The district is limited to the north by the Araguari River, to the south by Canal do Norte, and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean.

[3] The islands of the archipelago are:[2] The majority of settlements are rural villages made of stilt houses along the rivers and coast.

[7] The economy of the islands is based on fishing in the rivers and the Atlantic Ocean, subsistence farming,[6] and cultivation and harvesting of the Açaí palm.

The dams ended the tidal bore which altered the flow of water in the Amazon, and caused significant land erosion and damage to the archipelago.

[5] In 2018, an emergency was declared by the State of Amapá, because 700 people had been affected by the fallen land.