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Amazonas

Amazonas is a state in northern Brazil's North Region, encompassing 1,558,706 km² of territory—making it the country's largest by land area—and a population of 3,941,613 inhabitants as of the 2022 census, yielding a low demographic density of 2.53 people per km².^[1] Its capital and principal urban center is Manaus, which concentrates roughly half the state's residents and serves as a hub for regional trade and industry.^[2] Predominantly covered by the Amazon rainforest, Amazonas harbors exceptional biodiversity, including vast arrays of flora and fauna that contribute significantly to global ecological regulation, alongside habitats for numerous indigenous ethnic groups totaling around 149,000 individuals residing in designated indigenous lands.^[3] The state's economy historically centered on natural resource extraction like rubber and timber but has diversified into manufacturing via the Manaus Free Trade Zone, services, and nascent bioeconomy initiatives leveraging forest products, though it grapples with pressures from agricultural expansion, illegal mining, and infrastructure projects that have accelerated deforestation in certain periods.^[4] These dynamics underscore Amazonas's pivotal role in Brazil's environmental and developmental debates, where indigenous territories demonstrably correlate with lower deforestation rates compared to adjacent areas, highlighting causal links between land tenure security and forest preservation.^[5]

Amazonas, Brazil

Geography and Climate

The state of Amazonas encompasses an area of 1,570,745 square kilometers, rendering it the largest federative unit in Brazil by territory and accounting for approximately 18.3% of the national landmass.^[6] Its landscape is dominated by lowland tropical rainforest, with terrain featuring vast plains, meandering rivers, and occasional plateaus rising to elevations rarely exceeding 300 meters above sea level. Geological foundations include Precambrian shields of the Amazonian Craton, particularly elements of the Guiana Shield in the north, comprising ancient Archean and Proterozoic rocks that form stable basements underlying sedimentary deposits from the Phanerozoic era.^[7] The Amazon River traverses the state as its central artery, fed by major tributaries such as the Rio Negro, characterized by blackwater due to high organic content, and the Solimões, a pale, sediment-laden stretch of the upper Amazon. Near Manaus, these converge at the Meeting of the Waters, where differing densities, temperatures, and velocities—Rio Negro waters warmer, slower, and acidic versus Solimões cooler and turbid—prevent mixing for up to 6 kilometers, creating a visually distinct boundary observable from space.^[8] This hydrological network drives annual flooding cycles, inundating up to 100,000 square kilometers of forest and influencing local ecosystems through nutrient deposition. Biodiversity hotspots, such as Jaú National Park spanning 2,367,333 hectares along the Jaú River, exemplify preserved formations with flooded forests (várzea) and upland terra firme habitats supporting exceptional species richness.^[9] Amazonas exhibits an equatorial climate classified as Af under the Köppen system, marked by consistently high temperatures averaging 25–28°C year-round, with diurnal ranges typically between 20°C and 30°C and minimal seasonal variation due to proximity to the equator. Annual precipitation averages 2,000–3,000 millimeters, concentrated in a wet season from December to May (pororoca or aqua alta), when river levels rise 10–15 meters, followed by a drier period from June to November (seca) with reduced but still substantial rainfall exceeding 100 millimeters monthly. High relative humidity, often above 80%, and frequent convectional storms sustain the region's dense vegetation cover, which spans nearly the entirety of the state's territory.^[10]

History

Prior to European arrival, the Amazonas region supported diverse indigenous societies, including Tukanoan and Yanomami groups, who practiced slash-and-burn agriculture, fishing, and hunting across riverine and forest ecosystems. Archaeological evidence indicates these populations modified landscapes through practices like creating terra preta soils enriched with charcoal and organic waste, enabling denser settlements than previously assumed for tropical environments. Pre-Columbian population estimates for the broader Amazon basin range from several million, with the Brazilian portion likely hosting hundreds of thousands to over a million inhabitants before contact, though disease and conflict drastically reduced numbers post-1500.^[11]^[12] Portuguese interest in the Amazon stemmed from incidental coastal sightings in 1500, but systematic exploration lagged until the 17th century, driven by missionary expeditions and fort-building to counter Spanish and Dutch incursions. The 1750 Treaty of Madrid delineated borders under the uti possidetis principle, affirming Portuguese control over the Amazon basin west of the Treaty of Tordesillas line, formalized through effective occupation rather than prior discovery. This enabled administrative reorganization, including the 1755 demarcation expeditions that mapped boundaries and suppressed indigenous resistance. By the early 19th century, the region formed part of Grão-Pará and Rio Negro captaincies, with the 1835–1840 Cabanagem uprising in neighboring Pará—driven by mestizo, indigenous, and caboclo grievances against elite rule—spilling over and prompting imperial reforms, such as splitting the Rio Negro captaincy to create Amazonas Province in 1850 for better governance.^[13]^[14] The rubber extraction cycle from 1879 to 1912 propelled economic expansion, as wild Hevea brasiliensis tapping met surging global demand for vulcanized products, elevating Amazonas's export value to 40% of Brazil's total by 1910 and drawing thousands of migrants to Manaus, which amassed opulent infrastructure akin to European cities. This boom ended abruptly with Southeast Asian plantation competition, yielding low yields and debt peonage; Henry Ford's Fordlândia venture (1928–1934), intended to monopolize supply through industrialized plantations on 2.5 million acres, collapsed from leaf blight, worker revolts, and cultural mismatches, costing over $20 million before abandonment in 1945.^[15]^[16]^[17] Mid-20th-century state-led integration under the 1964–1985 military regime included the 1970s Trans-Amazonian Highway (BR-230), a 5,000-km project to relocate drought-stricken northeasterners, facilitate resource extraction, and assert sovereignty, though it accelerated deforestation and settlement failures amid logistical overruns. Post-dictatorship, Amazonas—established as a state in 1889—saw administrative evolution, with decentralization reforms after 2000 devolving environmental enforcement to states and municipalities, enabling localized protected area designations that curbed illegal activities through 2010s.^[18]^[19]

Demographics and Indigenous Peoples

The 2022 Brazilian census enumerated 3,941,613 residents in Amazonas state, reflecting a 13.1% increase from 2010, with a low population density of approximately 2.5 inhabitants per square kilometer across the state's 1,559,161 square kilometers.^[20] Roughly 74% of the population resides in urban areas, concentrated primarily in Manaus, the state capital, which houses over 2 million people and serves as the primary hub for administration, commerce, and services.^[21] This urban-rural divide stems from the state's vast rainforest terrain, which limits accessibility and infrastructure development outside major riverine corridors. Ethnically, the population is predominantly mixed-race (pardo), comprising about 70% according to self-identification in the 2022 census, followed by 25% white and roughly 4% indigenous, with smaller proportions of black and Asian descent.^[22] This composition reflects centuries of intermixing among European settlers, African descendants from colonial slavery, and pre-existing indigenous groups, amplified by 20th-century internal migration. Pardo prevalence aligns with broader Amazonian patterns, where genetic studies confirm high admixture levels, including 16-30% indigenous ancestry even among self-identified non-indigenous groups.^[23] Amazonas hosts over 30 distinct indigenous ethnic groups, totaling around 200,000 self-identified individuals in the 2022 census, though estimates including those in isolated or uncontacted communities exceed 400,000.^[3]^[24] Prominent groups include the Tikuna, largest in the state with riverine lifestyles centered on fishing and manioc cultivation; the Yanomami, known for semi-nomadic hunting-gathering in upland forests; and the isolated Awá-Guajá, facing existential threats from encroachment. Demarcated indigenous territories span approximately 25% of the state's land area, legally protected under Brazil's 1988 Constitution to preserve territorial integrity against external pressures.^[25] These lands function as de facto barriers to deforestation, with empirical data showing 80-90% lower clearance rates within them compared to adjacent areas, attributable to communal governance and traditional resource management rather than state enforcement alone.^[26] Internal migration has shaped demographics, with significant inflows from Brazil's Northeast region since the mid-20th century, drawn by opportunities in extractive sectors such as logging and commercial fishing along the Amazon and Negro rivers. Drought-prone Northeastern states like Maranhão and Ceará contributed disproportionately to this flux, as migrants sought wage labor amid rural poverty, resulting in rapid urbanization in Manaus and sporadic settlement in riverine outposts. This pattern, peaking during infrastructure booms like the 1970s Trans-Amazonian Highway, has diluted rural indigenous densities while straining urban services. Socioeconomic challenges persist due to geographic isolation, manifesting in elevated infant mortality rates of about 20 per 1,000 live births—over 50% above the national average of 12.7—and literacy rates around 85%, lagging the country's 93%.^[27]^[28] These disparities correlate with limited road access, seasonal flooding disrupting supply chains, and dispersed populations, rather than cultural or genetic factors; for instance, indigenous subgroups in remote territories exhibit higher rates tied to malnutrition and infectious diseases from contaminated water sources. Cultural preservation efforts, including bilingual education in some communities, counter assimilation pressures from migrant influxes and media exposure, though intergenerational language loss affects 20-30% of youth in contact zones.^[29]

