Maracanaú

About Maracanaú

Maracanaú is a municipality in the state of Ceará, Brazil. Its name comes from Tupi language and means "lagoon where maracanãs (red-shouldered macaws) drink", because of the presence of these birds flying over the lagoons in the city's area. Its area is 106.648 km2 (41.177 sq mi), and its population is 251,613 inhabitants (2025 estimate).

As of 2019, it is the Brazilian city with a population greater than 100,000 with the highest homicide rate, having 145.7 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants.

The toponym "Maracanaú" comes from the Tupi language, meaning "river of maracanãs", through the junction of the terms marakanã (maracanã) and 'y (river). The town was originally called Santo Antônio do Pitaguary. In 1890 it was renamed to its current name.

The current territory of the municipality, at the time of the arrival of the first Europeans, was inhabited by the Pitaguary, Jaçanaú, Mucunã, and Cágado indigenous groups. Their Jesuit missions developed into the settlement of Lagoon of Maracanaú and, later, of Lagoons of Jaçanaú and Pajuçara.

In the year 1649, these Indians have received the visit of the Dutch, who mapped the farms of manioc and corn, as well as...

Overview adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA. Photography via Wikimedia Commons.