Macapa (Brazil)

Macapa is an Amazon River cruise port and city in Brazil, located on the river's northern channel and close to its mouth on the Atlantic Ocean. The city has population around 400,000 (metro over 0,5 million). A popular daily shore excursion destination is Praia De Fazendinha (Macapa's main beach), located ~17 km/10 mi (28 min drive distance) to the south.

Macapa Port's locode is BRMCP.

The city is also the capital of Brazil's Amapa state. It is built on a small plateau and offers few land connections to other parts of the country. The equator runs right through downtown. Macapa is also located northeast of Marajó Island and south of French Guiana's border.

The city is a major economic center of Brazil's Northern Region, serving as Amapa's commercial hub. Commodities like ores (iron, gold, tin), lumber and oil from the state's interior are exported via Port Santana. Macapa is currently ranked Brazil's 5th-wealthiest city and enjoys a high rate of economic growth. However, the city is also ranked the world's 45th most violent, with 32 homicides per 100,000 residents.

Saint Joseph is a Vauban-style fortress built in the late 18th century to replace two old fortifications guarding the Amazon's estuary. Marco Zero (monument marking the equator) also shows the sun's passage. At the spring and autumn equinoxes, the sun rises and sets on the equator's line and shines on the monument along Avenue Equatorial, running for a mile east of it.