Economy and Resource Extraction

The economy of Amazonas state is characterized by a heavy reliance on resource extraction and processing, complemented by industrial incentives in the Manaus Free Trade Zone (ZFM), which together drive regional growth amid high informality and persistent poverty challenges. In 2022, the state's GDP stood at approximately R$141 billion, representing about 1.4% of Brazil's national total, with services dominating at over 70% of output, largely from ZFM-related activities such as electronics assembly and distribution.^[30]^[4] The ZFM, established in the 1960s as a successor to the early 20th-century rubber extraction legacy, provides tax exemptions on imports and manufacturing, attracting investments in consumer goods and fostering diversification beyond primary commodities; this has generated direct and indirect employment for hundreds of thousands while enabling export-oriented production.^[31]^[32] Extractive industries contribute around 20% to the economy, encompassing timber harvesting, mineral extraction, and fisheries, which provide essential livelihoods in rural areas where formal opportunities are scarce. Timber and non-timber forest products, including Brazil nuts, support small-scale operations and exports to Europe and Asia, with sustainable logging practices offering higher revenue potential than outright bans by leveraging selective harvesting techniques that maintain forest cover.^[33] Mining focuses on gold—often through artisanal garimpo—and bauxite, though much activity remains informal or illegal, contributing to GDP via raw material sales but highlighting enforcement gaps; gold output, for instance, ties into national production chains despite regulatory hurdles.^[34] Fisheries, particularly of species like tambaqui and pirarucu, yield exports of fish and swim bladders, bolstering trade balances with markets in Asia and Europe.^[35] Hydropower, exemplified by the Balbina Dam on the Uatumã River, adds to energy sector value, supplying electricity for industrial hubs and reducing reliance on fossil imports, though projects like these underscore the role of infrastructure in enabling extractive scalability. Agribusiness has expanded post-2000s with cattle ranching and limited soy cultivation on cleared pastures, providing protein exports and employment, as intensification on existing lands mitigates pressure on untouched areas compared to expansion-only models.^[36] Employment remains predominantly informal, at rates exceeding 50% in 2024—third-highest nationally—reflecting barriers to formalization in extractive and service roles, while poverty affects roughly 30-40% of the population, double the national average; resource extraction demonstrably lowers unemployment by absorbing low-skilled labor, outperforming conservation-focused strategies that restrict access to natural capital and exacerbate rural exclusion without alternative income streams.^[37]^[38] Trade data reveal strengths in bioeconomy nascent sectors, with exports of nuts, fish, and timber reaching international buyers, yet untapped potential lies in scaling sustainable variants over prohibitionist policies that stifle local incentives for stewardship.^[39]^[40]

Government, Politics, and Administration

The state of Amazonas operates within Brazil's federal republic framework established by the 1988 Constitution, with executive authority held by a governor elected every four years by popular vote. Wilson Lima, of the Social Christian Party (PSC), has served as governor since January 2019, following his victory in the 2018 election, and secured re-election in 2022 with support from coalitions favoring infrastructure expansion.^[41]^[42] The state is partitioned into 62 municipalities, each governed by a mayor and legislative council elected concurrently with federal and state polls, facilitating localized administration amid vast territorial challenges.^[43] Legislative functions are discharged by the unicameral Amazonas Legislative Assembly (ALEAM), consisting of 24 deputies elected for four-year terms, which enacts state laws, approves budgets, and oversees executive actions. Politically, Amazonas transitioned from centralized military governance—ending nationally in 1985—to multiparty democracy, marked by fragmented alliances and recurring corruption issues, including vote-buying operations in the early 2000s and state security graft exposed in 2021 probes.^[44] These scandals, often intertwined with federal investigations like Lava Jato, eroded public trust and prompted electoral shifts toward anti-establishment figures. Under Lima's administration, governance has tilted toward conservative priorities, prioritizing development projects such as highway paving to enhance connectivity, contrasting with prior left-leaning emphases on regulatory oversight that empirical analyses link to stalled local initiatives.^[42] This orientation reflects voter preferences in resource-dependent regions, where decentralized authority has empirically accelerated adaptive policies like emergency flood responses but exposed vulnerabilities to clientelism. Federal-state relations underscore Amazonas's fiscal dependence, with transfers—including the State Participation Fund (FPE) and constitutional shares—comprising roughly half of the state's revenue, constraining autonomous policymaking and amplifying national budgetary fluctuations.^[45] For indigenous territories, spanning over 25% of the state, federal agencies like FUNAI retain demarcation and protection authority, enforcing boundaries that limit state jurisdiction and necessitate coordination, though enforcement gaps persist due to underfunding. Infrastructure metrics highlight administrative hurdles: the state's road system exceeds 10,000 km in key segments, yet over 80% remains unpaved, exacerbating isolation during rainy seasons and elevating logistics costs by factors of 2-3 compared to paved networks elsewhere.^[46] Decentralization post-1988 has causally enhanced local efficacy in addressing terrain-specific issues, such as rapid deployment of health services in remote areas, evidenced by faster response times in state-led operations versus federal delays. However, centralized federal environmental directives counter local tendencies toward overexploitation, as game-theoretic models of common-pool resources predict defection without external constraints, with data showing higher compliance rates under unified oversight despite political frictions.^[47] This tension manifests in governance effectiveness metrics, where state-level execution scores lag national averages in audit compliance but exceed in adaptive infrastructure allocation.^[48]

Environmental Dynamics and Biodiversity

The Amazonas rainforest harbors exceptional biodiversity, representing a core component of the Amazon biome's estimated 10% share of global species diversity. Documented fauna includes approximately 427 mammal species, such as jaguars and giant otters; over 1,300 bird species, including harpy eagles and toucans; and millions of insect species, alongside at least 40,000 vascular plant species across the broader biome.^[49]^[50] Hydrological dynamics are driven by evapotranspiration from the dense canopy, forming "flying rivers"—vast aerial moisture streams originating from Atlantic vapor and recycled through forest transpiration, which sustain regional precipitation patterns and prevent desiccation in the basin's interior.^[51] Annual flood pulses inundate approximately 500,000 km² of floodplain forests and wetlands, creating nutrient-rich habitats that support seasonal fisheries yields of around 400,000 tons.^[52]^[53] Natural climate oscillations, including El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events, induce periodic droughts that alter river regimes; the 2023-2024 El Niño episode produced record-low Rio Negro levels at Manaus, reaching 12.7 meters below mean on October 30, 2023, the lowest since records began in 1903.^[54]^[55] Satellite monitoring by Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE) reveals that Amazonas maintains over 95% intact forest cover as of 2023, reflecting the biome's resilience amid historical deforestation peaks of 27,000 km² annually in the Brazilian Amazon during 2004, which declined to about 9,000 km² in 2023.^[56] Secondary regrowth in cleared areas can restore much of the original biomass and structure over decades, though empirical recovery rates vary and are often slower than initial projections, with full biodiversity rebound requiring 40 years on average.^[57]^[58] Intact stands sequester substantial carbon—estimates for undisturbed Amazon forests indicate net uptake of 0.5-1 Gt CO₂ equivalent annually—prioritizing observed fluxes over unverified model-based tipping thresholds, which assume uniform dieback without accounting for localized regeneration dynamics.^[59]^[60]

