Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre


Cruzeiro do Sul is a municipality located on the Juruá river in the west of the Brazilian state of Acre. It is the second-largest city in Acre.
It is bordered to the north by the state of Amazonas, to the south by Peru, to the east by the municipality of Porto Walter, to the west by the municipality of Rodrigues Alves, to the northwest by the municipality of Tarauacá, and to the northwest by the municipality of Mâncio Lima.
The municipality contains 23% of the Serra do Divisor National Park, created in 1989.

Economy and buildings

The principal economic activity of the municipality is rubber extraction and export. This business attracted many immigrants in the 20th century, including Germans. Of lesser importance is the farming of the commodities of cassava, coffee and rice. The city also operates as a regional trading center.
One of the city's most notable 20th-century structures is the Catedral Nossa Senhora da Glória. The parish was founded in 1915 by Spiritan priests, who established the first church in the Juruá valley. With more settlers, the territory was divided in 1930 and German priests were assigned to this area of the Upper Juruá.
Their influence was shown in the design of the current cathedral, which was begun in 1957; it opened in 1965. Its roof structure is said to be similar to a church in Cologne, Germany. The roof was constructed on site and raised by the workers. In 2015 the parish's centenary was celebrated with an exhibition of historic photographs and related lectures.

Transport

The town is served by Cruzeiro do Sul International Airport.

Climate

Though the town has a tropical climate typical of the Amazon region, it is notable for sporadic cold spells not typically found in low-lying equatorial areas. The temperature has twice reached 2°C.

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