be urbanized and
9945-400: The product. The rubber boom ended abruptly, many people left its major cities, and Manaus fell into poverty. The rubber boom had made possible electrification of the city before it was installed in many European cities, but the end of the rubber boom made the generators too expensive to run. The city was not able to generate electricity again for years. In the 1960s during the establishment of
10062-542: The railroad, but as of December 1, 2006, the work remains unstarted. The Madeira–Mamoré Railroad, finished in 1912, arrived too late. The train was no longer profitable after the price of rubber fell. The Amazon was already losing primacy in rubber production, as the British government had planted rubber trees in its colonies in Malaysia , Sri Lanka , and tropical Africa. These rubber trees were planted from seeds that Henry Wickham had smuggled out of Brazil in 1876. In 1899 it
10179-515: The rails, leveled ground, and bridges, reclaiming a large part of the way that people had insisted on clearing to construct the railroad. The railroad was partially taken out of service in the 1930s and completely in 1972. That year the Trans-Amazonian highway (BR-230) opened. Today, from a total of 364 km of length of railway, about seven remain in active use, used for tourist purposes. The people of Rondonia have fought for revitalization of
10296-556: The region by Bolivia in exchange for territories in Mato Grosso , a payment of two million pounds sterling, and the compromise of constructing the railroad to connect to the Madeira River. This would enable Bolivia to transport its goods, primarily rubber, to the Brazilian ports of the Atlantic at the mouth of the Amazon River . Initially Belém in Pará was designated as the destination. Because of
10413-575: The region north of Brazil. Development continued in 1668–1669 with the building of the Fort of São José da Barra do Rio Negro by the Portuguese in order to ensure its predominance in the region, especially against the Dutch , at that time headquartered in what is today Suriname . The fort was constructed in rock and clay, with four cannons guarding the curtains. It continued to function for more than 100 years. Next to
10530-453: The region, but development was concentrated in coastal areas. The Industrial Revolution in Europe led to demand for uses that natural rubber could satisfy. At that time, it was exclusively found in the Amazon Basin. It was a desirable commodity, valued at a high price, and thought to create wealth and dividends for whoever would dare invest in the trade. From the beginning of the second half of
10647-469: The result of Nicolás Suarez 's company around 1902. The region was scoured for labor from multiple slave raids. The raids resulted in the destruction of homes, the capture of men, women, as well as the killing of children and the elderly. British minister Cecil Gosling stayed in the Suárez estates for five months, and referred to the labor system as "undisguised slavery." In response to the slavery allegations in
10764-541: The rivers. Some of the exploited groups include: Mojos , Tacana , Araona , Harakmbut , Mashcho-Piro , and Cashinahua . Pando is Bolivia's only department fully covered by the Amazon vegetation. The worst abuses against the indigenous populations of Venezuela during the rubber boom occurred under Tomás Funes starting in 1913. Over the next nine years, Tomás Funes and his armed gang destroyed dozens of Ye'kuana villages, and killed thousands of Ye'kuana natives. Other villages were either resettled, or fragmented. For
10881-456: The rubber "balls", before sending them downriver. Flight into the thicket was a successful survival strategy and, because natives were engaged in credit relations, it was a relatively common practice to vanish and work for other patrons, leaving debts unpaid. Reports of enslavement and barbaric crimes perpetrated by rubber merchants on the Ucayali and Marañón Rivers first came to the attention of
10998-411: The rubber industry built their numerous and wealthy residences in each. These citizens created the demand that led to both cities being electrified and given running water and sewers. Their apogee was reached between 1890 and 1920, when they acquired electric trams, avenues built on cleared gullies, as well as imposing and luxurious buildings, such as the polished Teatro Amazonas , the government palace,
11115-483: The rubber patrons to pass through their lands, or they would not agree to extract rubber for these patrons. Most of the Mashco-Piro demographic was slaughtered in 1894. Some of the surviving Mashco-Piro, Toyeri and Araseri natives were pressured into fleeing from their ancestral territory. An unknown number of their villages were destroyed, and this region was never subjected to a systematic inquiry or investigation so