Conservation Efforts and Policies

Approximately 50% of the Brazilian Amazon biome, encompassing much of Amazonas state, is designated as protected areas or indigenous territories, including national parks and reserves that cover about 25% of indigenous lands.^[61] ^[62] The Amazon Region Protected Areas (ARPA) program, launched in 2002, has supported over 120 conservation units across the region, contributing to a 21% reduction in deforestation rates within these areas from 2008 to 2020 compared to unprotected lands under similar pressure.^[63] ^[64] International financing from entities like the World Bank and UNDP has bolstered these efforts, with projects in 2025 expanding payments to farmers for conserving over 14,000 hectares in the Amazon, including mechanisms tying fiscal incentives to reduced deforestation.^[65] ^[66] Under President Lula's administration from 2023 onward, Brazil's environmental agency IBAMA intensified enforcement through operations issuing fines to entities linked to illegal deforestation, such as 23 meatpacking plants in Amazonas and Pará in 2024.^[67] ^[68] Empirical outcomes include a 70% reduction in burned areas in Brazil's Amazon in 2025 compared to 2024, attributed to enhanced fire prevention strategies involving monitoring and suppression tactics.^[69] Bioeconomy initiatives promote sustainable harvesting of non-timber products like açaí and Brazil nuts, providing income alternatives to slash-and-burn practices; for instance, programs supporting over 500 families have protected nearly 2 million acres through nut harvesting collectives.^[70] ^[71] Critiques highlight inefficiencies in funding models, where heavy reliance on NGO and international donations, such as through the Amazon Fund, has led to inflated per-hectare costs without proportional additionality in emission reductions or strong local community integration.^[72] Data indicate that strictly protected areas outperform community-managed sustainable-use zones in avoiding deforestation under equivalent pressures, though the latter may enhance local livelihoods when governance is robust.^[73] Cost-benefit analyses suggest that anti-deforestation policies in the Brazilian Amazon achieve protection at costs hundreds of times lower per hectare than in temperate protected areas elsewhere.^[74]

Controversies: Deforestation, Development, and Indigenous Rights

Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon, including Amazonas state, is primarily driven by the expansion of cattle pastures and soybean cultivation, with cattle ranching accounting for approximately 80% of cleared land according to satellite and supply-chain analyses.^[75]^[76] Pro-development advocates argue that such activities have contributed to poverty reduction by integrating remote areas into national markets, enabling economic growth that correlates with improved living standards in Amazonian municipalities from 2000 to 2020, though direct causality remains debated amid persistent regional poverty cycles.^[77]^[78] Environmental critics highlight localized biodiversity declines from habitat fragmentation, while global climate impacts—such as alleged "tipping points" leading to savanna transition—are contested due to reliance on simplified vegetation-climate models that overestimate vulnerability and lack robust falsifiability against observed forest resilience.^[79]^[80] Infrastructure projects like the paving of BR-319 highway exemplify tensions between development and conservation, with opponents warning of "fishbone" patterns of secondary illegal roads branching off to accelerate clearing, potentially extending deforestation up to 150 km perpendicular to the route based on historical road impacts.^[81]^[82] Supporters contend that formal paving, coupled with monitoring, could enhance enforcement by improving access for authorities, reducing reliance on vulnerable unpaved segments prone to uncontrolled incursions, though empirical evidence from analogous regulated roads remains limited.^[83] Indigenous rights debates center on FUNAI-led land demarcations clashing with garimpeiro (illegal miner) invasions, which have escalated violence including over 100 annual murders of indigenous people and defenders amid territorial conflicts, per advocacy reports tracking invasions and killings.^[84] Yet integration into markets has yielded benefits like income from regulated activities for some communities, contrasting isolation policies that expose uncontacted groups to risks from unchecked external pressures without adaptive economic tools.^[85] Exploratory oil drilling approvals for Petrobras in the Foz do Amazonas basin, granted by IBAMA on October 20, 2025, target potential reserves estimated in billions of barrels equivalent, igniting disputes over spill risks to coastal ecosystems versus economic gains from low-impact technologies akin to Norway's offshore operations, where stringent regulations have minimized environmental incidents despite similar Arctic sensitivities.^[86]^[87] Critics, often amplified in environmental media, emphasize hypothetical contamination pathways, while proponents cite empirical track records of advanced seismic and containment methods reducing spill probabilities to near-zero in comparable basins.^[88] Indigenous autonomy efforts reveal mixed outcomes: successes in community-managed sustainable fishing have sustained livelihoods without depletion in demarcated territories, but prolonged isolation has led to failures like vulnerability to invasions and disease outbreaks when contact occurs unpredictably, underscoring trade-offs between preservation and adaptive self-determination.^[89]^[90]

Recent Developments and Future Prospects

In October 2025, Brazil's environmental agency IBAMA approved exploratory oil drilling by Petrobras in block FZA-M-059, located approximately 108 miles offshore from Amapá near the Amazon River mouth, with operations expected to commence immediately and span five months without initial production.^[87] This authorization, amid preparations for the COP30 summit in Belém, has drawn criticism from environmental groups for potential ecological risks, though Petrobras maintains no commercial extraction is planned in the near term.^[91] Advancements on the BR-319 highway, connecting Manaus to Porto Velho, progressed in 2025 through a new federal licensing accord emphasizing environmental monitoring, despite prior judicial injunctions in 2024 halting paving works.^[92] ^[93] Proponents argue controlled paving could enhance logistics for sustainable goods, while hydrological assessments warn of increased deforestation risks in the central Amazon without stringent enforcement.^[94] The World Bank's AM Pro-Sustainability program, launched in August 2025 for Amazonas state, ties fiscal reforms—such as curbing current spending growth—to forest conservation incentives, aiming to redirect resources toward bioeconomy initiatives and wildfire prevention.^[95] This $500 million operation builds on empirical fiscal data showing Amazonas' debt vulnerabilities, prioritizing verifiable deforestation reductions over unsubstantiated spending pledges.^[96] Severe droughts from 2023 to 2024 drastically lowered Amazon River levels, stranding communities and vessels, with attribution studies attributing the event's intensity primarily to anthropogenic climate change amplifying rainfall deficits and temperatures, rather than deforestation as the dominant factor per regional hydrological modeling.^[97] ^[55] El Niño contributed to variability, but global warming made such extremes 30 times more likely, underscoring causal chains from greenhouse emissions over localized land-use changes.^[98] Prospects for Amazonas include bioeconomy expansion under the state’s 2030 Program targeting carbon neutrality, with projections for sustainable forest products and agribusiness to boost regional GDP through incentives for native species harvesting and value-added processing, potentially adding billions in output by mid-century if scaled empirically.^[99] ^[33] However, tri-border regions with Peru and Colombia face escalating threats from syndicates like the Comando Vermelho and Colombian dissident groups, controlling drug routes and illegal logging since 2023, complicating enforcement amid porous frontiers.^[100] ^[101] Future viability hinges on causal balancing: resource extraction for critical minerals essential to global technology transitions must incorporate regrowth mandates and market incentives, as outright halts ignore empirical demands for materials like niobium and rare earths abundant in Amazon soils, while verifiable reforestation yields higher long-term carbon sequestration than preservation-only paradigms.^[102] Tri-border security enhancements, including binational intelligence, are projected to mitigate syndicate incursions, fostering stable bioeconomy corridors by 2030.^[103]

