Oiapoque
Municipality
Município de Oiapoque
A street in Oiapoque.
Flag Seal
Location of Oiapoque in the State of Amapá
Coordinates: 03°50′34″N 51°50′06″W / 3.84278°N 51.83500°W / 3.84278; -51.83500
Country	Brazil
Region	North
State	Amapá
Founded	1945
Government
• Mayor	Breno Lima de Almeida (PRTB)
Area
• Total	22,625 km2 (8,736 sq mi)
Elevation	3 m (10 ft)
Population  (2020)
• Total	27,906
• Density	0.85/km2 (2.2/sq mi)
	[1]
Time zone	UTC−3 (BRT)
HDI (2000)	0.738 – medium[2]
Website	oiapoque.com.br

Oiapoque (Portuguese pronunciation: [ɔjɐˈpɔki]) is a municipality in the north of the state of Amapá, Brazil. Its population is 27,906^[3] and its area is 22,625 square kilometres (8,736 sq mi).^[4] Oiapoque is also a major river in the same state, forming the international border with French Guiana. The Oyapock River Bridge, connecting the village with Saint-Georges in French Guiana, was completed in 2011 but not opened to pedestrian or vehicle traffic until 2017.^[5]

Lying on the northern coast of Brazil, Oiapoque is popularly considered the northernmost point of Brazil. The phrase do Oiapoque ao Chuí ("from Oiapoque to Chuí") means "all of Brazil."^[6] However, there are more northerly points in Roraima state such as the municipality of Uiramutã. Oiapoque remains the northernmost coastal city of Brazil, and the northernmost city of Amapá. It occupies more than half of the north border of the state.

Early history

The Oiapoque River was visited by Europeans in the first years of the 16th century. The first European was the pirate Vicente Yáñez Pinzón. It has been called Japoc, Yapoc, Iapoco, and even Vicente Pinzón River. The name Oiapoque was officially used from 1900, when a territorial dispute between Brazil and France was resolved through Swiss diplomatic arbitration.

Clevelândia

At the beginning of the 20th century, the village of Oiapoque hosted a political and criminal concentration camp called Clevelândia. In 1922 an agricultural outpost called the Núcleo Colonial Cleveland was transformed into a camp during the presidency of Arthur Bernardes (1922–1926). Many Brazilian anarchist militants were sentenced to hard labour here. Of the 946 prisoners interned at Clevelândia between 1924 and 1927, 491 died. Many of the survivors returned to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro permanently sickened with malaria.^[7]

Geography

Oiapoque is bordered to the west by its long frontier with French Guiana. It is bordered to the north by the Atlantic Ocean. On its eastern and southern sides it borders the municipalities of Calçoene, Serra do Navio, Pedra Branca do Amapari, and Laranjal do Jari.^[4]

The municipality contains 24.15% of the 2,369,400 hectares (5,855,000 acres) Amapá State Forest, a sustainable use conservation unit established in 2006.^[8] The Cabo Orange National Park is located on the coast of the municipality, and covers 6,573 square kilometres (2,538 sq mi) of rainforest on the coast line.^[9]

Oiapoque can be accessed by air via the Oiapoque Airport.^[10]

Climate

Oiapoque has a tropical monsoon climate (Am) with moderate to little rainfall from August to November and heavy to very heavy rainfall in the remaining months.

Kuahí Museum

The Kuahí Museum was opened in 2007 by the four indigenous groups living the municipality: the Palikur, the Galibi Marwono, the Galibi do Oiapoque, and the Karipuna do Amapá. The museum contains more than 400 objects used by the Amerindians.^[12] The project was conceived in the 1990s to promote and transmit the knowledge of the indigenous community. The museum is a public not-for-profit entity linked to the Amapá State Secretariat of Culture.^[13]

Subdivisions

The municipality of Oiapoque contains three districts:^[14]

There are four indigenous tribes in the municipality located in indigenous territories:^[12]

Gallery