Amazon - the largest river system of the planet. Utilization of the Amazon River

Amazon is one of the largest rivers in the world. At the same time, its river basin is one of the least explored on Earth. In the Amazon there are still places where the human foot has never set foot. In this article you will find a brief description of the Amazon River, as well as learn about the main stages of its economic development.

The Amazon River: characteristics, description (short)

The most remarkable natural object of the whole of South America, of course, is the Amazon River. The area of the basin of this huge waterway of the planet is about 7.2 million km ² . This territory, full of so-called "white spots", is usually called one word - Amazonia. Of course, it is well deserved, the Amazon in 2011 fell into the list of seven natural wonders of our planet.

The territory of the Amazon is divided among eight states: Brazil (about 65%), Colombia, Bolivia, Peru, Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana and Ecuador. The Amazon river system is located in equatorial and subequatorial latitudes, and the river itself flows from west to east, where it flows into the Atlantic Ocean, forming a vast delta. The size of this delta is comparable in area to such a European state as Bulgaria!

The Amazon river system is very well developed due to abundant rainfall. On its way, the river receives many tributaries, the largest of which are Jurua, Madeira, Topazos, Tokantis, Isa and Rio Negro.

The scale of this river system can be judged by such an indicator as the average annual flow. For the Amazon River, it is over 7 thousand km ^{3 of} water (which roughly equals 15% of the entire river flow of the planet).

The Amazon is navigable by 4300 kilometers upstream. The main ports on the river are Santaren, Obidus, Iquitos, Manaus.

An amazing discovery was made by scientists in 2011. The fact is that under the Amazon basin the world's largest underground river flows, four kilometers long. She was called Hamza, by the name of an Indian scientist who discovered a miracle river.

Most of the Amazon is occupied by arable. It is a unique natural ecosystem consisting of moist rain forests. The selva is characterized by very high air humidity, a large species diversity of plants, a high swamp area and acidic, very poor soils. It is in such areas that the South American Amazon River flows.

Economic use of the river - what is it today? And how did the Amazon become a man throughout history? This will be discussed later.

Amazon: economic use of the river

Amazonia is often called the "green lungs" of the planet. How did the development of this region take place and at what level is the economic use of the Amazon today?

The first attempts to develop this region were undertaken by Brazil. In general, there are three main historical stages that marked the economic use of the Amazon River.

The first stage can be conditionally called "rubber." It began at the end of the XIX century and lasted until the 1920s, when the "rubber boom" on the continent began to decline. At that time, rubber confidently occupied the second position in the export structure of Brazil (after coffee).

The second stage of the development of the Amazon began in the 60s of the 20th century and was remarkable for its scale and planned character. The economic use of the Amazon River at this time was completely regulated by the state, and the project itself even received its name "Operation Amazon." It included the integrated agricultural development of the region, the creation of transport infrastructure, and as a result, the massive population of this territory.

The third stage of the development of the Amazon begins in the 80s of the twentieth century. It can be called "mineral-raw". During this period in the basin of the river open up quarries and factories for processing raw materials, the development of oil fields begins.

Ecological problems of Amazonia

The economic use of the Amazon River could not but lead to certain environmental problems. The most acute among them are the following:

• Degradation and soil erosion;
• Uncontrolled deforestation ;
• Destruction of rare and endangered species of flora and fauna of the Brazilian selva;
• Contamination of soil and water with heavy metals, etc.

One way or another, all these problems are closely related and require an integrated approach to their solution.

Finally

The Amazon river system occupies over 7 million square kilometers of the territory, being the largest river in the world. The economic use of the Amazon River today is not so great, but even such a minor human influence provokes a number of acute environmental problems.