State of Pará
—  State  —
Flag Coat of arms
Location of State of Pará in Brazil
Coordinates: 5°40′S 52°44′W / 5.667°S 52.733°W / -5.667; -52.733Coordinates: 5°40′S 52°44′W / 5.667°S 52.733°W / -5.667; -52.733
Country	Brazil
Capital and Largest City	Belém
Government
• Governor	Simão Jatene
• Vice Governor	Helenilson Pontes
Area
• Total	1,247,689.5 km2 (481,735.6 sq mi)
Area rank	2nd
Population (2010 census)[1]
• Total	7,588,078
• Rank	9th
• Density	6.1/km2 (16/sq mi)
• Density rank	21st
Demonym	Paraense
GDP
• Year	2006 estimate
• Total	R$ 44,376,000,000 (13th)
• Per capita	R$ 6,241 (22nd)
HDI
• Year	2005
• Category	0.755 – medium (16th)
Time zone	BRT (UTC-3)
Postal Code	66000-000 to 68890-000
ISO 3166 code	BR-PA
Website	pa.gov.br

Pará (Portuguese pronunciation: [paˈɾa]) is a state in the north of Brazil. It borders the Brazilian states of (clockwise from north) Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas and Roraima. To the northwest it also borders Guyana and Suriname, and to the northeast it borders the Atlantic Ocean. The capital and largest city is Belém, the 11th most populous city in the country.

Pará is the most populous state of the northern region with a population of over 7.5 million^[2]. It is the second largest state of Brazil in area, with 1,247,689.515 km², second only to Amazonas (it was the third until Mato Grosso do Sul broke away from Mato Grosso in 1977). Its most famous icons are the Amazon River and the Amazon Rainforest. Pará produces rubber (extracted from natural rubber tree groves), tropical hardwoods such as mahogany, and minerals such as iron ore and bauxite.

Every October, Belém receives tens of thousands of tourists for the year's most important religious celebration, the procession of the Círio de Nazaré. Another important attraction of the capital is the marajó-style ceramics, based on pottery from the extinct Marajó indigenous culture, whose designs have gained considerable international fame.

History[link]

The Portuguese colonization in Pará State first occurred in 1616, with the foundation of Presépio Fortress – today, Castle Fortress – at Guajará bay, which originated the city of Belém. Before that, the region had been invaded many times by the Dutch and the English, seeking pepper; guaraná, a tree from which a powder is produced and used as a stimulant; and annato seeds, a fruit used for cooking, as a sunscreen and also for the extraction of dye.

Geography[link]

Climate[link]

Amazon River in Amazon Rainforest.

An equatorial climate is a type of tropical climate in which there is no dry season – all months have mean precipitation values of at least 60 millimetres (2.4 in). It is usually found at latitudes within five degrees of the equator – which are dominated by the Intertropical Convergence Zone. The equatorial climate is denoted Af in the Köppen climate classification. Tropical rainforest is the natural vegetation in equatorial regions.

Vegetation[link]

Vitória Régia, in Paraense Emílio Goeldi Museum in Belém.

The Amazon represents over half of the planet's remaining rainforests and comprises the largest and most species-rich tracts 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.^[3] As the largest tract of tropical rainforest in the Americas, the Amazonian rainforests have unparalleled biodiversity. More than one-third of all species in the world live in the Amazon Rainforest^[4] The largest biodiversity of the planet is present across the state of Amazonas.

Unfortunately large tracts of Pará state suffer from illegal deforestation and land occupation, mostly due to cattle ranching and soya farming. There have been conflicts between government, indigenous tribes and ranchers over land rights and the situation is unlikely to be resolved soon, particularly due to the demand for beef from Europe and soya from China. The controversial Belo Monte Dam is a proposed hydroelectric dam complex on the Xingu River which threatens a relatively undisturbed area of Pará's rainforest, including several endemic fish species. It also is likely to attract further development and migration to the state, to the detriment of the state's rainforest.

Political subdivisions[link]

Demographics[link]

According to the IBGE of 2007, there were 7,136,000 people residing in the state. The population density was 5.7 inhabitants per square kilometre (15 /sq mi). Urbanization: 75.2% (2006); Population growth: 2.5% (1991–2000); Houses: 1,754,000 (2006).^[5]

The last PNAD (National Research for Sample of Domiciles) census revealed the following numbers: 4,988,000 Brown (Multiracial) people (69.9%), 1,641,000 White people (23.0%), 470,000 Black people (6.6%), 35,000 Asian or Amerindian people (0.5%).^[6]

Economy[link]

The service sector is the largest component of GDP at 40.9%, followed by the industrial sector at 36.3%. Agriculture represents 22.8% of GDP (2004). Pará exports: iron ore 31.1%, aluminium 22.2%, wood 13.5%, ores of aluminium 8.3%, others ores 7.9% (2002), representing 1.8% of the Brazilian economy (2005).

