Rio Branco Attractions
Rio Branco
Rio Branco, capital of the state of Acre, lies on the Rio Acre, 544km/228mi south-west of Porto Velho (BR 364) and 1445km/898mi south- west of Manaus (BR 364 and BR 319).
Airport
Aeroporto Presidente Médici
History
The original nucleus of the town was a settlement called Empresa which was established in 1882, during the rubber boom in Amazonia. Twenty years later it became the headquarters of Brazilians opposed to foreign rule in the region, then part of Bolivia; and after Acre was incorporated in Brazil in 1903 under the treaty of Petrópolis the settlement was granted the status of a vila. It was given its present name in 1912 in honour of Baron Rio Branco, who negotiated the treaty of Petrópolis and was murdered in the Bolivian/Brazilian frontier area in 1903.
Rio Branco, capital of the state of Acre, lies on the Rio Acre, 544km/228mi south-west of Porto Velho (BR 364) and 1445km/898mi south- west of Manaus (BR 364 and BR 319).
Airport
Aeroporto Presidente Médici
History
The original nucleus of the town was a settlement called Empresa which was established in 1882, during the rubber boom in Amazonia. Twenty years later it became the headquarters of Brazilians opposed to foreign rule in the region, then part of Bolivia; and after Acre was incorporated in Brazil in 1903 under the treaty of Petrópolis the settlement was granted the status of a vila. It was given its present name in 1912 in honour of Baron Rio Branco, who negotiated the treaty of Petrópolis and was murdered in the Bolivian/Brazilian frontier area in 1903.
Casa do Seringueiro
Casa do Seringueiro
To the north of the Palácio do Governo, at the intersection of Avenida Getúlio Vargas and Avenida Brasil, is the Casa do Seringueiro ("House of the Rubber-Collector").
To the north of the Palácio do Governo, at the intersection of Avenida Getúlio Vargas and Avenida Brasil, is the Casa do Seringueiro ("House of the Rubber-Collector").
Palácio do Governo
Palácio do Governo
In the town center, near Avenida Getúlio Vargas, is the Palácio do Governo (Government Palace), seat of the state government.
In the town center, near Avenida Getúlio Vargas, is the Palácio do Governo (Government Palace), seat of the state government.
Rubber Museum
Rubber Museum
In the center of the town, a short distance from Praça Rodrigues Alves, is the Rubber Museum (Museu da Borracha), with collections of material of historical and ethnographic interest.
In the center of the town, a short distance from Praça Rodrigues Alves, is the Rubber Museum (Museu da Borracha), with collections of material of historical and ethnographic interest.
Xapuri, Brazil
(Near Rio Branco)
Xapuri
Xapuri, situated to the south of Rio Branco at the junction of the Rio Acre and Rio Xapuri, hit the international headlines as a result of the campaign for the protection of the environment carried on by Chico Mendes, leader of the seringueiros, who was murdered in December 1988. In the town are the Chico Mendes Foundation and the Chico Mendes Museum, installed in his house, and in the surrounding area are the ecological tree nurseries in the forest established by the Xapuri Union of Agricultural Workers, which was headed, until his violent death, by Chico Mendes.
Xapuri, situated to the south of Rio Branco at the junction of the Rio Acre and Rio Xapuri, hit the international headlines as a result of the campaign for the protection of the environment carried on by Chico Mendes, leader of the seringueiros, who was murdered in December 1988. In the town are the Chico Mendes Foundation and the Chico Mendes Museum, installed in his house, and in the surrounding area are the ecological tree nurseries in the forest established by the Xapuri Union of Agricultural Workers, which was headed, until his violent death, by Chico Mendes.
