Calçoene (Portuguese pronunciation: [kawsoˈẽni]) is a municipality located in the east of the state of Amapá in Brazil. It is located on the Atlantic Ocean in the Amazon jungle basin near French Guiana. Calçoene covers 14,269 square kilometres (5,509 sq mi) and has a population is 11,306.[2] The name Calçoene is a corruption of "Calço N" (North Wedge, one of four mining zones defined by the Brazilian Government at the beginning of the 20th century).[3]
Calçoene | |
|---|---|
| Município de Calçoene | |
 The Governor inspects the new road in Calçoene | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location of Calçoene in the State of Amapá | |
  Calçoene | |
| Coordinates: 02°29′52″N 50°56′56″W / 2.49778°N 50.94889°W | |
| Country |  Brazil |
| Region | North |
| State |  Amapá |
| Founded | 22 December 1945[1] |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Lindoval Santos do Rosario (PSC) |
| Area | |
• Total | 14,269 km2 (5,509 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 3 m (10 ft) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 11,306 |
| • Density | 0.79/km2 (2.1/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−3 (BRT) |
| HDI (2010) | 0.643 – medium |
| Website | www.calcoene.ap.gov.br |
The city has the highest rainfall of any in Brazil, with an annual average of 4,165 millimetres (164.0 in). Calçoene is noted for its ancient megalithic observatory, often referred to as the "Amazon Stonehenge".[4]
History
editThe borders between French Guiana and Brazil were not clear, and in the 19th century, it was decided that the area between the Amazon and the Oyapock River was a neutral territory. Paul Quartier had a meeting with the village chiefs of Cunani and Carsewenne (nowadays: Calçoene) in 1885.[5][6] In 1886, the Republic of Independent Guiana[6] was founded by a group of French adventurers and two village chiefs with Cunani as the capital. The unrecognised republic lasted until 1891.[7] In 1900, the territory was awarded to Brazil.[8] Calçoene became a municipality in 1956.[9]
Geography
editCalçoene is bordered on the north and east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by the municipalities of Amapá and Pracuúba, and to the west by the municipalities of Oiapoque and Serra do Navio. Calçoene is 272 kilometres (169 mi) from the state capital of Macapá.[1] The municipality contains 23.23% of the 2,369,400 hectares (5,855,000 acres) Amapá State Forest, a sustainable use conservation unit established in 2006.[10]
Tourism
editOne of the most popular tourist attraction is the Goiabal beach on the Atlantic Ocean, which is located 14 kilometers from the town of Calçoene.[9] The beach is 4 kilometres long and the water is dark due to the influence of the Amazon.[11]
Calçoene megalithic observatory
edit
In May 2006, archeologists announced they had found a pre-colonial astronomical observatory, possibly 500 to 2,000 years old, near Calçoene. The age is based on pottery sherds on site that have been dated to 2,000 years old. The site is on a hill and has 127 large stones blocks of granite, each 3 metres (9.8 ft) high, and dug firmly into the ground. Archaeologist Mariana Petry Cabral of the Amapa Institute of Scientific and Technological Research (IEPA) said that the observatory has been designed to align with the winter solstice. Other agricultural societies also developed sophisticated ways to track important times in the solar calendar. At one time, researchers did not think any cultures in the Amazon Basin had developed such complexity as to build such a site. This has altered their thinking.[12]
Subdivisions
editThe municipality of Calçoene contains three districts:[13]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b "Calçoene" (in Portuguese). Macapá: Governo do Estado do Amapá. 2011. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
- ^ IBGE 2020
- ^ Amapá Digital: Calçoene
- ^ "Embrapa identifica cidade mais chuvosa do Brasil" (in Portuguese). Notícias Terra. 5 December 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2009.
- ^ Stéphane Granger (2011). "Le Contesté franco-brésilien : enjeux et conséquences d'un conflit oublié entre la France et le Brésil". Outre-Mers. Revue d'histoire (in French): 162–163.
- ^ a b "La république de Counani: L'homme qui voulut être roi". Une Saison en Guyane (in French). Retrieved 30 March 2021.
- ^ "The Loneliness of the Guyanas". New York Times. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
- ^ "Timeline Brazil". Library of Congress. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
- ^ a b "História". Municipality of Calçoene (in Portuguese). Retrieved 31 March 2021.
- ^ FES do Amapá (in Portuguese), ISA: Instituto Socioambiental, retrieved 6 July 2016
- ^ "Praia de Goiabal". Estados e Capitais Do Brasil (in Portuguese). Retrieved 31 March 2021.
- ^ Wolford, Ben (2006). "Brazilian Stonehenge discovered". London: BBC. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
- ^ "História". Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (in Portuguese). Retrieved 31 March 2021.
External links
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- Official website (in Portuguese)
- 'Amazon Stonehenge' - Yahoo story
- Photos
- "Calcoene, the Brazilian Stonehenge", Archaeoastronomy, 14 May 2006