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Manaus
Manaus

Manaus is a city in the northern part of Brazil and is the capital of Amazonas State. Located on the Rio Negro near its confluence with the Rio Solimoes (also known as the Amazon River), it is the chief port and a hub for the region's extensive river system. It is also a common point of departure for tourists visiting the rest of the Amazon region. 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 60mm. It is usually found at latitudes within five degrees of the equator - which are dominated by the Intertropical Convergence Zone. Tropical rainforest is the natural vegetation in equatorial regions.

The Amazon represents over half of the planet's remaining rainforests and comprises the largest and most species-rich tract 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. As the largest tract of tropical rainforest in the Americas, the Amazonian rainforests have unparalleled biodiversity. More than 1/3 of all species in the world live in the Amazon Rainforest.

Manaus is a cosmopolitan city, and, because of its location next to the Amazon rain forest, it attracts a substantial number of Brazilian and foreign tourists, who can find plenty of boat and land trips into the surrounding jungle. A great diversity of wildlife can be found even in the surroundings of Manaus. It is also home to one of the most endangered primates in Brazil, the Pied tamarin. Tour boats leave Manaus to see the Meeting of the Waters, where the black waters of the Negro River meet the brown waters of the Solimoes River, flowing side by side without mixing for about 9 miles. Visitors can also explore river banks and "igarapes", swim and canoe in placid lakes or simply walk in the lush forest. The most adventurous may even choose to spend a night or two in the jungle in close contact with nature.

The Teatro Amazonas, an opera house built in 1896, is a notable landmark of Manaus, reflecting the massive wealth of the turn of the century rubber boom. The theatre was prominently featured in Werner Herzog's 1982 film Fitzcarraldo. The exuberant interior of this 1896 opera house, completed after 15 years, contains crystal chandeliers, wrought-iron banisters, Italian frescoes, as well as a museum. About 18 miles from downtown is Ponta Negra beach, a neighborhood that has a wide beachfront and popular nightlife area. A luxurious hotel is located at the west end of Ponta Negra; its small but very interesting zoo and orchid greenhouse as well as preserved woods and beach are open for public visits. The Mercado Adolpho Lisboa, founded in 1882, is the city's oldest marketplace, trading in fruit, vegetables, and especially fish. It's a copy of the Les Halles market of Paris.

Other interesting historical sites include the customs building, of mixed styles and medieval inspiration; the Rio Negro Palace cultural center; and the Justice Palace, right next to the Amazonas Opera House. Manaus has also many large parks with native forest preservation areas, such as the Bosque da Ciência and Parque do Mindú. The largest urban forest in the world is located within Federal University of Amazonas, which was founded in January 17, 1909 and is the oldest federal university of Brazil. The city has a busy cultural calendar throughout the year, including the opera, theater, jazz and cinema festivals, as well as Boi Manaus (usually held around Manaus' anniversary on the 24th of October), which is a great celebration of Northern Brazilian culture through Boi-Bumbá music.