The mining sector represents 14% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the State, originated mainly from the extraction of iron, bauxite, manganese, limestone and tin, as well as gold, until recently extracted from one of the largest mines of recent history: Serra Pelada. The economy of Pará is based also on the extraction of vegetation, on agriculture and cattle raising; thanks to the rich soil and the important hydrographic basin – boats are the main means of transport in the region. Guaraná, a tree from which a powder is produced and used as a stimulant; and annato seeds, a fruit used for cooking, as a sunscreen and also for dye extraction. Marajó – the biggest fluvial-maritime island in the world, with an area of 50,000 km² (19,000 sq mi). Its territory has one of the largest mining areas in the country, located in the Carajás Mountains, a mining province where the Ferro Carajás Project is based, from Companhia Vale do Rio Doce. The complex produced 296 million metric tons of iron ore in 2007,^[7] exporting the product to many countries, among them Japan, Germany, Italy, France and Spain.

According to the website for the state's investment promotion agency; Invest Para,^[8] the state of Para is expecting US $50 billion in public and private investments into the local economy from 2010-2014. With agribusiness, cosmetics, mining, and tourism as the sectors with highest investment potential as they receive special benefits from the state government.

Education[link]

Belém is the most important educational centre of the state.

Portuguese is the official national language, and thus the primary language taught in schools. English and Spanish are also part of the official high school curriculum.

Educational institutions[link]

• Universidade Federal do Pará (UFPA) (Pará Federal University);
• Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia (UFRA) (Rural Federal University of Amazon);
• Universidade do Estado do Pará (UEPA) (Pará State University);
• Universidade da Amazônia (UNAMA) (University of Amazon);
• Instituto Federal do Pará (IFPA) (Federal Institute of Technical Education of Pará);
• and many others.

Culture[link]

Theatre[link]

• Theatre of Peace;
• Experimental Waldemar Henrique theatre;
• Gabriel Hermes theatre;
• Theatre of SESC;
• Theatre of Emílio Goeldi Museum;
• Margarida Schiwazzapa theatre;
• Maria Sylvia Nunes theatre;
• Gasômetro station theatre.

Círio de Nazaré[link]

Cathedral of Sé in Belém.

The biggest festival in the state of Pará happens there, Círio de Nazaré (Nazareth Taper). This event is known to be the biggest religious event of the Western Hemisphere. The procession starts on the second Sunday of October and pays homage to Our Lady of Nazareth, patron saint of the State. Organised since 1793, at present it gathers around 2.3 million of followers, who go on a procession through the city on a huge suite to the Nazaré Basilica, where the image is worshiped.

Indigenous communities[link]

Besides all the natural wealth, the State of Pará also shelters a valuable cultural treasure, about 40 indigenous groups, scattered through an area of over 23 million hectares (57×10^⁶ acres). Of these, more than eight million have been delimited by FUNAI (National Foundation of Indians), ensuring security and preservation of that space. Among the biggest indigenous communities there are the Andira Marau, Munduruku and the Kayapó.

Infrastructure[link]

International Airport[link]

Belém International Airport.

Since 2001, Belém International Airport has been an example of the standard Infraero implements at its airports. Standing out in the midst of the Amazon vastness, the building design uses plane curves on its roof to permit light to enter its entire large terminal hall. The architect Sérgio Parada used his creativity to adopt multiple-use totems integrated with light projectors, a sound system, air conditioning and public telephones. Currently Belém International Airport serves demand of 2.7 million passengers a year, in a constructed area of 33,255.17 square meters (357,955.7 sq ft). Traditionally called Val-de-Cans Airport, it is responsible for increasing tourism in the region, as well as for the outflow of products and attracting new investments. The passenger terminal is fully air conditioned on two levels and has futuristic architecture, designed to take advantage of natural lighting. People with special needs have individualized service with own equipment at specific locations to facilitate their circulation. The terminal's interior is decorated with plants native to the Amazon region and is enclosed by a source able to imitate the sound of the rains that fall every day in the region.

Port[link]

Port of Belém has restaurants, art galleries, a small beer factory, ice-cream shops, artisan stands, regional food kiosks, coffee houses, a space for fairs and events, a theatre for 400 spectators and a touristic harbour.

Sports[link]

Belém provides visitors and residents with various sport activities. The Mangueirão stadium architectural project is from August 1969. In 2002, 24 years after its inauguration, Mangueirão was reinaugurated as an Olympic stadium of Pará. The visiting capacity of the stadium is at around 45,000.

Belém was one of the 18 candidates to host games of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, but was not selected. Instead, Manaus was chosen as the Amazon city where matches would happen.

• Stadiums
• Olympic stadium of Pará;
• Evandro Almeida stadium;
• Jader Barbalho stadium;
• Leônidas Castro stadium;
• and many others.

Flag[link]

The white stripe in the Flag of Pará represents the zodiac, the Equator and the Amazon River. The blue star is Spica in the constellation Virgo, which is also depicted on the Flag of Brazil representing the state. The two red areas symbolize the vigor of the local people.

References[link]

See also[link]

Find more about Pará on Wikipedia's sister projects:
	Definitions and translations from Wiktionary
	Images and media from Commons
	Learning resources from Wikiversity
	News stories from Wikinews
	Quotations from Wikiquote
	Source texts from Wikisource
	Textbooks from Wikibooks

• (English) Brazil
• (Portuguese) Official Website
• (English) Brazilian Tourism Portal
• (English) Brazilian Embassy in London
• (Portuguese) Portal Paraense
• (English) Invest Para
• (Turkish) Para yarışması

• Belo Monte Dam
• Deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest
• Deforestation in Brazil

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