Manaus, Gateway to the Amazon, Manaus, Brazil

If you’re planning to visit Brazil’s Amazon Rainforest you’ll most likely travel through the city of Manaus. As you’re about to learn there’s more to do in this city than just arrange your Amazon trip. Plan to spend an extra day or two on either side of your Amazon adventure to explore this interesting city.

Manaus is located on the banks of Rio Negro, near its confluence with the Rio Amazonas. During the late 1800s rubber became an important commodity worldwide. At that time rubber was produced from the latex of rubber trees which are endemic to the Amazon Rainforests. Manaus’ location between the jungle and the river made it a natural transportation hub for this growing industry. As a result, Manaus experienced an economic boom that made it one of the richest cities in the world and lot of foreign merchants became very wealthy. Coming mostly from England and France, rubber barons built extravagant mansions, churches, shops and warehouses in the middle of this jungle town. Materials were imported from Italy, France and England to decorate and furnish them in typical styles of the European elite.

Transporting goods from the Amazon to Europe took a long time and proved to be too costly. Rubber barons searched for alternatives. The solution was to steal seedlings from Brazil and plant rubber tree farms in Malaysia. This quickly put an end to the economic boom in Manaus. After the downturn in the rubber market many of the extravagant buildings were left to decay. Recently though, some have been restored and can be enjoyed by visitors to the city. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).