Important industries in the Port of Manaus include manufacturing of soap, chemicals, electronics equipment as well as shipbuilding, brewing, and petroleum refining.

Major exports include Brazil nuts, chemicals, petroleum, electrical equipment, and forest products, and eco-tourism is an increasingly important source of income for the city.

The recent discovery of petroleum in the area brings great promise of further wealth and commerce to the Port of Manaus.

Located next to the Amazon rainforest, it also attracts crowds of tourists who find a variety of land and boat trips into the jungle.

In 1850 it was renamed Manaos after a local Indian river tribe, and became the capital of the Rio Negro region and of the Amazonas province.

In the late 1970s, the area saw devastating deforestation as the Brazilian government and private interests exploited mineral and agricultural resources.