pəräˈ, state (1996 pop. 5,552,783), 474,896 sq mi (1,229,981 sq km), N Brazil, in the lower Amazon River basin bordering on the Guianas and the Atlantic Ocean. Belém is the capital. The hot, humid region is drained by the Amazon and its numerous tributaries. The state includes the island of Marajó as well as several other islands of the Amazon delta. Mostly covered with rain forest, Pará has not been extensively developed, and the chief means of transportation is by river steamer. Nuts, fruits, herbs, organic insecticides, and fibers are the principal products. The nearly constant rainfall has eroded soils to the point where conventional agriculture is almost impossible. The small manufacturing sector makes food products, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and rubber goods. Gold mining gained increasing importance in the 1990s. Economic development and population growth was stimulated by the completion of three large highways in the 1970s. The Portuguese settled in the area in the first decades of the 17th cent. in order to keep out the English, French, and Dutch. In the 18th cent. there was moderate sugar, rum, and coffee production; most of the labor force was made up of enslaved Native Americans. The region suffered during the 19th-century struggle for independence. The rubber industry grew rapidly in the mid-19th cent. but declined in the early 1900s. The pepper, jute, and legume plantations along the coast were established during the early 20th cent. by Japanese immigrants. The abundance of rivers has made Pará a great haven for smugglers. The state government consists of an elected governor and bicameral legislature.

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