Marajó
Satellite view of Marajó Island | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Para State, Brazil |
| Coordinates | 0°59′S 49°35′W / 0.983°S 49.583°W |
| Archipelago | Marajó Archipelago |
| Area | 40,100 km2 (15,500 sq mi) |
| Area rank | 35th |
| Length | 297 km (184.5 mi) |
| Width | 204 km (126.8 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 40 m (130 ft) |
| Highest point | Breves (city) |
| Administration | |
| State | Pará |
| Macroregion | Marajó |
| Largest settlement | Breves (pop. 99,223) |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 402.290 (2015) |
Marajó (Portuguese pronunciation: [maɾaˈʒɔ]) is a large coastal island in the state of Pará, Brazil. It is the main and largest of the islands in the Marajó Archipelago. Marajó Island is separated from the mainland by Marajó Bay, Pará River, smaller rivers (especially Macacos and Tajapuru), Companhia River, Jacaré Grande River, Vieira Grande Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.
From approximately 400 BC to 1600 AD, Marajó was the site of an advanced pre-Cabraline society called the Marajoara culture, which may have numbered more than 100,000 people at its peak. Today, the island is known for its large water buffalo population, as well as the pororoca tidal bore periodically exhibited by high tides overcoming the usual complex hydrodynamic interactions in the surrounding rivers. It is the second-largest island in South America, and the 35th largest island in the world.
With a land area of 40,100 square kilometres (15,500 sq mi) Marajó is comparable in size to Switzerland. Its maximum span is 295 kilometres (183 mi) long and 200 kilometres (120 mi) in perpendicular width.