About Amazonia
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Exploration Today
Because of its immense size, much of Amaz⌠nia remains
unexplored today. Many of its plants and animals remain
unknown to scientists – and it is still a dangerous
and difficult place to travel. However, two 20th century
inventions have made a huge difference for modern
explorers – the aeroplane and the radio:
- Aeroplanes and helicopters allow people to travel
to remote locations quickly and easily –
without having to trek through vast jungles or
cross rivers. In the 1940s and 50s, the Brazilian
government opened up new territories by
parachuting construction teams into the
rainforest to build airstrips and camps. Camps in
remote areas can be resupplied by aircraft, and
expeditions can have supplies dropped to them by
parachute.
- Radios and telecommunications make it possible
for expeditions to keep in contact with their
base camp. This means that it is possible to ask
for help and supplies.
One of the newest tools available for Amazon explorers
and researchers are satellite images. Satellites take
photographs from high up above the earth to show rivers,
mountains, and other information about the land in remote
areas. Some satellites can take special images which give
us information about the types of vegetation growing in
specific areas, or about valuable mineral and oil
deposits which might lie beneath the ground.
Environmentalists are also using images from
satellites to monitor the destruction of the Amazon
rainforest as a result of logging and clearing for farms.
View Amaz⌠nia
LANDSAT images of Amaz⌠nia (slow)
However, despite these new technologies, they still
don't tell us everything that we need to know. It is
still necessary for today's explorers to travel into
remote areas and complete their research on the ground.
Even the latest maps quickly become out of date when
rivers change after the yearly flooding. This can make
navigation for boats very difficult and uncertain.
Who Explores Amaz⌠nia Today?
Modern explorers visit Amaz⌠nia for different
reasons. Many of the visitors are scientists and
researchers. They include:
- Botanists and zoologists. These
scientists are interested in the plants and
animals which live in Amaz⌠nia. Pharmacologists
are scientists interested in researching plants
which can be used for medicines purposes;
- Anthropologists. These
scientists visit Indian tribes to find out more
about the Amazon peoples and their customs;
- Geologists. These scientists are
interested in the land, and the minerals which
may lie below it. Geologists are often employed
by oil and mining companies which are interested
in find oil and valuable minerals such as gold.
- Environmentalists.
Environmentalists are interested in protecting
Amaz⌠nia's environment from pollution and
destruction as a result of development. They
believe that is is important for people to leave
large natural areas undisturbed because this
helps to protect the Earth's delicate biological
systems. The Amazon rainforest is important
because it produces a lot of oxygen for the
Earth's atmosphere. It is also important because
the land that underneath the rainforest is very
infertile – if the rainforests are chopped
down, the land could turn into a vast desert
which would change the weather of South America
and many other countries;
- Missionaries. Missionaries have
been in Amaz⌠nia ever since the 1670s. These
days, they still contact and live with remote
Amazon tribes, hoping to teach them about
Christianity. However, missionaries are often
criticised because their teachings can end up
destroying centuries-old native cultures and
customs, and have created new problems in some
Indian communities. For these reasons,
missionaries aren't allowed into some Indian
areas, or are expected to follow strict rules;
- Adventurers. Amaz⌠nia is still
a very exciting place for people to travel. Many
people go there for an "adventure"
– to explore the rainforests and travel
along the rivers.
Famous Explorers and Adventurers of the 20th Century
Some notable explorers and adventurers who have spent
time in Amaz⌠nia include:
- Orlando and Claudio Villas-Boas
(the Villas-Boas Brothers). In the 1940s, the
Villas-Boas brothers built a series of airstrips
for the Brazilian government in remote areas of
the Amazon rainforest. They would do this by
parachuting in with men and supplies, then worked
to clear an area to build an airstrip and a small
outpost. The brothers developed a respect for and
friendship with the local Indians, and became
strong supporters for Indian rights. In 1961 they
established the Xingu reserve, which is an area
along the Xingu river where several tribes have
been relocated. At the time that the reserve was
set up, many of the Amazon Indians had lost their
land to settlers and developers – sometimes
resulting in bitter wars. The aim of the reserve
is ensure that the Indians had their own
territory where they could continue to live
relatively undisturbed. The reserve has had many
problems, such as getting formerly warring tribes
to live together, fighting diseases such as
tuberculosis often devastate newly contacted
Indian tribes, and pressure from outside
developers. But despite these problems, the
reserve has had a significant role preserving
Indian culture, and helping to teach Indians
skills which they need to survive in the modern
world;
- Loren McIntyre. Loren McIntyre
is an American photographer who travels regularly
through Amaz⌠nia to take photographs of the
plants, animals, and people who live there. He
has taken many spectacular photographs which have
appeared in books and magazines. While visiting a
remote area of the Amazon basin in 1980, he was
kidnapped by an uncontacted tribe of Amazon
Indians and held for several weeks before being
released.
- Jacques Cousteau. Jacques
Cousteau is famous for exploring the world's
oceans – but he also visited the Amazon in
1985 to study the Amaz⌠nia's rivers and
rainforests. The Amazon river was big enough for
the Calypso to sail upriver and to serve
as the base for Jacques Cousteau and his teams of
divers. He also visited with Amazon Indians and
visited a huge goldmine. Details and photographs
from his trip are in the book, Jacques
Cousteau's Amazon Journey.
- Joe Kane is an
American journalist who joined an expedition in
1986, to the travel the Amazon from its source in
the Andes, all the way to its mouth on the
Atlantic coast of Brazil – 6,700 km later.
The expedition travelled by foot in the Andes,
then by raft and kayaks, and faced many dangers.
Joe Kane also spent time with the Huaorani
Indians in Ecuador. Joe Kane is author of the the
books Running
the Amazon and Savages.
You can meet Joe in Audioconference
4 of the Amazon Adventure.
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