Imagine being a Portuguese explorer and sailing from the Atlantic Ocean 900 miles upstream along an unknown river. That is how Manaus was founded in 1669. Your journey by cruise ship to the Port of Manaus is considerably more comfortable. You are now in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest (Floresta Amazônica in Portuguese). The capital city of Amazonas has a population exceeding two million Manausense. Most tourists to Manaus divide their time between touring the city and a boat ride on the Amazon around the convergence of the Negro and Solimões Rivers. In the background is an 11,800 foot cable-stayed bridge named Ponte Rio Negro.
