Belém is the capital of the State Para and with approximately 1,5 million inhabitants one of the biggest cities in the North. When the Amazon river reaches the sea it divides into two branches, Belém is located on the southern branch. This privileged location makes Belém a main point of entry to the Amazon region as well as an important commercial and economic center. Belém served as the main port in the region during the 19th-century rubber boom. The famous "Ver-o-Peso" (see the weight) market designed and built in England is a beautifull reminder of that era. Each morning, a wide variety of tropical fruits, fish, foods and local handicrafts are brought to the market by boat and canoe. The city harbors nice mansions, a fortress (Forte do Castello, built in 1616 to guard the Amazon against the French) and some spectacular churches. The Mercês Church, the oldest in the city (late 17th century), is built in the purest baroque style, and contains impressive paintings. Also worth visiting are Santo Alexandre Church and Our Lady Nazaré Basilica, site of the annual "Círio de Nazaré" procession, the most important in the Northern region.

Belém preserves a small part of the Amazon forest within the city limits in the Rodrigues Alves Forest, a lovely park where the original plant life has been protected. Nature lovers should defenitively visit the Emilio Goeldi Museum, located in the park and containing the largest collection of tropical plants in the world, a zoological garden, a botanical garden, an excellent library and a rich collection of pottery and ceramics from the nearby Marajó Island.

On the other side of the river, facing thi city, lies the Ilha de Marajó, an ecological attraction not to be lost. It is considered the biggest fluvial-maritime island in the world and its territory is covered by woods to the west and big areas of floodable natural fields to the east, where Asian buffalos are raised. The entire island is surrounded by beautiful beaches and mangrove swamps and in the interior the rich local fauna can easily be observed.

Belém is one of the rainiest in the world with a "less wet" season from July to December. This is not as bad as it sounds, rain often comes and goes quickly and is a brief respite from the equatorial heat.