Manaus is located in the heart of
the Amazon rainforest, home to one
of the most varied populations of
wildlife on the planet. The jungle city
is also a thriving metropolis. The ‘Paris
of the Tropics’ boasts busy urban
streets, an elegant opera house and a
port that’s over 1,500km (930mi) away
from the ocean.
THE JUNGLE CITY
Manaus doesn’t have as many
parks as other cities because it
is surrounded by green space!
Manaus is so close to the
Amazon rainforest, the boundary
between the two worlds – the
urban realm of humans, and
the natural kingdom of wild
animals – isn’t always clear. It’s
not uncommon to see brilliantly
feathered birds flying over
rooftops or to spot a reptile
scuttling down a side street.
When humans venture into
the rainforest however, they
are more wary. Most take
organized tours or travel with a
guide who knows how to stay
safe out in the jungle!
COMMUTING BY CANOE
Where Venice has canals, Manaus has igarapés
. In the local
Nheengatu language, the word means ‘canoe path’, referring
to the complex system of streams, tributaries and small
rivers that knot and weave through the city.
SLEEPING IN THE TREETOPS
Manaus is home to the largest treetop hotel in the world,
the Ariau Amazon Towers. The design was inspired by the
oceanographer, Jacques Cousteau. Cousteau is said to
have come up with the idea of creating a huge building
on stilts using traditional rainforest materials. The hotel
rooms are set high in the forest canopy,
connected to each other by over
8km (5mi) of wooden walkways.
WATERY MEETING
There’s an unusual sight in Manaus called the
Encontro das Águas, or the ‘Meeting of Waters’.
It’s the place where two rivers collide – the dark Rio
Negro and the lighter, sandy-coloured Amazon. The
rivers have different temperatures and densities, and
they also move at different speeds. Instead of mixing,
the two bodies of water flow next to each other for
several kilometres. Fascinated travellers make
boat trips to watch the dark and light
currents running side by side.
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
Pink dolphins, scarlet macaws, red howler monkeys, piranhas,
alligators and spiders – the rainforest around Manaus is crawling with
creatures. Scientists have counted up more than 1,300 types of
birds, at least 400 mammal varieties, another 400 amphibians,
around 375 kinds of reptiles and a staggering 40,000 different
types of plants. There is one species you won’t find many
of, however. On average, there is less than one human
being for every square kilometre (0.4 square mile) of land.
Imagine a space 11 football fields long and 11 fields wide –
that’s a whole lot of room for a single person!
A NIGHT AT THE OPERA
A fancy theatre in the middle of the jungle isn’t
the first thing you might expect to see, but the
Amazonas Opera House is one of the grandest
in South America. The building was constructed
when Brazil was at its richest, after a boom
in selling rubber. Imported French glass and
glossy Italian marble stand as proof that no
expense was spared. The black and white
tilework near the entrance was inspired by
something much more local, however – the
meeting of the dark and light Rio Negro
and Amazon rivers.
RIDING THE TIDES
You might have heard of buildings
that are constructed to withstand
earthquakes, but what about a
structure that’s built to rise and fall with
the tides? Manaus’ Porto Flutuante is a
floating dock lined with restaurants and
shops. If the tide is coming in while you’re
ordering lunch, you could be sitting up much
higher by the time the bill arrives!