City (pop., 2000 prelim.: metro. area , 1,271,615), northern Brazil.
The capital of Pará state, the port of Belém lies on the Pará River in the vast Amazon River delta 90 mi (145 km) from the Atlantic Ocean. It began in 1616 as a fortified settlement; as it gradually became established, it helped consolidate Portuguese supremacy in northern Brazil. It was made the state capital in 1772. It enjoyed prosperity in the late 19th century as the main exporting centre of the Amazon rubber industry. After the rubber era ended in 1912, it continued to be northern Brazil's commercial centre and a main port for Amazon River craft.