Located in the extreme north of Brazil, the state of Amapá is one of the nine states that form the Brazilian Amazon. With over 143,000 square kilometers (almost 88,900 square miles), an area the size of the state of Florida, Amapá has a population of 550,000, 90 percent of whom live in urban areas.

The state contains innumerous traditional and indigenous populations, who for centuries have lived in harmony with natural ecosystems, using them in a sustainable way for their livelihood. The name Amapá means “the place of rain” in the Tupi language. The abundant rain and diversified relief explain, in part, the extraordinary diversity of natural ecosystems in the state.

Amapá contains tropical forests, mangrove swamps, savannahs and wetlands. The corridor area covers 72 percent of the state and entangles 12 protected areas and five indigenous reserves. Among the Corridor's jewels is Montanhas do Tumucumaque National Park, which, at 3.8 million hectares (9.4 million acres) is the world's second largest tropical forest park. The state has one of the lowest deforestation rates in the country (less than 2 percent of the state territory, until 2008).