Belém, a city of about 1.4 million on the edge of the Brazilian Amazon, will serve as Brazil’s symbolic capital while hosting the Forest COP from 10–21 Nov, expecting roughly 50,000 delegates. The city is famous for daily consumption of açaí, the record-setting Cirio de Nazaré religious procession (about 2.6 million attendees), and cultural figures like Fafá de Belém and the carimbó music tradition. Despite the surrounding rainforest, only 45.5% of streets are tree-lined and 57.1% of residents live in favelas — issues that contribute to urban heat and social inequality.
Five things to know about Belém — host city of the 'Forest COP'
Belém, a city of about 1.4 million on the edge of the Brazilian Amazon, will serve as Brazil’s symbolic capital while hosting the Forest COP from 10–21 Nov, expecting roughly 50,000 delegates. The city is famous for daily consumption of açaí, the record-setting Cirio de Nazaré religious procession (about 2.6 million attendees), and cultural figures like Fafá de Belém and the carimbó music tradition. Despite the surrounding rainforest, only 45.5% of streets are tree-lined and 57.1% of residents live in favelas — issues that contribute to urban heat and social inequality.
10:19, 06.11.2025Environment
The world's attention is on Belém, the gateway to Brazil’s Amazon, which will host the climate summit nicknamed the “Forest COP” from 10–21 November. Home to roughly 1.4 million people, the city—whose name comes from Bethlehem (Belém in Portuguese)—was designated by a law signed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as Brazil’s symbolic capital for the duration of the conference. Organizers expect about 50,000 delegates to attend.
1. Love of açaí
Açaí (pronounced ah-sah-EE), the small dark-purple fruit from an Amazonian palm, is woven into daily life in Belém. Harvested across the surrounding rainforest, tons arrive each day at the docks beside the famous Ver-o-Peso market, a major tourist draw. Locally the berry is served crushed into a thick, purple sauce with an earthy, slightly tart flavor and commonly accompanies traditional dishes — often paired with pirarucu, an Amazonian freshwater fish that can grow up to three metres long.
2. Catholic fervour
Belém is known for deep-rooted Catholic traditions. Every October the city hosts the Cirio de Nazaré, a religious procession recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage. This year the event set a record with about 2.6 million attendees. The festivities honor Our Lady of Nazareth — the city’s patron saint, affectionately called the “Queen of the Amazon” — whose image is visible across streets, shops and homes.
3. Where are the trees?
From the air Belém appears ringed by lush forest and river channels, but inside the city fewer than half of streets are shaded by trees: only 45.5%, according to Brazil’s IBGE statistics institute, versus a national average of 66%. Researchers warn that the city’s limited tree cover and extensive asphalt are contributing to greater urban heating in an already hot, humid climate.
4. Poverty and urban challenges
More than half of Belém’s residents — about 57.1% — live in densely populated, low-income neighborhoods often referred to as favelas, the highest share among Brazil’s metropolitan areas, IBGE reports. Those conditions combine with infrastructure and hotel-capacity strains — a factor organizers have had to manage while preparing for the COP.
5. Music and culture
Belém has produced nationally beloved artists such as singer Fafá de Belém. The state of Pará, whose capital is Belém, is also the birthplace of carimbó, an Afro-Indigenous music and dance tradition recognized by UNESCO. These cultural exports help put the city on Brazil’s broader cultural map.
Why it matters: As the host of the Forest COP, Belém is a symbolic meeting point between global climate policy and the social, cultural and environmental realities of the Amazon — from the markets and music to challenges like urban heat and poverty that the conference will also spotlight.
Sources: IBGE statistics institute; UNESCO; local reporting.