Rio Branco (capital of the state of Acre)

Before the appearance of the whites, the territory was inhabited by a few Kanamari Indians engaged in hunting and gathering. Accurate information about who was the first to reach the area of ​​today's Rio Branco, conquistadors or bandeirants , is not available. By the middle of the 19th century, the situation with economic development did not change significantly - the Indians still inhabited the jungle, several dozen immigrants from Bolivia and Brazil, who were engaged in trade with Aborigines, lived on the river banks. , signed by the parties in 1867, left the territory behind Bolivia (Brazil, bogged down in the fierce and bloody Paraguayan war , was not up to debate over the seemingly useless piece of the jungle). Nevertheless, the actual demarcation of the border was not carried out, primarily due to the reluctance of the Bolivian government to spend on this already chronically deficient funds.

The situation was changed by a rubber boom - the Akri River basin was perfectly suitable for growing Hevea , and new plantations grew like mushrooms. Most of the nearly twenty thousand new migrants attracted by the economic development of the region came from Brazil. On December 28, 1882, Neuteu Maya, a native of the province of Ceara , founded a rubber plantation on the right bank of a river bend, building a house for his family and barracks for seasonal workers. This day is considered the official foundation date of the city.

The Akri River Valley developed rapidly, becoming the third (after the vicinity of Manaus and Iquitos ) center of the rubber boom. The government in La Paz , concerned about the possible loss of control over the region, has begun to "tighten the screws", including the beginning of the demarcation of the border with Brazil and the establishment of customs posts on it. The outburst of indignation of the locals that followed and the harsh reaction of the Bolivians to it led to a conflict known as the War of Acre in Spanish-language historiography and as the Acrian Revolution in Brazil.

When, as a result of the 1903 Petropolis Agreement , these lands became part of Brazil, the village that grew up here became the administrative center of the Alto Acre department. In 1904, Kunya Matus arrived here, appointed by the government as the head of the department, and placed the city hall on the right bank of the Acre River. So the city of Rio Branco was founded.

In 1909, Colonel Gabinu Bezoru, the then head of the Alto Akri department, transferred the mayor's office to the left bank of the Akri River, as the area there was higher and did not flood in the event of floods. There arose the settlement Penapolis (named after President Afonso Pen ). In 1910, Rio Branco and Penapolis were merged into the municipality of Empresa. In 1911, the new mayor returned the name “Penapolis” to the municipality, and only in 1912 he finally received the name “Rio Branco” - in honor of Baron Rio Branco , thanks to which the signing of the Petropolis Agreement became possible.

In 1920, the municipality of Rio Branco became the administrative center of the Federal Territory of Acre, subsequently transformed into the state of Acre.

In the 1920s and 30s, a large number of Lebanese and Syrian Christians arrived here, as a result of which the right-bank part of the city received the nickname "Beirut quarter." The economic decline of the 1950s led to the fact that the main commercial activity moved from the right bank to the left bank.

The city lies on the banks of the Acre River, dividing it into the First (right bank) and Second (left bank) areas. In the vicinity of Rio Branco, rainforests grow , severely affected by deforestation and uncontrolled cattle grazing.

The climate of Rio Branco is monsoon, with a long and hot rainy season (from October to May) and a short, warm dry season from June to September.

According to the 2018 census, 401,155 people lived in Rio Branco, which put it in 65th place among the cities of Brazil.

Racial composition of the population:

• white - 26.0%
• blacks - 5.5%
• Pardoux - 63.4%
• Asians - 2.1%
• Indians - 0.2%

Religiously, over 60% of citizens are Catholics , slightly less than 20% are Protestants of various movements, and 15% are atheists . ^[2]

The basis of the Rio Branco economy has traditionally been the processing of agricultural products ( Brazil nut , beans, sugarcane , rice, acai , fruit), the woodworking industry and trade. Also developed are the services sector, construction, and the manufacture of dishes and ceramics.

The basis of public transport is a network of city and suburban buses (both municipal and private, departing from a terminal in the city center). Two highways of federal significance pass through Rio Branca - BR-364 (connects Acre with the south-east of the country ) and BR-364 , leading to the border with Bolivia and further to Cuzco .

City Airport José Placidou ( IATA : RBR , ICAO : SBRB ) serves domestic flights to the capital , as well as to São Paulo and several other cities.