The city takes its name from the Manaós indigenous people, the
inhabitants of the forest, and during its history was briefly named
by its Portuguese overlords as Cidade da Barra do Rio Negro - City
of the Margins of Black River.
Manaus stands at the confluence of
two of the mighty Amazon’s major tributaries — the Rio Negro and
Solimões, which meet here to form the Amazon River. With a
population of 1.9 million people, the country's seventh most
populous city, it is the gateway to the Brazilian Amazon, a
paradise for naturalists and biodiversity buffs.
A free port and a duty-free zone,
Manaus made its profits from the cultivation and sale of rubber in
the 1800s and was settled by wealthy European families. For its
architecture, European arthouses and culture, Manaus is often known
as The Paris of the Tropics.
The 'Teatro
Amazonas' (State Opera House) in the city of Manaus, in the
Brazilian rain forest. It is the most remote opera house in the
world
Boats are the
most common way of transporting goods and people in the Amazon
province in northern Brazil. It's a hub for the regions extensive
river systems and a departure point for tourists visiting the
Amazon region
A boy eats a
watermelon in front of hammocks on a transport riverboat in the
Brazilian Amazon from Maues to Manaus in Amazonas
State,
A transport
riverboat navigates at dawn in the Brazilian Amazon from Maues to
Manaus
Cook Rosa
prepares lunch in the kitchen aboard a transport riverboat in the
Brazilian Amazon from Maues to Manaus
Passengers
depart a transport riverboat in the Brazilian Amazon after arriving
in Maues from Manaus.
