Belém

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Port and capital of Pará federal unit (state) in northern Brazil, on the River Pará near the mouth of the River Tocantins and River Amazon, 144 km/89 mi from the Atlantic; population (2000) 1,272,400; metropolitan area (2005 est) 2,042,500. Belém lies just 161 km/100 mi south of the Equator, and is hot (mean temperature 27°C/80°F) and humid with a high rainfall. It is the chief trade and distribution centre of northern Brazil, and main exports include rubber, nuts, tropical hardwoods, and jute.

Belém was founded by the Portuguese in 1616 as Santa Maria de Belém do Grãs Pará, and became a trading centre for cacao, vanilla, cassia, and cinnamon; the town grew considerably during the second half of the 19th century when rubber became the chief export. There is a 17th-century church, a cathedral (1748), and a botanical and natural history museum. The university was founded in 1957.

The ‘Sun of May’ was added in 1818. The blue bands are a shade known as ‘celeste’, said to be the colour of the sky which inspired Argentine revolutionary Manuel Belgrano before battle. Effective date: 16 August 1985. >>