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Grão-Pará Province

State of Pará
State
Flag of State of Pará
Flag
Coat of arms of State of Pará
Coat of arms
Location of State of Pará in Brazil
Location of State of Pará in Brazil
Coordinates: 5°40′S 52°44′W / 5.667°S 52.733°W / -5.667; -52.733Coordinates: 5°40′S 52°44′W / 5.667°S 52.733°W / -5.667; -52.733
Country  Brazil
Capital and largest city Belém
Government
 • Governor Simão Jatene
 • Vice Governor Zequinha Marinho
Area
 • Total 1,247,689.5 km2 (481,735.6 sq mi)
Area rank 2nd
Population (2012)
 • Total 7,792,561
 • Rank 9th
 • Density 6.2/km2 (16/sq mi)
 • Density rank 21st
Demonym(s) Paraense
GDP
 • Year 2014 estimate
 • Total R$ 124.585 billions (13th)
 • Per capita R$ 15 430,53 (22nd)
HDI
 • Year 2014
 • Category 0.675 – medium (26th)
Time zone BRT (UTC-3)
Postal Code 66000-000 to 68890-000
ISO 3166 code BR-PA
Website pa.gov.br

Pará (Portuguese pronunciation: [paˈɾa]) is a state in northern Brazil traversed by the lower Amazon River. It borders the Brazilian states of (clockwise from north) Amapá, Maranhão, , Mato Grosso, Amazonas and Roraima. To the northwest it also borders Guyana and Suriname, and to the northeast it borders the Atlantic Ocean. The capital and largest city is Belém, located at the mouth of the Amazon at the Atlantic Ocean and the 11th most populous city in the country.

Pará is the most populous state of the northern region, with a population of over 7.5 million, being the ninth-most populous state in Brazil. It is the second-largest state of Brazil in area, with 1.2 million km² (460,000 square miles), second only to Amazonas upriver. Its most famous icons are the Amazon River and the Amazon Rainforest. Pará produces rubber (extracted from natural rubber tree groves), tropical hardwoods such as mahogany, and minerals such as iron ore and bauxite. A new commodity crop is soy, cultivated in the region of Santarém.

Every October, Belém receives tens of thousands of tourists for the year's most important religious celebration, the procession of the Círio de Nazaré. Another important attraction of the capital is the Marajó-style ceramics, based on pottery from the extinct Marajó indigenous culture, which was located on an island in the Amazon River. These designs have gained considerable international fame and increased international awareness.


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Wikipedia

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