Marajó

Maraj, Maharaj, Maharajh, Maragh, or Maharagh is a Hindu Indian surname derived from the Sanskrit word Maharaja meaning "great leader", "great ruler", or "great king". Originally used as an honorific suffix to a Hindu priest's name, it became the surname of many Hindu priests who immigrated to different European colonies during the Indian indenture system and their descendants because when stating their names to the respective local colonial authorities they would state their whole name and many would include the honorific suffix of Maharaj, which the authorities erroneously documented as their surname. Notable individuals bearing the surname include: *Badri Maharaj, an Indo-Fijian politician * Bhadase Sagan Maraj (1919–1971), an Indo-Trinidadian politician, Hindu religious leader, founder of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha, wrestler, author, and businessman *Davan Maharaj, an Indo-Trinidadian American journalist and former editor-in-chief and publisher of the Los Angeles Times *Devant Maharaj, an Indo-Trinidadian politician * Ishwar Maraj (b. 1969), an Indo-Trinidadian member of the St Lucia cricket team *Kama Maharaj, businessman and politician *Keshav Maharaj (b. 1990), an Indo-South African cricketer *Krishna Maharaj (1939–2024), a British Indo-Trinidadian businessman convicted of murder in South Florida *Onika Maraj (b.…

Marajó ( ; ) is a large coastal island in 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 Marajó is comparable in size to Switzerland. Its maximum span is long and in perpendicular width.

Location

Marajó Island is surrounded by the following waters, which separate it from the mainland: North: Vieira Grande Bay, the South Canal of the Amazon Delta (which separates Marajó from the island Mexiana) and the Atlantic Ocean East: Marajó Bay South: the headwaters of the Pará River and the Tocantins River West: the Jacaré Grande River and the Companhia River, as well as a complex set of river channels called furos, including the Macacos River Channel and the Tajapuru River Channel The island is situated just south of the Equator. Its Northern cost, which runs almost parallel to it, is called Contracosta. Due to its location at the mouth of the Amazon River, archeologist Helen Palmatary compared the island to "an egg in the mouth of a snake". Together with smaller neighboring islands that are separated from Marajó by rivers, they form the Marajó Archipelago, with an aggregate area of . The archipelago is contained in the Marajó Archipelago Environmental Protection Area, a sustainable-use conservation unit established in 1989¹ to protect the environment of the region. The island is known for the pororoca, a tidal bore phenomenon in the river that creates large waves reaching in height. It is a tourist destination, especially for surfing of the bore.

Hydrology

Itself an island in the delta of the Amazon River, Marajó is crossed by numerous rivers. They form the principal mode of transport for the island's inhabitants. The main ones are listed here: Afuá River Anabiju River Anajás River Aramá River Arapixi River Arari River Atuá River Cajari River Cajuúna River Camará River Cambu River Canaticu River Furo Charapucu Cururu River Ganhoão River Guajará River Jenipapucu River Mapuá River Marajó-Açu River Marajozinho River Moções River Muaná River Mucutá River Mutuacá River Paracauari River Piriá River Pracuúba River Tartarugas River Marajó is largely flooded during the rainy season because of higher water levels of the rivers along its coast and heavy rainfall in its interior. During this season, much of the island presents itself as a large lake. This is also the location of Lake Arari, which has an area of , but shrinks by 80% during the dry season. Another lake is Lake Guajará. Because of the changing water levels and regular seasonal flooding, many settlements on Marajó are built on stilts (palafitas). This is especially visible in the town of Afuá, where the stilt houses and the reliance on boat transport gave rise to the epithet "The Venice of Marajó". There have been several plans for canals on the island, to connect the various rivers for transportation and to facilitate draining after each year's floading. Tartarugas River has been partially canalised to create a connection between Lake Arari and the Atlantic Ocean. This stretch is called the Tartarugas Canal (Canal Tartarugas). Since the 1980s, there have been plans for canals to connect the Anajás River to the Atuá River or its tributary the Anabiju to facilitate transport between Belém and Macapá, but these haven't materialised.

Municipalities

The most important towns are in the southeastern portion of the island: Soure, Salvaterra, and the largest city, Breves. They feature a basic touristic infrastructure and are popular because of the generous, lightly populated beaches. The city of Soure, on the island's Atlantic coast, serves as an entry point to the island via its ferry link to Belém. The island is shared by 16 municipalities of three microregions: Microregion of Arari: Cachoeira do Arari Chaves Muaná Ponta de Pedras Salvaterra Santa Cruz do Arari Soure Microregion of Furos de Breves: Afuá Anajás Breves Curralinho São Sebastião da Boa Vista Microregion of Portel: Bagre Gurupá Melgaço Portel

References

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1366788076 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.