The colony formed by the fort was given the name Feliz Lusitânia, "Happy Lusitania".
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Caldeira mistook the bay for the main channel, and thirty leagues (178 km) upstream, he built a wooden fort, covered with straw, which he called "Presépio" (nativity scene), now known as "Forte do Castelo". On January 12, 1616, he anchored in what is now known as Guajará Bay, formed by the confluence of the Para and Guama Rivers, called by the Tupinambás, "Guaçu Paraná". The city had other names such as "Santa Maria de Belém do Pará" (Saint Mary of Bethlehem of Pará) or "Nossa Senhora de Belém do Grão-Pará" (Our Lady of Bethlehem of Grand-Pará) before eventually becoming Belém. The name Belém is the Portuguese word for Bethlehem, the town where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born.
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The newer part of the city has modern buildings and skyscrapers. It is the second largest in the North Region, second only to Manaus, in the state of Amazonas.įounded in 1616 by the Kingdom of Portugal, Belém was the first European colony on the Amazon but did not become part of Brazil until 1775. With an estimated population of 1,499,641 people - or 2,491,052, considering its metropolitan area - it is the 11th most populous city in Brazil, as well as the 16th by economic relevance. Belém lies approximately 100 km upriver from the Atlantic Ocean, on the Pará River, which is part of the greater Amazon River system, separated from the larger part of the Amazon delta by Ilha de Marajó ( Marajo Island). It is the gateway to the Amazon River with a busy port, airport, and bus/coach station. Belém ( Portuguese for Bethlehem initially called Nossa Senhora de Belém do Grão Pará, in English Our Lady of Belém of Pará) often called Belém of Pará, is a Brazilian city, capital and largest city of the state of Pará in the country's north.