City on the equator — Amazon delta, Portugal's last Amazon fort
Macapá is the only Brazilian state capital located on the equator — a line painted through the city's landmark Marco Zero monument marks the exact spot. The capital of Amapá state sits on the northern arm of the Amazon delta, where the river is so wide it looks more like a sea. The 18th-century Fortaleza de São José de Macapá, built by Portugal to defend its Amazon claims, is the largest Portuguese fort ever built in Brazil, taking 17 years and thousands of enslaved and indigenous workers to complete.
The Portuguese established Macapá in 1758 as a strategic fort against French and Dutch encroachment on the Amazon delta. The Fortress of São José de Macapá (1764–1782) was built using stones brought as ballast in ships from Portugal, and was defended successfully against British and French attacks. The region's indigenous Karipuna and Galibi-Marworno peoples maintained their presence throughout colonialism. Macapá became a state capital only in 1943 when Amapá was carved from Pará state.