Other Administrative Divisions Named Amazonas

Amazonas Department, Peru

The Amazonas Region of Peru is a mountainous administrative division in the northern Andes, encompassing high-elevation cloud forests and montane ecosystems distinct from the vast lowland rainforests of Brazil's Amazonas state. Spanning 39,249 km², it borders Ecuador to the north and features the headwaters of Amazon tributaries like the Utcubamba and Marañón rivers at altitudes often exceeding 2,000 meters.^[104] The regional capital is Chachapoyas, a city founded in 1538 at approximately 2,335 meters above sea level.^[104] The region's pre-Columbian history centers on the Chachapoya culture, which flourished from around 600 to 1470 AD in the cloud-shrouded valleys before Inca conquest. Known as the "Warriors of the Clouds," they constructed fortified citadels such as Kuélap, a massive complex of stone walls up to 20 meters high enclosing over 400 structures, serving as political and ceremonial centers.^[105] Archaeological evidence indicates their society emphasized defensive architecture and mummification practices, with Spanish chroniclers noting their light-skinned appearance and resistance to Inca expansion.^[106] Economically, Amazonas relies on subsistence and small-scale commercial agriculture, producing coffee, rice, maize, and tropical fruits in terraced highland fields, alongside livestock rearing.^[107] Tourism has emerged as a growth sector, driven by access to Kuélap—now reachable by cable car since 2017—and other sites like sarcophagi tombs and petroglyphs, contributing to local revenue without the intensive resource extraction seen in lowland Amazon areas. The population stood at 379,384 per the 2017 national census, with projections reaching 429,483 by 2022 amid modest rural-urban migration.^[108]^[104]

Amazonas State, Venezuela

Amazonas State spans 180,475 square kilometers, accounting for approximately 20% of Venezuela's total land area, while supporting a sparse population of roughly 180,000 to 200,000 residents as of recent estimates, yielding a density of about 1 inhabitant per square kilometer.^[109]^[110] Its capital, Puerto Ayacucho, lies along the Orinoco River, facilitating limited navigation but constrained by rapids. The region occupies the upper Orinoco basin, encompassing remote territories associated with Yanomami indigenous presence. Mining dominates the local economy, with coltan and gold extraction as primary activities, though illegal operations constitute 80-90% of gold output and have proliferated due to Venezuela's hyperinflation from the mid-2010s onward, compounded by international sanctions restricting formal development.^[111]^[112]^[113] These minerals hold significant resource potential, yet extraction remains unregulated and violence-prone, fueling informal networks amid national economic turmoil. Persistent challenges encompass tri-border frictions with Brazil and Colombia, rudimentary infrastructure limited to about 180 kilometers of roads near the capital, and underutilized natural assets due to instability.^[109]^[114] Biodiversity mirrors patterns in Brazil's Amazon, featuring high tree species diversity across similar forest gradients, but systematic study lags from access barriers in conflict zones.^[115]^[116]

Amazonas Department, Colombia

The Amazonas Department constitutes Colombia's largest administrative division by land area, encompassing 109,665 square kilometers of Amazonian rainforest terrain. With a population of approximately 85,000 residents as of 2023, it ranks among the nation's least densely populated regions, reflecting its isolation and limited infrastructure. The departmental capital, Leticia, functions as the primary urban center and a strategic triple-border location shared with Brazil's Amazonas state and Peru's Loreto region, facilitating cross-border riverine and air access while underscoring the area's geopolitical connectivity amid sparse settlement.^[117]^[118] Leticia's role as an ecotourism gateway dominates the department's visitor economy, drawing adventurers for guided forest treks, riverine wildlife viewing, and interactions with indigenous groups through operations like jungle lodges and experiential tours. The region's protected status is reinforced by reserves such as Amacayacu National Natural Park, which prioritize ecological preservation and restrict large-scale exploitation, covering substantial portions of the territory to maintain its forested integrity. Local governance emphasizes low-impact development, with municipal boundaries in Leticia and Puerto Nariño accommodating tourism infrastructure without extensive urbanization.^[119]^[120]^[118] Economic activities center on sustainable, small-scale pursuits including river fishing for species like peacock bass, artisanal crafts such as weaving and wood carving by indigenous artisans, and limited horticulture, which support resident communities amid the department's subsistence-oriented profile. Tourism supplements these through eco-focused services, though it has not scaled to transform the overall economy as anticipated. Vulnerabilities to environmental stressors, including the 2023 Amazon drought that depleted river levels and strained fisheries, highlight adaptation challenges in this remote setting. Deforestation pressures are comparatively muted, stemming mainly from localized smallholder farming and incipient ranching rather than industrial ventures, preserving much of the landscape's cover.^[121]^[122]^[55]^[118]

Other Uses

Amazonas in Exploration and Naming

The designation "Amazonas" derives from the Amazon River, named during Francisco de Orellana's 1541–1542 expedition, the first European descent of the river from the Andes to the Atlantic. Orellana, parting from Gonzalo Pizarro's party in search of food, encountered indigenous groups where women reportedly fought alongside men in battles, prompting him to evoke the mythical Amazons of ancient Greek legend—fierce female warriors described in works by Herodotus and others.^[123]^[124] He thus christened the waterway Río de las Amazonas in his chronicler Friar Gaspar de Carvajal's account, published later in 1552.^[125] The Greek term Amazon itself, applied to these legendary warriors, has uncertain origins, with ancient folk etymologies suggesting a-mazos ("without breast") based on myths of self-mutilation for archery, though linguistic evidence points to possible Scythian or Iranian roots unrelated to anatomy.^[126] Orellana's reports likely mythologized real indigenous practices, such as among Tapuya tribes where women bore arms, rather than confirming isolated matriarchal societies; no archaeological or ethnographic evidence supports distinct "Amazon" enclaves, and contemporary analyses attribute the narrative to European projection of classical tropes onto observed gender roles in warfare.^[127] In the 19th century, amid intensified European and local extraction of resources—particularly the rubber boom from circa 1879 to 1912, driven by Hevea brasiliensis latex demand post-vulcanization—the name "Amazonas" extended to territorial designations across the basin, symbolizing untamed frontiers of economic potential.^[128] This era saw surveyors and administrators formalize boundaries evoking the river's mystique, though often amid exploitative ventures that prioritized commodity flows over precise cartography. In modern contexts, "Amazonas" persists in exploratory nomenclature, including the Brazilian Navy's Amazonas-class offshore patrol vessels, three units (Amazonas, Apa, and Ary Ramos) commissioned between 2012 and 2013, designed for riverine and coastal operations with displacements around 2,000 tons and speeds up to 25 knots.^[129]

Amazonas in Culture and Media

The Parintins Folklore Festival, held annually on the last weekend of June in Parintins, Amazonas, Brazil, exemplifies Amazonian cultural traditions through the Boi-Bumbá performance, a theatrical retelling of the Bumba Meu Boi legend involving the death and resurrection of a sacred bull, blending Portuguese colonial influences with indigenous Amazonian myths and folklore.^[130]^[131] This event, which began in 1965 and draws over 100,000 attendees, features competing teams presenting elaborate floats, dances, and music in a 55,000-seat arena called Bumbódromo, emphasizing themes of renewal and harmony with nature central to regional identity.^[132] In literature, the Amazonas region inspires works exploring isolation, indigenous life, and environmental tensions, such as those by Manaus-born authors Milton Hatoum and Márcio Souza, whose novels highlight urban-rural divides and cultural hybridity in the Amazon basin.^[133] International representations include Ann Patchett's State of Wonder (2011), set amid pharmaceutical research in the Brazilian Amazon, portraying scientific ambition clashing with tribal customs, while David Grann's The Lost City of Z (2009) recounts early 20th-century expeditions into uncharted territories, drawing on historical accounts of explorer Percy Fawcett's 1925 disappearance.^[134] These narratives often perpetuate tropes of the Amazon as a mysterious frontier, though contemporary Amazonian writers seek to counter stereotypes by foregrounding local voices and rejecting exoticized depictions.^[135] Media portrayals frequently focus on biodiversity through documentaries like the BBC's Earth's Great Rivers: Amazon (2019), which documents species such as pink dolphins and transparent lagoons while showcasing human adaptations along the river.^[136] Other BBC productions, including Secret Amazon: Into the Wild (2024), follow expeditions into remote areas, revealing endemic flora and fauna but occasionally criticized for prioritizing dramatic visuals over nuanced socio-ecological contexts, as seen in coverage amplifying deforestation alarms without proportional emphasis on verified regeneration data.^[137]^[138] Symbols of Amazonas integrate natural and indigenous elements, as in the state flag adopted on January 14, 1982, featuring a blue canton with 25 silver stars representing municipalities, a white stripe for hope, and red for overcome challenges, evoking the Amazon River's centrality.^[139]^[140] Indigenous art influences persist in contemporary expressions, such as Manaus murals depicting ancestral faces and motifs from the state's 53 indigenous languages, underscoring the largest indigenous population in Brazil relative to other states.^[141] These elements reflect a cultural synthesis of riverine abundance and native heritage, distinct from administrative or economic iconography.