11232-461: The second to be electrified (the first was Campos dos Goytacazes , in Rio de Janeiro). The increase in uncontrolled extraction of rubber was increasing tensions and close to provoking an international conflict. The Brazilian workers advanced further and further into the forests in the territory of Bolivia in search of new rubber trees for extraction, creating conflicts and skirmishes on the frontier towards
11349-475: The smoke from forest fires. The urban area covers all or part of four river basins, all tributaries of the Rio Negro. The São Raimundo and Educandos streams are completely contained in the city. The Tarumã Açu forms the western boundary of the city in its lower reaches, and is fed by several tributaries that originate in the Ducke Reserve and run through the north and west of the city. The Puraquequara forms
11466-546: The socioeconomic history of Brazil and Amazonian regions of neighboring countries, being related to the commercialization of rubber and the genocide of indigenous peoples. Centered in the Amazon Basin , the boom resulted in a large expansion of colonization in the area, attracting immigrant workers and causing cultural and social transformations. Crimes against humanity were committed against local indigenous societies, including slavery, rape, torture and genocide. It encouraged
11583-480: The staff of his Peruvian Amazon Company . These criminals gained total control over the Putumayo by 1908, maintaining around 40 plantations. The managers of these plantations imposed a quota onto the natives: and failing to meet quota could have resulted in flagellation, dismemberment, or execution on the spot. Even though 237 arrest warrants were issued for employees of the company, very few faced any justice for their crimes. Roger Casement , an Irishman traveling
11700-500: The stall boxes, 100; the first-tier boxes seat 110; the 25 second-tier boxes seat 125; and the 20 third-tier boxes seat 100. The Main Stage is 10.50 m (34.4 ft) wide, 6.40 m (21.0 ft) high and 11.97 m (39.3 ft) deep and the principal stage is 14 m (46 ft) high for a total area of 123.29 m (1,327.1 sq ft). The orchestra pit has a height of 2 m (6 ft 7 in); width: 6 ft 11 ins; and
11817-401: The tax incentives granted by the free zone, in this period, Manaus had enormous demographic growth becoming one of the most populous cities in Brazil. Manaus was one of the host cities of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and one of the seats of some Olympic football games. It was the only host city in the Amazon rainforest and the most geographically isolated, being further north and west than any of
11934-635: The three major carriers: Gol Transportes Aéreos , TAM Airlines , and Azul Brazilian Airlines . The airport's IATA code is MAO. Manaus Air Force Base - ALA8 , one of the most important bases of the Brazilian Air Force , is located in Manaus at the former Ponta Pelada Airport . Apart from the Eduardo Gomes International Airport and Ponta Pelada Airport, Manaus is also served by Flores Airport , used by small propeller aircraft and helicopters about 6 kilometres (4 miles) north of
12051-572: The trade of rubber from the Amazon unviable. Also, the transport of products that could have been transported by the Madeira–Mamoré Railroad were taken by two other railroads, one in Chile and the other in Argentina, and the Panama Canal , which became active on August 15, 1914. Added to this, the natural factor, the Amazon forest, with its high level of rainfall and rapid growth, destroyed entire stretches of
12168-503: The tropical world, white sails on the ocean's horizon have often presaged death. For the Indians in the Amazon's green 'ocean' in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, death was heralded by the arrival of steam launches or gunboats bearing armed men hungry for rubber. Technology had moved on from the time of the conquistadors, and killing and slave-driving had become more efficient. Reclusive tribesmen living today in remote corners of
12285-509: The vast majority of transportation to and from Manaus is by boat or plane, except for journeys to Roraima . The Independent noted that "there are still no roads to Manaus" from the rest of the country. The BR-319 heads South connecting Manaus to Porto Velho , the state capital of Rondônia . However, access to this highway requires a ferry crossing to Careiro , across the Rio Negro and Amazon River , which takes about 40 minutes, and then
12402-459: The voluntary compliance implicit in patron-peon relations . Some native peoples benefited financially from their dealings with the white merchants. Others chose not to participate in the rubber business and stayed away from the main rivers. Because tappers worked in near complete isolation, they were not burdened by overseers and timetables. In Brazil (and probably elsewhere) tappers could, and did, adulterate rubber cargoes, by adding sand and flour to
