It has an area of 63,000 sq. km. with 150,000 inhabitants, of whom 127,000 are Catholic; it comprises 7 parishes, 4 male religious communities, and 2 female (1949).
The prelature was established on 14 April 1928 under the name of Gurupy, with its seat in the city of Ourem; by a decree of the Sacred Consistorial Congregation dated 3 February 1934, three additional parishes were added to the prelature by separation from the archdiocese of Belém do Pará, the seat of the prelature was transferred to the city of Bragança, and the church of Nossa Senhora do Rosário was elevated to the dignity of a prelature church; the prelature itself was given the name of Guama.
BIBL.: AAS, 26 (1934), pp. 590-91. Enrico Josi