Parnaíba is the commercial entrepôt of the state; its exports go chiefly through the small port of Amarracao, at the mouth of the Rio Iguarassu, 18 km. Ships carry carnauba wax, cotton, rice, and tobacco about 480 kilometers from Floriano to the port of Parnaiba. The Parnaíba River Delta is composed of around 80 islands spread out over 2,700 sq. km.

Nicolau de Resende, Portuguese navigator who shipwrecked in the Delta region in 1571, spent 16 years trying to recover his lost belongings. He didn't, but wrote a letter to the king of Portugal praising the beauty of the "grand river that formed the lush archipelego flowing into the Atlantic."

Parnaíba

Parnaíba map

Parnaíba is a port city in Piauí, Brazil, on the right bank of the Parnaíba River, 400 km from the capital, Teresina, and 18 km from Atlantic Ocean.

Parnaíba is situated at the point where the most easterly of the delta outlets, or channels, called the Rio Iguarassu, branches off from the main stream. All the outlet channels of the river are obstructed by bars built up by the strong current along the Atlantic coast, and only vessels of light draught can enter. The town has some well-constructed buildings of the old Portuguese type, including two churches and a fine hospital.