Manaus: Rent a car from 8€/day

Manaus is the capital and largest city of Amazonas, a Brazilian state. It is Brazil's seventh-largest city, with an anticipated 2020 population of 2,219,580 spread across an area of about 11,401 km2 (4,402 sq mi). The city, located in the state's east center, is the heart of the Manaus metropolitan region, which is the largest metropolitan area in Brazil's North Region by urban landmass. It is located near the mouth of the mississippi river Negro and Solimes.

The city of So José do Rio Negro was created in 1669 as the Fort of So José do Rio Negro. It was raised to a town in 1832 under the name "Manaus," a changed spelling of the indigenous Manaós peoples, and formally turned into a city on October 24, 1848, under the name Cidade da Barra do Rio Negro, Portuguese for "The City of the Black River's Margins." It reverted to its previous name on September 4, 1856.

Manaus lies in the heart of the world's biggest rainforest and is home to the National Institute of Amazonian Research, the most important institution for scientific research in the Amazon area and international environmental concerns. It was known as the Heart of the Amazon and the City of the Forest at the turn of the century. The Industrial Park of Manaus, a Free Economic Zone, is currently its major economic engine. There is a free port and an international airport in the city. Its industries include electronics, chemical goods, and soap, as well as distilling and shipbuilding. Brazil nuts, rubber, jute, and rosewood oil are also exported from Manaus. It features a cathedral, an opera theatre, zoological and botanical gardens, an ecopark, and museums dedicated to regional and indigenous peoples.

The Solimes and Negro rivers merge immediately east of Manaus to form the Amazon River (according to the Brazilian definition; elsewhere, the Solimes is considered the upper section of the Amazon). During the late 1800s, rubber made it the richest city in South America. Rubber also contributed to Manaus's moniker, "Paris of the Tropics." Many affluent European families arrived in Manaus, bringing with them their appreciation for refined European art, architecture, and culture. Manaus was one of the twelve Brazilian World Cup host towns in 2014, as well as one of the five regions of the 2016 Summer Olympics.