References

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Amazonas | Cities and States - IBGE
Amazonas ; Area. 1.558.706,127 km² [2024] ; MOD_QUICK_FACTS_POPCENSO. 3.941.613 MOD_QUICK_FACTS_UNIDADE_POPCENSO [2022] ; Demographic density. 2,53 inhab/km² [2022].
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Manaus – the Capital of Amazonas, Brazil - World Atlas
May 7, 2019 · The state occupies an area of about 606,468 square miles and has a population of over 4,080,611 people. Amazonas is surrounded by Acre ...
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Brazil has 1.7 million indigenous persons and more than half of ...
Aug 7, 2023 · Three states accounted for almost half of the indigenous persons living in indigenous lands: Amazonas (149 thousand), Roraima (71.4 thousand), ...
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Economic Powerhouses: Unveiling Brazil's State-by-State GDP ...
Nov 14, 2024 · In 2022, Brazil's GDP reached R$ 10.1 trillion ($1.77 trillion), growing by 3% from the previous year. This growth was not uniform across all ...
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Indigenous land rights help protect Amazon rainforests: study
Jun 8, 2023 · A new study found that Indigenous communities with land rights in the Brazilian Amazon are key to curbing deforestation and restoring ...<|separator|>
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States Of Brazil By Area - World Atlas
Occupying an area of 1570745.7 square km, Amazonas, a Brazilian state in the northwestern corner of the country, is the biggest state in the country.
[7]
The structure of the Amazonian craton: Available geophysical ...
The Amazonian craton comprises the northern Guyana shield and the southern Central Brazil shield. It has become the main subject of seismological studies.
[8]
Meeting of the Waters - NASA Earth Observatory
Sep 6, 2012 · The cooler, denser, and faster waters of the Solimões and the warmer, slower waters of the Negro form a boundary visible from space and from the ...Missing: tributaries | Show results with:tributaries
[9]
Central Amazon Conservation Complex - UNESCO World Heritage ...
This site of more than 6 million hectares is the largest protected area in the Amazon Basin and one of the richest areas of the planet in terms of biodiversity.
[10]
https://www.britannica.com/place/Amazon-River/Hydrology
[11]
The domestication of Amazonia before European conquest - PMC
Amazonia was a major centre of crop domestication, with at least 83 native species containing populations domesticated to some degree.2. Plant Management And... · 5. Late Holocene... · Figure 3<|separator|>
[12]
Indigenous and colonial influences on Amazonian forests
May 9, 2024 · After 1549 CE, the Jesuits arrived in the Amazon and began practices of enslavement, fragmentation, and displacement of Indigenous populations ( ...
[13]
Treaty of Madrid | Research Starters - EBSCO
The agreement facilitated Portuguese claims over much of the Amazon River Basin, while Spain sought to consolidate its control over the Plata River system. The ...
[14]
Race and the Cabanagem in Northern Brazil, 1750 to 1850 - jstor
The old Captaincy of the Rio Negro was split off in 1850 to form the state of. Amazonas. 13 The Mura are one of the most interesting cases of the reinvention of ...Missing: elevation | Show results with:elevation
[15]
The Amazon Rubber Boom: Labor Control, Resistance, and Failed ...
May 1, 1994 · Gross domestic product per capita in Brazilian Amazonia rose dramatically with the boom, from $49 in 1840 to $323 at the peak of the boom in ...
[16]
<i>The Amazon Rubber Boom 1850–1920</i> by Barbara Weinstein ...
Jun 6, 2023 · The importance of rubber as a source of foreign income for Brazil— in 1910, it provided 40 percent of Brazil's export value, compared with ...
[17]
Lost cities #10: Fordlandia – the failure of Henry Ford's utopian city ...
Aug 19, 2016 · Fordlandia was created as the brainchild of one of the world's most ambitious industrialists, and it failed. Perhaps it will do better as just ...
[18]
Brazil's trans-Amazonian highway of fire and mud
In the 1970s Brazil's military regime saw the Amazonian rainforest as virgin territory to be claimed for agriculture, mining and new towns.Missing: dictatorship | Show results with:dictatorship
[19]
Decentralization and REDD+ in Brazil - MDPI
Data show that some state governments in the Brazilian Amazon have played a key role in creating protected areas (PAs) after 2003, which helped decrease ...Missing: post- | Show results with:post-<|control11|><|separator|>
[20]
2022 Census - IBGE
It supports the release of all 2022 Population Results relative to the 5 568 Brazilian municipalities, the Federal District and the Island District of Fernando ...
[21]
2022 Census: 87% of the Brazilian population lives in urban areas
Nov 14, 2024 · In 2022, 177.5 million people (87.4%) out of the total 203.1 million people in the Brazilian population lived in urban areas, whereas 25.6 ...
[22]
https://www.ibge.gov.br/en/statistics/social/population/22836-2022-census-3.html?edicao=38732
[23]
Pardo is the New Black: Reframing Racial Identity in Brazil and ...
For example, Pena et al (2020) found that self-identified Whites in Brazil have, on average, 30% African and 16% Indigenous ancestry, while those identifying as ...<|separator|>
[24]
The Indigenous World 2024: Brazil - IWGIA
Mar 22, 2024 · The northern region of Brazil holds almost 45% of the Indigenous population and Amazonas state represents the epicentre, with 490,000 Indigenous ...
[25]
Brazilian Indigenous People - Survival International
There are about 305 Indigenous peoples living in Brazil today, totalling around 1.7 million people, or 0.8% of Brazil's population.
[26]
Brazilian Amazon indigenous territories under deforestation pressure
Apr 10, 2023 · About 700 thousand indigenous people live in Indigenous Territories (ITs) in Brazil, and over half of ITs are within the Brazilian Legal Amazon.Introduction · Results And Discussion · Methods
[27]
Brazil (BRA) - Demographics, Health & Infant Mortality - UNICEF DATA
Trends in under-five mortality rate in Brazil. Visit childmortality.org for ... Infant mortality rate. (Deaths per 1,000 live births) Find out more. 12.
[28]
2022 Census: Literacy increases among Indigenous population, but ...
Oct 4, 2024 · The illiteracy rate among Indigenous peoples, which was 23.4% in 2010, fell to 15.0% in 2022. However, it is higher than twice the national rate, which was 9.6 ...Missing: infant mortality
[29]
2022 Census: more than half of the Indigenous population lives in ...
Dec 19, 2024 · The Indigenous population of Brazil was 1,694,836 persons in 2022, corresponding to 0.83% of the country's total population. In 2010, this ...
[30]
In 2022, GDP grows in 24 Federation Units | News Agency
Nov 14, 2024 · Amazonas reduced its share from 1.5% to 1.4% in relation to the national GDP, whereas Rondônia rose its weight from 0.6% in 2021 to 0.7% in 2022 ...
[31]
[PDF] Manaus Free Trade Zone Tax Incentive Guide - Invest Amazonas
The tax incentives of the Manaus Free Trade Zone consist of a set of fiscal measures aimed at promoting economic and industrial development within the region.
[32]
[PDF] The Manaus Free Trade Zone is an example of public policy that ...
It promotes the economic transformation of Amazonas, creating jobs, attracting investments and preserving the Amazon rainforest. The new legislation ...
[33]
New Economy for the Brazilian Amazon | World Resources Institute
Increase of at least BRL 40 billion ($8.2 billion) in the Brazilian Amazon's annual GDP from 2050 onwards. Expansion of the bioeconomy, with GDP rising by at ...
[34]
Uncontrolled Illegal Mining and Garimpo in the Brazilian Amazon
Nov 13, 2024 · 91% of Brazil's garimpo activity is in the Amazon, where almost 40% of them are five years old or younger. This paper finds in 2022, 77% of the ...Missing: timber | Show results with:timber
[35]
The Virtuous Path of Exports 'Compatible' with the Brazilian Amazon ...
Nov 7, 2022 · 60 forest-compatible products such as black pepper, shelled brazil nuts, fish swim bladders, hearts of palm, cocoa and fresh pineapple.
[36]
Balbina Dam - Wikipedia
