Despite its proximity to the coast, Macapá is one of Brazil's most isolated cities. Connected to the outside world only by ferry service to Belém and until recently bereft of industry, while Rio and São Paulo were being built into modern metropolises, residents of Macapá still lacked running water. But since an intensive development effort so that the city could host an airbase in the Second World War, Macapá's fortunes have shifted. The recent discovery of manganese deposits in Amapá has prompted a flurry of private investment centered on the territory's capital, pulling in thousands of mainly Paraense residents every year. With a solid economic base, along with increased military importance in light of the tensions over nearby Cayenne, perhaps Macapá's era of isolation is near its end.