Manaus Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Manaus

Município de Manaus
Municipality of Manaus

Top left, clockwise: Manaus–Iranduba Bridge; Amazon Theatre; Meeting of Waters; Amazon Arena; Opening of the Ports Monument and view of the city.

Flag

Seal

Nickname(s):

A Paris dos Trópicos (The Paris of the Tropics); Mãe dos Deuses (Mother of the Gods)

Motto(s):

"A metrópole da Amazônia" (The metropolis of the Amazon)

Location in the state of Amazonas

Manaus

Location in Brazil

Brazil

North

Founded

October 24, 1669

Area

• Metropolis

11,401.092 km² (4,401.97 sq mi)

• Urban

427 km² (165 sq mi)

Elevation

92 m (302 ft)

Population

(2020)

• Metropolis

2,219,580 (7th)

• Density

191.45/km² (450.29/sq mi)

• Metro

2,676,936 (11th)

Manauara, Manauense

• Summer (DST)

Postal code

69000-001 to 69099-999 and 69400-000 to 69899-999

Area code

+55 (92)

View of the port/harbour of Manaus (1990)

View of the city of Manaus, the city centre is in the back of the image

Manaus is the principal city of the North Region of Brazil. It is the capital of Amazonas. Manaus had a great age when latex was discovered in the Amazon region. Manaus developed economically and culturally. After that great age, latex started to be produced in other countries, particularly Malaysia and Indonesia, where due the similar climate the plants start to grow even faster than in Brasil.

Manaus is considerated as the entrance door to the biggest ecological reservation in the planet: The Amazon rainforest. Its name come from a tribe called Manaós that lived in this area and means "Mother of God". The colonization started on 1669, with a small fort, and around it grew a settlement. In 1833 it became a village, with the name of Manaus. On October 24th of 1848 it receive the name of city and became the Capital of the state.

Manaus is the site of the "encontro of the waters" where two big rivers Rio Negro (black river) and Solimoes River come together and for more than 10 km "walk together but not mixed" because of their differing density, and then become the Amazon.

The American Charles Goodyear, inventor of vulcanization, developed a procedure to process the juice of the rubber tree into rubber. The city became rich, and India rubber barons paid for a big biggest luxury from Europe, a copy the Grand Paris Opéra - the TEATRO AMAZONAS. Other monuments from this time include the MERCADO MUNICIPAL, a copy of the famous market halls Les Halles in Paris, the arts centre RIO PALACIO NEGRO between fascinating Portuguese facades.

Today Manaus is a foreign trade zone. Foreign enterprises pay here no import duties what guarantees a certain income for the city and the region. Electronics, wood industry and oil refineries have settled in the outskirts in industrial areas. The harbour is the most important trading centre for the care of the city with regional, national and international products. Over 2 million people live in Manaus. It was nominated as one of the places for the Soccer World Cup 2014.

The Opera house is the major cultural heritage of the Amazonas. It was inaugurated in 1896 during the rubber boom. In spite of the predominance of neoclassic elements, other styles were used, so the architecture is eclectic, with materials brought from Europe as well as artists like Domenico de Angelis, Giovanni Capranesi and Crispim do Amaral. Preserved as a national heritage since 1965, today, with more than 100 years, it has room for 681 people including balconies and three floors of boxes. After the restoration made by the state government in 1990, the theater rescued its splendor, with performances of famous operas, national and international musicians.

Images for kids

Aerial view of the Amazon Rainforest, near Manaus
Anavilhanas National Park.
Anavilhas National Park ground view.
São Sebastião square
Manaus Region seen from Space in 2018.
St. Sebastian Church
Mario Ypiranga Avenue, financial center of Manaus
Aleixo neighborhood in Manaus
National Institute of Amazonian Research
Amazon Biotechnology Center
Manaus International Airport
Port of Manaus
A float at Manaus Carnival, 2016.
Amazon Theatre, in Manaus. More than 120 years old, it represents the city's heyday during the rubber boom.
Amazonas Philharmonic
Lagoa do Japiim Park
Lua Beach.
Cruise ship on the Negro River on the way to the city of Manaus.
The natural phenomenon of the confluence of the Rio Negro's water and the Solimões River's water
Arena Amazônia
Internal view of arena

Manaus facts for kids

Images for kids

See also