The Balbina Dam (Portuguese: Usina Hidrelétrica de Balbina) is a hydroelectric dam and power station on the Uatumã River in the Amazon Rainforest, Brazil.
[37]
Growing soy on cattle pasture can eliminate Amazon deforestation ...
Nov 4, 2022 · The study, published in Nature Sustainability, found that intensifying crop and livestock systems would stop soybean production expanding into forested areas.
[38]
Amazonas records the third highest informality rate in the country in ...
Feb 18, 2025 · The survey considers the informality rate of people aged 14 or older and places Amazonas with an index more than 14% above the national average.
[39]
The Amazon's Big Cities Need Green Jobs Too. It's a Challenge
May 12, 2021 · The need is dire: 41% of Amazonians live in poverty, almost double the national average of 22%. Even before the pandemic, more than 12 million ...
[40]
[PDF] Promoting Forest-Friendly Exports in the Brazilian Amazon
May 24, 2023 · In the Brazilian Amazon, forest-friendly products fall into four categories: non-timber forest prod- ucts, such as Brazil nuts and wild- ...
[41]
[PDF] A new economy for the Amazonas state: Manaus Free Trade Zone ...
With public and private investments of BRL 7.15 billion over 10 (ten) years from concessions, public-private partnerships, etc., the generation of direct and ...
[42]
Brazilian federal, state governments to focus on 21 municipalities ...
Aug 23, 2024 · PARTNERSHIP – The governor of Amazonas, Wilson Lima, emphasized that this union between the spheres of government is essential to reduce the ...
[43]
In the Brazilian Amazon, sustainability policies clash with ...
Jun 20, 2025 · ... Brazil. The highway has the support of the current governor (Wilson Lima), who was once a member of the Partido Verde (2012–2016) and allied ...Missing: structure | Show results with:structure
[44]
IBGE updates Brazil's Territorial Structures | News Agency
Apr 29, 2025 · This part of the country is formed by 44 municipalities, distributed among the states of Amazonas, Roraima, Pará and Amapá.
[45]
In Brazil, Corrupt Officials Complicate Fight to Defend Amazon
Sep 1, 2023 · Amazonas' state security agency has previously seen corruption among lower-ranking officials. An investigation in July 2021 led to criminal ...
[46]
[PDF] A Balancing Act for Brazil's Amazonian States - Poder360
Brazil's federal government provides considerable financial support to. Amazonian states. The largest transfer from federal to state governments is the State ...
[47]
The transportation and logistics challenges in Northern Brazil
Jan 30, 2024 · The North Region presents very poor connectivity, with the lower extension of paved roads in the country (9.890 km ~15,1% of the total paved ...Missing: percentage | Show results with:percentage
[48]
In the Brazilian Amazon, decentralization can be a double-edged ...
Jun 13, 2025 · Federal law requires states to transfer 25 per cent of ICMS revenue to municipalities, but allows some leeway in how they distribute those funds ...Missing: reliance | Show results with:reliance
[49]
[PDF] World Bank Document
on the federal government. See table 10 for more details. TABLE 10 Percentage of Federal Government Transfers over Total Revenue, by State. Stat. Percentage of.
[50]
Amazon wildlife | WWF - Panda.org
To date, at least 40,000 plant species, 427 mammals (e.g. jaguar, anteater and giant otter), 1,300 birds (e.g. harpy eagle, toucan and hoatzin), 378 reptiles ( ...Missing: biodiversity state
[51]
Brazil and the Amazon Forest - Greenpeace
There are approximately 40,000 species of plants and more than 400 mammals ... birds and an insect population in the millions. In addition to its ...Missing: counts | Show results with:counts
[52]
What are the Amazon's 'flying rivers' – and how does deforestation ...
Jul 12, 2024 · Flying rivers in the Amazon rainforest are a vital part of the water cycle for Latin America's 670 million people, as well as the region's ...
[53]
Fish management in the Amazon floodplains | WWF - Panda.org
Thanks to the area's considerable fish resources, with a current production worth almost 400,000 tons per year and which includes about 200 species, some ...
[54]
Floodplain forests drive fruit-eating fish diversity at the Amazon ...
The Amazon River Basin is the largest drainage basin on Earth and holds the most extensive floodplain forests in the world (i.e., 516,400 km2 representing ~9% ...
[55]
Drought parches the central Amazon in October 2023 - Climate
Oct 30, 2023 · The annual low water level on Rio Negro each year since 1903. The 2023 low set a new record—12.7 meters on the gauge at Manaus as of October ...
[56]
The new record of drought and warmth in the Amazon in 2023 ...
Apr 6, 2024 · In 2023 Amazonia experienced both historical drought and warm conditions. On October 26th 2023 the water levels at the port of Manaus reached its lowest record ...
[57]
Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon falls 22% in 2023 - Mongabay
Nov 11, 2023 · INPE's analysis of satellite imagery found that forest clearing in the Brazilian Amazon totaled 9,001 square kilometers, an area approximately ...Missing: intact | Show results with:intact
[58]
Amazon forest regrowth much slower than previously thought
Dec 19, 2019 · The regrowth of Amazonian forests following deforestation can happen much slower than previously thought, a new study shows.Missing: capability | Show results with:capability
[59]
Brazil scientists map forest regrowth keeping Amazon from collapse
Dec 15, 2020 · And it takes 40 years on average for secondary forests in the Amazon to recover 85% of their original biodiversity, a 2018 study concluded.<|control11|><|separator|>
[60]
Atmospheric CO 2 inversion reveals the Amazon as a minor carbon ...
Sep 1, 2023 · Our analyses indicate that the Amazon is a small net source of carbon to the atmosphere (mean 2010–2018 = 0.13 ± 0.17 Pg C yr−1, where 0.17 is ...Missing: sequestration | Show results with:sequestration
[61]
Amazon rainforest now emitting more CO2 than it absorbs
Jul 14, 2021 · It found fires produced about 1.5bn tonnes of CO2 a year, with forest growth removing 0.5bn tonnes. The 1bn tonnes left in the atmosphere is ...Missing: Gt | Show results with:Gt<|separator|>
[62]
Protected Areas and Indigenous Territories | WWF - Panda.org
Of this total, almost 2.7 million are Amazonian indigenous people (9.2% of the Amazonian population) representing over 350 ethnic groups, 60 of which still live ...<|control11|><|separator|>
[63]
Role of Brazilian Amazon protected areas in climate change mitigation
Protected areas (PAs) now shelter 54% of the remaining forests of the Brazilian Amazon and contain 56% of its forest carbon.
[64]
Contribution of the Amazon protected areas program to forest ...
The ARPA Program supports 120 conservation units in the Brazilian Amazon. Amazon protected areas reduced by 21% deforestation between 2008 and 2020.
[65]
Protecting millions of acres in the Amazon - World Wildlife Fund
Oct 14, 2025 · ARPA and WWF have secured 154 million acres of the Amazon, reducing deforestation and protecting biodiversity for future generations.Missing: illegal | Show results with:illegal
[66]
UNDP and Government of Brazil expand forest conservation in the ...
Sep 26, 2025 · President Lula and Minister Marina Silva announce expansion of payments to farmers conserving 14000 hectares of forest in the Amazon.
[67]
Preserving the Amazon: New World Bank Project Supports ...
Aug 28, 2025 · The World Bank's Board of Directors has approved a new project to protect forests and promote sustainable development in the Lower Xingu ...Missing: UNDP | Show results with:UNDP
[68]
Ibama fines 23 meatpacking plants in Amazonas and Para
Oct 30, 2024 · The objective of Ibama's operation is to curb deforestation by monitoring the chain that produces or sells cattle from illegally deforested ...
[69]
Ibama: Brazil's environmental police are back on the job - France 24
Nov 30, 2023 · When President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva returned to power in January, he revived Brazil's environmental police force.
[70]
2025 Amazon Fires - Rainforest Foundation US
So far in 2025, 2.7 million acres (1.1 million hectares) of Brazil's Amazon have burned. This is a 70% drop compared to the same period in 2024 and marks ...Missing: suppression | Show results with:suppression
