Situated on the banks of the Negro river, the capital of the state of Amazon, Manaus is an important centre for ecological tourism. One of its most popular attractions is the Ponta Negra beach, 13 kilometres from the centre of the city, where, when the river is low, the sands are exposed right down to the river bed, forming a beautiful contrast with the dark waters of the river itself.
In the early years of the twentieth century the city of Manaus, capital of Amazonas, became very wealthy and the most important cultural centre in the Northern Region of Brazil. The old rubber barons dreamed of transforming it into a European style city and called it "the Paris of the Tropics". The architecture of the " Opera House" and Municipal Market" is an exemplo of the luxury and ostentation in which their inhabitants lived.
Manaus is a major staging post for tourist and its port is a starting point for trips into the Amazon forest.