The capital of the Amazonas State was founded in the second half of the XVII century, with the construction of the Forte de São José da Barra do Rio Negro (São José da Barra do Rio Negro Fort), created to protect the region against the invasion of foreigners. The name Manaus is a reference to the Indian manaós, who lived there.
             During so many years, the city lived almost isolated. However, from the XIX century, the growth of the international commerce of rubber, whose raw material was extracted from native rubber trees of the forest, Manaus start to be attractive to the businessmen from all over the world.
            On the end of the XIX century, the wealth produced by the exportation of rubber financed the construction, in the middle of the tropical forest, of luxurious buildings that reproduced the architectonic styles that were in the high European fashion. On one of the major symbol of the economic development from that period, the Teatro Amazonas (Amazonas Theater), there were exhibitions of famous European opera companies.
            Currently, Manaus receives tourists from all over the world attracted by the Amazon Forest, whose ecosystem has one of the major biodiversities on the planet. The hotels on the jungle on that region make possible to know the exuberance of the untouched tropical forest. The city offers a lot of strolls, as one that takes the tourists to see the junction of the rivers Negro and Solimões.
           On the city center, the visitor can see historic buildings and museums about Amazon river region. On Mercado Municipal (Municipal Market), there are local and Indian craft shops. The regional cookery is based on fishes of the region and exotic fruits very frequently utilized for preparing juices and ice creams. Manaus has hotels with different levels, including some international ones.

INFRASTRUCTURE

            The city has hotels with different levels of comfort, including international ones. It offers receptive tourism agencies, car rental agencies and branches from the main banks.

HOW TO GET THERE

            Manaus is on the northern region, 2150 km far from Brasilia. The airport Eduardo Gomes, 15 km far from the city center, receives flights from Brazilian cities and from South America. There are road connections only to Boa Vista (capital of the Roraima State, to the north of Manaus) and some places on the Amazonas State. Generally, the trips by earth to Manaus include long legs crossed by boats or ferryboats.