[71]
Conserving Brazil Nut Forests | Agriculture in the Amazon | ACA
ACA's project “Conserving Brazil Nut Forests” program has supported more than 500 harvester families in the protection of nearly two million acres of ...
[72]
Açaí Infusion: Brewing Circularity in the Brazilian Amazon
By aligning improved livelihoods with biodiversity, sustainable açaí harvests reduces deforestation pressure and creates incentives for Amazon conservation. Not ...<|separator|>
[73]
Amazon Fund 10 Years Later: Lessons from the World's Largest ...
The Amazon Fund lacks a clear strategy to maximize deforestation reduction, and its funding lacks financial additionality, and may compromise short-term ...
[74]
Governance regime and location influence avoided deforestation ...
We show that, for any given level of deforestation pressure, strictly protected areas consistently avoided more deforestation than sustainable use areas.
[75]
Protecting the Amazon would require minimal spending, a study says
Aug 30, 2022 · In the Brazilian Amazon, costs per hectare of anti-deforestation policies are hundreds of times lower than in protected areas in Europe.Missing: critiques | Show results with:critiques
[76]
Cattle ranchers and deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon
Pasture expansion for cattle production is the main driver of deforestation and has been linked to 80% of clearing (Global Forest Atlas, 2016). Thanks to the ...
[77]
[PDF] “Cattle Supply Chains and Deforestation of the Amazon” 215 ...
Jun 22, 2023 · 8 Roughly 80% of all deforested land in the Brazilian Amazon has been converted to cattle pasture, making cattle ranching the largest driver of ...Missing: percentage | Show results with:percentage
[78]
Poverty in the Brazilian Amazon and the challenges for development
According to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), in 2019, about 20.9% of the population in the region lived below the poverty line, that ...<|separator|>
[79]
Two sides of the same coin: Reviving Brazil's economy and curbing ...
Jul 17, 2023 · The Legal Amazon states may only account for about 10 percent of GDP, but economic developments in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro will affect ...
[80]
Modeling study suggests Amazon rainforest is more resilient than ...
Feb 21, 2025 · Tipping point argument was based on simplified models. The reason for scientists to fear a tipping point was the importance of the vegetation ...
[81]
Amazon Rainforest More Resilient than Assumed
Feb 21, 2025 · Tipping point argument was based on simplified models. The reason for scientists to fear a tipping point was the importance of the vegetation ...
[82]
The Amazon will suffer massive deforestation if Brazil's BR-319 is ...
Mar 17, 2022 · Years of analyses illustrate how roads often lead to deforestation. It's called the fishbone pattern. The highway forms the spine. Then ...Missing: controversies | Show results with:controversies<|separator|>
[83]
A BR-319 highway in the middle of the road - Amazônia Real
Jun 3, 2023 · If reconstructed as planned, paving the highway could lead to deforestation extending up to 150 kilometers from its left and right sides, ...
[84]
Pros and Cons of paving the BR-319 Brazilian highway through the ...
Aug 24, 2025 · Studies suggest that road construction in the Amazon often triggers a “fishbone” pattern of forest clearance along its length. Paving BR-319 ...Missing: controversies | Show results with:controversies
[85]
[PDF] VIOLENCE AGAINST INDIGENOUS PEOPLE IN BRAZIL
by ongoing invasions, conflicts and violence against communities and the persistence of high murder, suicide, and childhood mortality rates among these ...
[86]
Nature and Human Rights of Indigenous Communities in the Amazon
Dec 2, 2024 · ... violence in the Amazon, manifested in invasions ... killed, have underscored the persistent issue of violence in the Brazilian Amazon.
[87]
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/brazils-petrobras-authorized-drill-foz-do-amazonas-region-2025-10-20/
[88]
https://www.brasildefato.com.br/2025/10/21/experts-call-amazon-drilling-a-dangerous-precedent-as-oil-workers-federation-hails-project-for-brazils-north/
[89]
https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/368361468313515918/pdf/691250PUB0Publ067902B09780821395516.pdf
[90]
[PDF] Inclusive Green Growth: The Pathway to Sustainable Development
have destroyed indigenous fish stocks. Mixed fish and rice production ... in Colombia: Successes, Failures and the Way. Ahead.” Energy Policy 32 (15): ...<|separator|>
[91]
[PDF] Government Policies of Isolated Indigenous Peoples and their ...
Government Policies of Isolated Indigenous Peoples and their Successes and Failures ... The Yanomami are one of the largest indigenous groups in the Amazon Basin.
[92]
https://news.mongabay.com/2025/09/new-deal-pushes-amazons-controversial-tipping-point-road-ahead/
[93]
New deal pushes Amazon's controversial 'tipping point road' ahead
Sep 29, 2025 · The paving of the BR-319 highway would open the Amazon to further deforestation, affecting Brazil's rain cycle and endangering Indigenous ...
[94]
Brazil judge blocks paving of highway through heart of Amazon ...
Jul 25, 2024 · A Brazilian judge on Thursday issued an injunction to stop the paving of a highway through the center of the Amazon rainforest.
[95]
Paving Amazon road may spoil Brazil climate target - Argus Media
Jul 8, 2025 · A federal court decision from October 2024 allowed plans by former-president Jair Bolsonaro's administration to rebuild and pave BR-319 to move ...<|separator|>
[96]
New World Bank Operation Links Fiscal Sustainability and Forest ...
Aug 28, 2025 · Fiscal rules will be updated to slow the growth of current spending, freeing resources for green investments. In parallel, environmental ...
[97]
[PDF] ICR00166 - World Bank Document
Mar 27, 2025 · in strengthening fiscal sustainability and integrating forest conservation and development. Preparation of the operation began in 2019 ...
[98]
Climate change, not El Niño, main driver of exceptional drought in ...
Jan 24, 2024 · The Amazon River Basin (ARB) has been in a state of exceptional drought, driven by low rainfall and consistently high temperatures for the entire year 2023 ...Missing: variability | Show results with:variability
[99]
Climate change made 2023 Amazon drought 30 times more likely ...
Jan 26, 2024 · Global warming was the main driver of the severe drought that parched the Amazon River Basin in 2023. That is the alarming conclusion of a new report.Missing: variability | Show results with:variability
[100]
[PDF] World Bank Document
Oct 5, 2025 · Prior Action 1: To strengthen the conservation of the Amazon biome, reduce deforestation, and promote sustainable prosperity for forest ...
[101]
A Three Border Problem: Holding Back the Amazon's Criminal ...
Jul 17, 2024 · Data gathered by Crisis Group from national police databases in Brazil, Colombia and Peru. ... crime groups crossing over from Brazil and ...
[102]
Crisis at Tres Fronteras: how criminal syndicates threaten Amazon's ...
Jul 17, 2024 · At the lawless triple border between Brazil, Colombia and Peru, drug trafficking, illegal logging and gangs jeopardise the ecological and social fabric of the ...
[103]
[PDF] Bioeconomy in the Amazon Conceptual, Regulatory and Institutional ...
Brazil has a broad set of regulations for different elements in the three bioeconomy visions: (i) legal frameworks that address science, research, technology, ...Missing: target | Show results with:target
[104]
Illicit frontiers: Criminal governance in the Amazon's tri-border region
Nov 21, 2024 · The study calls for cross-border cooperation and intelligence sharing between Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. ... criminal organizations on local ...
[105]
Amazonas (Region, Peru) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and ...
429,483 Population [2022] – Projection ; 39,249 km² Area ; 10.94/km² Population Density [2022].Missing: capital | Show results with:capital
[106]
Kuelap Fortress - World Monuments Fund
Kuelap was the capital city of the Chachapoya civilization, a pre-Hispanic culture that flourished from about 600 AD till the second half of the 16th century, ...
[107]
