The State of Amazonas

The Brazilian Amazon is formed by the States of Amazonas, Pará, Acre, Rondônia, Roraima, Amapá and Tocantins, located in the North of Brazil; and part of the States of Mato Grosso and Maranhão, in the Northeast and Mid-West Regions.

Altogether, these nine States add up to 5, 2 million squared kilometers, around 55% of Brazilian land. Nearly 20 million inhabitants, with the majority of them concentrated in cities, live in the Brazilian Amazon, leaving a great part of the rural areas unoccupied.

Due to the formidable net of rivers and lakes - the Amazonas River Basin, which occupies a 6.500.000 km² area in South America -, fluvial transportation is of great importance, enabling thousands of boats to cruise the Brazilian Amazon rivers, on trips that may last up to several weeks, considering the continental distances of some extreme locations.

There are two distinct annual seasons – summer, a time when it rains less; and winter, when the rainfall indexes reach the highest levels. The water level oscillates according to the time of the year, resulting in the full and the dry seasons.

Waters raise their level in the period from November to June; they remain stable for about two weeks; and lower their level from the beginning of July until the end of October.

The difference between these levels reaches the fantastic mark of 12 meters. The dry water season is ideal for fishing activities, especially for tucunarés, piranhas, tambaquis and other fish species.

With the raising of the water level, the lowest forest areas are flooded, originating the “igapós”, which are great extensions of underwater jungle full of beauty and exotic life, favorable to bird watching, as well as the observation of monkeys, sloths, orchids and uncountable species of the Amazonian fauna and flora.