Parnaíba, Port city in northwestern Piauí, Brazil
Parnaíba is a large city in northwestern Piauí that spreads along the Igaraçu River about 15 kilometers from the Atlantic coast. The urban area connects riverbanks with colonial quarters, low market halls and a harbor now used as a shipping point for palm wax, oil from babassu nuts and farm produce.
A trading post appeared in 1761 at this river bend to ship cattle, hides and plant products from the interior. The settlement gained city status in 1844 and grew quickly into the main trading hub of the Igaraçu valley until railway lines and better roads shifted goods traffic southward.
The waterfront promenade along the Igaraçu displays rows of houses with Portuguese facades, their cast-iron balconies and colorful doors recalling the harbor past. On market days vendors pile cashews, bundles of carnauba fiber and dried fish under the arcades, while fishermen mend their nets right on the quay.
An international airport links the city with larger Brazilian centers farther south, making access easier for travelers exploring the delta. Boat operators along the river organize day trips to the nearby islands, while buses from the central terminal run to coastal towns and inland.
River dolphins occasionally swim upstream to the harbor piers, especially during early morning hours when fishing boats leave. Some old warehouses on the quay still keep iron hooks and pulley wheels in their ceilings, once used for hoisting cotton bales and leather barrels.
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