Altamira, Pará

Altamira
Panorama view of Altamira and Xingu River
Flag Seal
Location of Altamira
Country	Brazil
Region	Norte
State	Pará
Founded	November 6, 1911
Government
• Mayor	Domingos Juvenil
Area
• Total	15,953.373 km2 (6,159.632 sq mi)
Elevation	109 m (358 ft)
Population (2016)
• Total	109,938
• Density	0.69/km2 (1.8/sq mi)

Altamira is one of one hundred and forty-four municipalities in the state of Pará, in northern Brazil. It has an area of 161,446 square kilometres or 62,335 square miles, making it the largest municipality by area both in Pará state and Brazil and until 2009 it was the world's largest municipal subdivision. It occupies 12.8% of the state's territory, 1.8% of the Brazilian territory and 0.8% of the South American territory. It also covers a more extensive area than 104 countries, and is bigger than Bangladesh, which covers 147,570 square kilometres (56,977 sq mi).

Altamira Municipality encompasses the Altamira city and district, the seat of local government, whose majority population lives in urban area, and nine other mostly rural districts (most of those covered by the Amazon rainforest), whose urban populations are minorities, and live in inhabited areas spaced by tens or hundreds of kilometers. According the 2010 Brazilian National Census the municipality has 99,075 inhabitants, making a density of only 0.65 inhabitants per square kilometer at the same year. It is home to hundreds of indigenous communities and environmental protection areas.

The municipal GDP is around US$450 million and is mainly linked to agricultural activities, trade and since 2010 has been driven by the construction of the Belo Monte Dam.

The municipality is served by Altamira Airport.

In Altamira the third-largest dam in the world by generating capacity (behind the Three Gorges Dam and Itaipu Dam), with a capacity of 11.233 GW, is being built; the construction work was started in 2010 and should be completed in 2019.

Altamira is located in a transition area between the Brazilian Highlands and Amazonian Lowlands, is situated on the shores of the Xingu River a tributary of the Amazon River, with average elevation of 109 meters.

The municipality contains part of the 724,965 hectares (1,791,430 acres) Altamira National Forest, a sustainable use conservation unit created in 1998. The municipality contains part of the Jamanxim National Park, a protected area. It contains part of the 3,373,134 hectares (8,335,200 acres) Terra do Meio Ecological Station, a strictly protected conservation unit created in 2005. It also contains part of the 342,192 hectares (845,570 acres) Nascentes da Serra do Cachimbo Biological Reserve, a strictly protected conservation unit established in 2005. The municipality contains 49% of the 445,408 hectares (1,100,630 acres) Serra do Pardo National Park, established at the same time.