Explorers in the New WorldChristopher ColumbusPedro CabralPortuguese ExplorationVicente Yß±ez Pinz≤nAmerigo VespucciOther European ExplorersThe Conquistadors
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Joe KaneIn 1986, Joe was in the expedition which was the first to travel the entire length of the Amazon – from its source (glaciers high up in the Andes), to its mouth where it meets the Atlantic ocean 6,000 km later. Joe spent months travelling, by foot, river raft, and kayak – often through remote, unpopulated, and dangerous areas. The book that he wrote about this journey (Running the Amazon) is the best-known modern adventure story about the Amazon region. In 1991, Joe travelled to Ecuador to find out about the Huaorani Indians and their battle with international oil companies who were invading the Ecuadorian Amazon, setting off explosive charges, building new roads and oil rigs, and causing oil spills in the middle of the Amazon rainforest. Joe visited and stayed with the Huaorani many times, and met with environmentalists and oil companies trying to find out what was really happening to the Amazon rainforest and its people. His book, Savages, is a fascinating account of what happens when the 20th Century suddenly hits a remote rainforest people with full force – bringing with it huge multinational companies, lawyers and public relations experts, politicians, environmentalists, evangelists, technology, and ivory soap (popular with Indians as "the soap that floats"). Joe’s articles about Amaz⌠nia have frequently appeared in magazines such as the New Yorker and Esquire. He lives in Washington State, and is married with two children. You can meet Joe in audioconference 4 of the Amazon Adventure.
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