An ancient village of the Tapajós Indians, Santarém is a city located about 800 kilometers (500 miles) from both the largest cities of Amazonas, Manaus, and the capital of the state of Pará in Brazil, and where the Tapajós join the Amazon River, making this a very popular place for tourism.
It is the second most important city in the state and the financial and economic center of the western part of the state.
It is the head of the metropolitan area of ​​Santarém, which is made by Santarém, Belterra and Mojuí dos Campos.
This Brazilian city is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Santarém.

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Because of the crystalline waters of the Tapajós River, the region has more than 100 kilometers of beaches that look more like the sea. This is the case of Alter do Chão, known as the "Brazilian Caribbean" and considered one of the most beautiful beaches in Brazil and the most beautiful freshwater beach in the world.
All the biodiversity of the Amazon can be found in the outskirts of the city. They are areas of tropical forest, igapós and cerrado, besides the meeting of the blue waters of the Tapajós river with the muddy waters of the Amazon.
Also this city is the stage of one of the biggest folkloric manifestations of the region, the Sairé, that attracts tourists of the whole world.
Boat trips are the most interesting ways to enjoy the landscapes, always colored by herons, toucans, macaws, parrots ...
One of the busiest tours is the Lake Maicá, a natural nursery of Amazonian fish, also frequented by a multitude of birds and reptiles. The place is sought after for bird and animal watching, especially in the early morning or late afternoon.
Several of the attractions in the city are the Regional Port, an important point of arrival and departure of cargo and passengers from riverside towns and other cities in Western Pará, the Municipal Market, a popular fair with a wide variety of regional products such as fruits, vegetables, flour, fish and medicinal plants and the Cathedral of Our Lady of Conception, the oldest building of the municipality built in 1761 that despite the degradation of time, restorations and modifications still carries the traces of its original architecture.
Craft shops are enough where you can purchase ceramic pieces and souvenirs.
The João Fona Cultural Center, also known as Santarém Museum, is a space with a diverse collection of archaeological pieces called tapajónicas, an inheritance of the ethnic peoples of the Amazon Basin.

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Lovers of the dishes of different flavors prepared with fish find in Santarém the perfect gastronomic place. Pirarucu, tambaqui, acarí and tucunare are some options of fish from the fresh waters of the region. Another traditional dish is tacacá, a thick broth, served in a gourd, prepared with tucupi, jambu leaves, tapioca gum, shrimp, chili pepper and regional products from Amazonia.

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The dominant climate is hot and humid, characteristic of Tropical Forests. It is not subject to significant temperature changes due to its proximity to the equator line.
The average annual temperature ranges from 25 ° C to 28 ° C, with an average relative humidity of 86% air.
The average annual rainfall is 1920 mm, with greater intensity in the so called "winter" period, which occurs from December to May, when the average monthly precipitation varies from 170 mm to 300 mm.
In the months of June to November occurs the driest period, corresponding to the regional "summer". During this period, the lowest rainfall occurred in the region, with average values ​​lower than 60 mm, between August and October.

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