Untitled document 21 .docx - Topic: Belém Belém beˈlẽj ...

Topic: Belém
Belém ([be l j]; Portuguese for Bethlehem; initially called ˈ ẽ
Nossa Senhora de Belém do Grão Pará, in English Our
Lady of Belém of Pará) often called Belém of Pará, is a
Brazilian city, capital and largest city of the state of Pará in
the country's north. It is the gateway to the Amazon River
with a busy port, airport, and bus/coach station. Belém lies
approximately 100 km upriver from the Atlantic Ocean, on
the Pará River, which is part of the greater Amazon River
system, separated from the larger part of the Amazon delta
by Ilha de Marajó (Marajo Island). With an estimated
population of 1,499,641 people — or 2,491,052,
considering its metropolitan area — it is the 11th most
populous city in Brazil, as well as the 16th by economic
relevance. It is the second largest in the North Region,
second only to Manaus, in the state of Amazonas.
Founded in 1616 by the Kingdom of Portugal, Belém was
the first European colony on the Amazon but did not
become part of Brazil until 1775. The newer part of the city
has modern buildings and skyscrapers. The colonial portion
retains the charm of tree-filled squares, churches and
traditional blue tiles. The city has a rich history and
architecture from colonial times. Recently it witnessed a
skyscraper boom.
Belém is also known as the Metropolis of the Brazilian
Amazon region or the Cidade das Mangueiras (City of
Mango Trees) due to the vast number of those trees found
in the city. Brazilians often refer to the city as Belém do
Pará ("Belém of Pará") rather than just Belém, a reference
to an earlier name for the city, Santa Maria de Belém do
Grão Pará, and also to differentiate it from a number of
other towns called Belém in Brazil, as well as the city of

Bethlehem in the West Bank of Palestine. It is named after
Santa Maria de Belém in Lisbon, also better known by its
shortened name, Belém.
Belém is served by Val de Cans International Airport, which
connects the city with the rest of Brazil and other cities in
South America, North America (USA) and Europe (Lisbon).
The city is also home to the Federal University of Pará and
the Pará State University.
Name
The name Belém is the Portuguese word for Bethlehem,
the town where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born.
The city had other names such as "Santa Maria de Belém
do Pará" (Saint Mary of Bethlehem of Pará) or "Nossa
Senhora de Belém do Grão-Pará" (Our Lady of Bethlehem
of Grand-Pará) before eventually becoming Belém.
History
In 1615, Portuguese captain-general Francisco Caldeira
Castelo Branco of the captaincy of Bahia commanded a
military expedition sent by the Governor General of Brazil to
check the trading excursions of foreigners (French, Dutch,
English) up the river (Amazon) from the Cabo do Norte in
Grão Pará.
On January 12, 1616, he anchored in what is now known as
Guajará Bay, formed by the confluence of the Para and
Guama Rivers, called by the Tupinambás, "Guaçu Paraná".