Santarém is the Amazonian city located where the Tapajós River meets the Amazon River.
The city is in Pará, Brazil, and occupies a strategic position at the confluence of two major waterways. The Tapajós is known for relatively clear blue-green water, while the Amazon carries a heavier sediment load; their meeting is a prominent regional geographic feature.
Santarém developed as a river port and commercial center, linking interior communities with larger Amazon transport routes. The surrounding region includes floodplain environments, forest, agricultural land and beaches along the Tapajós.
Santarém is sometimes confused with Manaus, which lies at the meeting of the Negro and Solimões rivers, or Belém, which stands near the mouth of the Amazon system. These cities occupy different points in the basin.