Warriors of the Clouds: Kuélap, a Chachapoya Citadel
Jan 12, 2024 · One of them is the Chachapoya, whose history arose east of Chiclayo in the rugged and remote northwestern province of Amazonas, bounded by the ...
[108]
The Rainforest Economy - Discover Peru
Tourism is an important component of the region's economy. Tourists spend millions of dollars a year in lodging, food and local products and services.
[109]
Peru Census Population: Amazonas | Economic Indicators - CEIC
Peru Census Population: Amazonas data was reported at 379,384.000 Person in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 375,993.000 Person ...
[110]
[PDF] Amazonas | HumVenezuela
In its territory of. 180,475 km2, the second largest in Venezuela, only 180 km of roads have been built around its capital, Puerto Ayacucho. Movement within the ...
[111]
Amazonas (State, Venezuela) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map ...
Population Estimate 2011-06-30, Population Projection 2019-06-30. Amazonas, State, 119,645, 158,999, 197,853. Amazonas. 197,853 Population [2019] – Projection.Missing: 2023 capital
[112]
Arco Minero Destroys Venezuelan Forests | Global Forest Watch Blog
Mar 25, 2021 · Venezuela's rainforests and people have been hit particularly hard by gold mining, where estimates indicate that between 80% and 90% is mined illegally.
[113]
Illegal Mining in Venezuela: Death and Devastation in the ... - CSIS
Apr 16, 2020 · These resources include bauxite, coltan, diamonds, and, particularly, gold. Illegal mining is causing irreversible damage to the environment, ...
[114]
A Curse of Gold: Mining and Violence in Venezuela's South
Jul 29, 2025 · Illegal mining in Venezuela's southern states, Bolívar and Amazonas, is generating vast riches for criminal and armed groups that use violence ...
[115]
Challenges & Opportunities in Protecting Amazon Tri-Border Areas
Aug 8, 2023 · In Venezuela, watchdog group SOS Orinoco has exposed illegal mining and deforestation in the country's Amazon. Comprising a consortium of ...Missing: conflicts biodiversity
[116]
The biogeography of the Amazonian tree flora - Nature
Oct 2, 2024 · We describe the geographical variation in tree species composition across Amazonian forests and show how environmental conditions are associated with species ...
[117]
Leveraging limited data from wildlife monitoring in a conflict affected ...
Jan 19, 2024 · Efficient monitoring of biodiversity-rich areas in conflict-affected areas with poor rule of law requires a combination of different analytical approaches.
[118]
Colombia - Demographics - Data Commons
Places in Colombia: Population (2023) ; 28. Vichada Department, 123K, 2023 ; 29. Guaviare Department, 97.6K · 2023 ; 30. Amazonas Department, 85.1K · 2023.
[119]
[PDF] Colombia: humanitarian impacts in Amazonas department - ACAPS
Feb 12, 2024 · Leticia and Puerto Nariño are the two municipalities in the Amazonas department, with Leticia serving as the capital. Table 1 highlights the ...
[120]
Leticia, a wealth of nature and culture | Colombia Travel
Leticia also has options for lovers of ecological tourism and adventure, offering a myriad of activities such as climbing trees, hiking through the forest, ...Missing: coverage | Show results with:coverage
[121]
Discovering Amacayacu National Natural Park in the Colombian ...
Jun 10, 2021 · Amacayacu National Natural Park currently belongs to the municipalities of Leticia, Puerto Nariño, and Tarapacá, in the Amazonas department. ...Missing: coverage | Show results with:coverage
[122]
Amazonas Department Facts For Kids | AstroSafe Search - DIY.ORG
The economy of Amazonas relies mainly on natural resources like agriculture and fishing. Amazonas is home to over 4,000 types of plants and 1,000 species of ...
[123]
[PDF] Unveiling the sustainability level of indigenous tourism initiatives
Mar 27, 2024 · Economic. Tourism has not been as important for the Amazonas department's economy as expected in the past. Therefore, the department's ...
[124]
How the Amazon River's Name Was Influenced by Ancient Greece
Sep 23, 2025 · The Amazon River's name traces back to Greek influence, after explorers compared native women warriors to the legendary Amazons of myth.
[125]
A Brief History Of Amazon Exploration | SA Vacations
Mar 1, 2020 · Orellana and his men named these women Amazons, after the women warriors of Greek mythology, and the river was later named after them.
[126]
History of the Exploration of the Amazon Rainforest
Jul 15, 2025 · The first European to ever set foot in the Amazon was Francisco de Orellana, a cousin of famous conquistador Francisco Pizarro. On a joint ...<|separator|>
[127]
Amazon - Etymology, Origin & Meaning of the Name
Originating in late 14c. from Greek Amazonēs via Old French or Latin, meaning a race of female warriors, possibly from an unknown or Iranian compound word.
[128]
The Enigma of the Women Warriors – Part 1 - Amazon Explorer
In the year 1542, a daring band of explorers, under the command of the intrepid Spanish captain, Francisco de Orellana, embarked on a perilous journey.
[129]
The rubber boom and its legacy in Brazil, Peru, Bolivia and Colombia
Nov 8, 2024 · By 1910, Acre had a population of approximately 50,000 and was producing about 60% of the rubber in the Brazilian Amazon.
[130]
AMAZONAS-class offshore patrol vessel - Military Periscope
3 AMAZONAS-class OFFSHORE PATROL VESSELS Name Pendant Launched Commissioned Status AMAZONAS P-120 Nov. 18, 2009 June 29, 2012 Active (ex-PORT OF SPAIN, ...
[131]
Parintins Festival - Visit Brasil
The Parintins Festival is a celebration that is inspired by Amazonian culture to create a spectacle of colors, myths, and emotion. Bois-bumbás, Amazonian ...
[132]
Amazonian Folklore and the legend of Bumba Meu Boi
May 8, 2025 · In 2025, the Parintins Folklore Festival will be held on 27-29 June 2025. Amazonian Folklore: The legend of Bumba Meu Boi.
[133]
Loudspeakers and the Folklore Festival of Parintins, Brazil
Oct 9, 2017 · The Folklore Festival, or Boi-Bumbá Festival, is an annual celebration that takes place in Parintins, a city located on the Tupinambarana ...
[134]
[PDF] Part i: “Literature in the BraziLian amazon” - Wilson Center
Manaus is also the birthplace of Milton Hatoum and Márcio Souza, novelists whose creative work have brought renewed attention to Amazonian cultural production.
[135]
Ten Great Books set in the Amazon Rainforest Blog | TripFiction
Ten Great Books set in the Amazon Rainforest · State of Wonder by Ann Patchett · The Lost City of Z by David Grann · The Trade Mission by Andrew Pyper · Ghost ...
[136]
Amazonian literature seeks to overcome stereotypes - Liberal Amazon
Oct 6, 2025 · Almost all of the authors interviewed agree that the literature produced in the region has gained greater national visibility, as exemplified by ...<|separator|>
[137]
Earth's Great Rivers, Series 1, Amazon - BBC Two
Documentary revealing the animals, landscapes and people of the greatest river on earth. From transparent lagoons to pink dolphins, the Amazon hides ...
[138]
Secret Amazon: Into the Wild: The Bushmaster Snake - BBC
Oct 7, 2024 · 7 Oct 202447 minTV-MA. Contains Language. Lucy and her indigenous team begin their unique 50-day journey into virgin Amazon rainforest.
[139]
Amazonia in the international media: Agents, discourses and power ...
This thesis seeks to understand and discuss the constructions of meaning, representations and discourses about the Amazon region in eight foreign newspapers ...
[140]
Amazonas (Brazil) - CRW Flags
Dec 13, 2013 · The Amazonas flag was adopted on 14 January 1982. The white symbolizes hope and the red represents difficulties overcome.
[141]
Official Symbols of the Amazonas and Manaus
Feb 3, 2017 · The Amazonian flag features the colors white, blue, and red. In the blue rectangle of the Amazonas flag are applied 25 stars in silver.
[142]
History on the walls: Graffiti brings Manaus's Indigenous roots to light
Apr 19, 2022 · A mural depicting Indigenous faces stretches across a wall in the historic center of Manaus, in the Brazilian state of Amazonas.Missing: flag anthem
[143]
Amazonas (Brazilian state) - Wikipedia
The capital, Manaus, is the largest city in the northern region, with about 2,145,444 inhabitants. 52% of the state's population lives in the city. Amazonas is ...