Manaus (redirected from Manaus, Brazil)

Manaus (mänous`), city (1996 pop. 1,158,265), capital of Amazonas state, NW Brazil, on the Rio Negro. It is the chief commercial and cultural center of the upper Amazon region and an important river port, with floating docks that can accommodate oceangoing vessels, including cruise ships. Surrounded by jungle, Manaus is the only major city in a c.600-mi (1000-km) radius. Founded in 1669, Manaus grew slowly until the late 19th cent., when the wild-rubber boom brought prosperity and short-lived splendor. In recent years, Manaus has regained importance because of renewed interest in the Amazon basin and its preservation, with accompanying ecotourism, and because of the discovery of oil nearby. The city is now the seat of several organizations dealing with Amazonian problems, is a free port, and has an international airport. Its manufactures include electronics, chemical products, and soap; there are distilling and ship construction industries. Manaus also exports Brazil nuts, rubber, jute, and rosewood oil. It has a cathedral, opera house (with an $8 million renovation completed in 1990), zoological and botanical gardens, an ecopark, and regional and native peoples museums.

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Manaus

City (pop., 2003 est.: 1,517,500), northwestern Brazil. Located in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, it lies along the northern bank of the Negro River above its junction with the Amazon River. The first European settlement was a small fort built in 1669. The village, called Villa da Barra, became the capital of the Río Negro captaincy general in 1809. It prospered from 1890 to 1920 as the hub for the region's only supply of rubber, after which it declined. Though 900 mi (1,450 km) from the sea, it again became a major inland port and commercial centre, reviving economically in the mid-20th century. It has botanical gardens and an opera house, and the National Research Institute of Amazonia (INPA) and the Federal University of Amazonas are located there.

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Manaus, Man?os

a port in N Brazil, capital of Amazonas state, on the Rio Negro 19 km (12 miles) above its confluence with the Amazon: chief commercial centre of the Amazon basin. Pop.: 1 673 000 (2005 est.)