Itacoatiara, Amazonas


Itacoatiara is a municipality in the central eastern portion of state of Amazonas, inland northern Brazil.
It is 176 km east by air or 270 km downstream by river from Manaus. It is the third most populous town in the state, on the bank of the Amazon River.
Its population was 95,714 and its area is 8,600 km².
The town is known as "City of painted stone" - which is its name translated from Tupi. Itacoatiara has an important port, which is responsible for a considerable amount of cargo transportation in Amazonas.
Its Catedral Prelatícia Nossa Senhora do Rosário, dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary, is the episcopal see of the pre-diocesan Roman Catholic Territorial Prelature of Itacoatiara.

History

Ethnic composition

Itacoatiara is marked by the cultural, political and economic traits inherited from the Portuguese, Spanish and Dutch people. The city grew that way, but going back a bit in history, one can not forget the importance of Amerindians in the ethnic contribution. It was the Amerindians who began human occupation in the Amazon, and their descendants, the caboclos, developed in intimate contact with the environment, adapting to the regional peculiarities and opportunities offered by the forest.
In historical formation, Itacoatiara's demography is the result of the miscegenation of the three basic ethnic groups that compose the Brazilian population: Native Brazilian, European and African, thus forming the region's mestizos. Later on, with the arrival of the immigrants, especially Japanese, Arabs, Syrians, Lebanese and Jews coming mostly from Morocco, a unique culture was formed that characterizes the population of the city, its values and way of life.
According to the IBGE 2000 census, the population of Itacoatiara is composed of: Pardo, White, Black, Amerindians and Yellow. There are also 50 people who did not declare their ethnicity, representing 0.10% of the total population.

Climate

Notable People