Oiapoque: Brazil's Northernmost Town & the French Guiana Border
The town of Oiapoque at Amapá's northern tip — connected to French Guiana by the Binational Bridge — is one of South America's most unusual border crossings; Brazil meets EU territory across a jungle river
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Binational Bridge to French Guiana
The Ponte Binacional connecting Oiapoque (Brazil) to Saint-Georges (French Guiana/EU) was completed in 2011 but only fully opened in 2017 — the bridge crosses into the European Union in the middle of the Amazon
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Passing into the EU
From Oiapoque, entering Saint-Georges means entering France and the EU — the currency changes to the euro, the language to French, and the social services to the French welfare state; one of the world's most extreme border contrasts
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Palikur and Galibi Communities
The indigenous communities on the border between Brazil and French Guiana – the Palikur and Galibi-Marworno peoples – live on both sides of the river, their territory predates national borders
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Gold Rush Economy
Oiapoque has been a center for gold prospecting in the Amazon — the informal gold economy brings garimpeiros (prospectors) from all over Brazil and the border; the gold trade is partially illegal and creates significant social tensions
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Calçoene megaliter
The mysterious stone circles at Calçoene in northern Amapá – possibly an astronomical calendar created by pre-Columbian people – are one of the Amazon's most intriguing archaeological mysteries
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Oiapoque to Macapá Road
The 590 km road from Oiapoque to Macapá – BR-156 – runs through the heart of the Amapá Amazonas; only recently paved, the journey reveals the empty, forested state that has become Brazil's environmental model