12519-404: The world market and demand for it fell. This rapidly resulted in the stagnation of the regional economy. There was a lack of entrepreneurial or governmental vision to find alternatives for development. The "rubber barons" and economic elite followed the money, leaving the region to seek their next fortunes elsewhere. Although the railroad and the cities of Porto Velho and Guajará-Mirim remained as
12636-440: The year 1803. However, the material still had disadvantages: at room temperature, it was sticky. At higher temperatures, the rubber became softer and stickier, while at lower temperatures it became hard and rigid. The South American natives first discovered rubber; sometime dating back to 1600 BCE . The indigenous people of the Amazon rainforest developed ways to extract rubber from the rubber tree ( Hevea brasiliensis ),
12753-520: The year. There have been occasional occurrences of hail in the city. Due to the city's proximity to the equator , the heat is constant in the local climate. There are no cold days in winter, and rarely very intense polar air masses in the South-Central part of Brazil and in the southwest of the Amazon have some effect on the city, as occurred in August 1955. But although they are rare, they influence
12870-475: Was a located near the border of Colombia and Peru. Between the Andoques , Boras , and Huitoto populations over 40,000+ natives were wiped out for rubber profits. Slave raids were a common practice where many were killed or captured. Many of the natives died from starvation, which was used as a punishment against them at times. The worst perpetrators of the genocide include the rubber baron Julio César Arana and
12987-526: Was because: "they would never form as malleable a workforce as the children, who were more easily and fully assimilated". One of the most atrocious cases of abuses during the first rubber boom, culminated in the Putumayo genocide. From the 1870s until the mid-1910s Colombians and Peruvians enslaved and exploited the indigenous population of the Putumayo River . During the rubber boom, the Putumayo River
13104-514: Was estimated by John Ferguson that there were between 1,500 and 1,600 acres of land cultivated with various different types of rubber trees in Ceylon alone. These plantations were able to produce latex with greater efficiency and productivity . Consequently, with lower costs and a lower final price, the British Empire assumed control of the world rubber market . The Amazon's rubber was undercut in
13221-515: Was founded in 1669 as the Fort of São José do Rio Negro. It was elevated to a town in 1832 with the name of "Manaus", an altered spelling of the indigenous Manaós peoples, and legally transformed into a city on October 24, 1848, with the name of Cidade da Barra do Rio Negro , Portuguese for "The City of the Margins of the Black River". On September 4, 1856, it returned to its original name. Manaus
13338-478: Was heightened rubber production and associated activities again from 1942 to 1945 during the Second World War . Natural rubber is an elastomer , also known as tree gum, India rubber, and caoutchouc , which comes from the rubber tree in tropical regions. Christopher Columbus was one of the first Europeans to bring news of this odd substance back to Europe, but he was not the only one to report it. Around 1736,
13455-550: Was one of the twelve Brazilian host cities of the 2014 World Cup , as well as one of the five subsections of the 2016 Summer Olympics . The name Manaus comes from the native people called Manaós , which means Mother of the Gods . The history of the European colonization of Manaus began in 1499 with the Spanish arrival at the mouth of the Amazon River. The Spanish then continued to colonize
13572-494: Was ready to begin under the Italian architect Celestial Sacardim . Work proceeded slowly over the following fifteen years with some stops and restarts from 1885 to 1892. By 1895, when the masonry work and exterior were completed, the decoration of the interior and the installation of electric lighting could begin more rapidly. The theatre was inaugurated on December 31, 1896, with the first performance occurring on January 7, 1897, with
13689-472: Was recorded in Manaus. Air pollution, caused in large part by the accumulation of smoke from burning, associated with the sulfur dioxide emitted by cars, was the cause of this phenomenon. Although the incidence of acid rain is common in some Brazilian capitals where there is a great concentration of cars, in Manaus and other cities of the Amazonas the situation is aggravated by the prolonged period of drought with
#920079