Pará is a state in northern Brazil, traversed by the lower Amazon and bordered by Suriname and Guyana to the northwest and the Atlantic Ocean to the northeast. Its capital, Belém, sits near the Amazon estuary in the bay of Marajó.
The second-largest Brazilian state by area at 1.2 million square kilometres, Pará is the most populous in the North Region, home to over 8.6 million people. Its economy draws on the Amazon rainforest and river: rubber tapped from native groves, tropical hardwoods such as mahogany, cassava, açaí, cocoa and black pepper, plus minerals including iron ore and bauxite. Soy cultivation has expanded near Santarém in recent decades. Each October, tens of thousands gather in Belém for the Círio de Nazaré procession, the year’s principal religious event. The capital is also known for Marajó-style ceramics, inspired by the vanished Marajoara culture that once flourished on the vast island in the Amazon.
