- Alcântara, Maranhão
Alcântara is a
Brazil ian city in the state ofMaranhão . The city has a population of 22,359 (2005 ), and is 30 km away from the state'scapital , São Luís.Founded by French explorers in the 16th
century , Alcântara was later conquered by the Portuguese, who used the small village as a base to take São Luís from the Dutch in1646 .The city was declared by the Brazilian government as a National Historical Patrimony. The city's economy is based mainly on tourism and fishing.
The
Brazilian Space Agency maintains a launch site in Alcântara. InAugust 22 ,2003 , an accident occurred when a VLS-1 rocket accidentally exploded, killing 21 Brazilian technicians.Helton da Silva Arruda , a famous Brazilian goalkeeper, was born in the city.
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