Geographical position of South America
South America
is the southern continent of the Western Hemisphere, between the Pacific Ocean on the west, the Atlantic Ocean on the east, the Caribbean Sea on the north, and the Strait of Magellan on the south; from the latitude of 12° 28' N till the latitude of 53° 55' S. The continent is joined to North America by The Isthmus of Panama. South America has an area of 18,280,000 square kilometers, including the islands (the Tierra del Fuego, the Chiloé Archipelago, the Falkland (Malvinas) Islands, the Galápagos islands, etc.) Its greatest north-south extent is 7150 kilometers; while its greatest east-west extent is 5100 kilometers. The terrain is marked by the longest mountain range, the Andes (Mount Aconcagua, 6960 m) in the north and west; and by plains and highlands in the northwest. The higher elevations are the Guiana Highlands (Pico da Neblina (Fog Peak), 3014 m) in the north-west and Brazilian Highlands (Bandeira Peak, 2890 m) in the east, divided by The Amazon Basin (Amazonia). The highlands and the Andes are separated by the plains and lowlands: the Orinoco and the Llanos (The Pantanal, The Gran Chaco, Mesopotamia and the Pampas); on the south-east rise the vast tablelands of Patagonia (2200 m). The lowlands are rich in iron and manganese ore, bauxites, nonferrous and rare metals; the submontane and intermountain troughs have the reserves of oil and natural gas; mountains have copper, tin, base metals and other reserves.
South America’s climate
is mainly subequatorial and tropical. Climate of Amazonia is equatorial, constantly humid. The southern climate is subtropical and temperate. The average monthly temperatures in the northern plains of South America till the tropic of Capricorn vary from 20 to 28 °С (68 to 83° F). Summer temperatures (in January) come down to 10 °С (50° F) to the south; winter temperatures (in July) drop to 12 °С (about 53° F) in the Brazilian Highlands; to 6 °С (about 43° F) in the Pampas; to 1 °С (about 34° F) and lower in Patagonia. The mid-level elevations of the Andes in Columbia and Southern Chile get the most precipitation - 5000-10000 mm (200-400 inches). Western Amazonia and the bordering Ands, along with western elevations of Guiana and Brazilian Highlands get 2000-3000 mm (around 80-120 inches); the rest of the eastern territory till the latitude of 35° S receive 1000-2000 mm (around 40-80 inches) annually. The regions to the west of the Pampas, Patagonia, the south of Central Ands and especially the Pacific coast between latitudes 5° and 27° S are classified as arid climates; they get 150-200 mm (5-8 inches) and less.
Most of the rivers flow to the Atlantic Ocean; the largest drainage systems are the Amazon, Paraguay, Paraná, and Orinoco. The highland rivers are cataracted and, like the ones in the Ands, rich in waterpower. The major rivers in the lowlands are navigable.
The soils in the tropic regions of South America mostly consist of latosols (red soils containing residual concentrations of iron and aluminum sesquioxides); the subtropical regions contain reddish prairie soils and grey-cinnamon soils; the temperate latitudes are covered with brown soils (forest in the west and semiarid in the east).
Equatorial and tropical rainforest covers the largest part of the Amazon region, the eastern slopes of the highlands and the Andes (till the latitude of 18° S), varying in the valuable species of trees, such as hevea (wild rubber plants), mahogany, cacao, cinchona, etc. The rest of the plains and highlands consist of savanna forests; subtropics are covered with prairies, grasslands and semideserts; the temperate regions are rich in mixed and deciduous forests; the eastern regions have low-bush semideserts.
The fauna of South America is also very original and diverse, especially in the Neotropic region of Neogaea which is noted for a large amount of endemics: sloths, ant-eaters, armadillos, New World monkeys, puma, jaguar, peccary, nutria, guinea pigs, etc. The bird species are nandu, hoatzin, toucans, etc. The continent is known for its varied fauna of reptiles, fish and insects.
The countries located on the territory of South America are: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Venezuela, Guyana, Columbia, Paraguay, Peru, Surinam, Uruguay, Chile and Ecuador, as well as French Guiana, the property of France. The Falkland (Malvinas) Islands are also a part of South America.
The Amazon River
The Amazon River is the largest river in the world in volume, area of drainage basin and its length and width. The indigenous people, Amerindians, call The Amazon Paranatinga (White River) and Paranaguas (Great River). According to one of the versions, the name comes from the women that fought along with men (the conquistadors called it after the Amazons of Greek mythology), and the other version says it was named after the Native American word “amassona” (boats’ destroyer).
The Amazon Basin has an area of 7,180, 000 square kilometers (4,462,000 sq miles). The length from the head of the mother river, the Marañón, is 6, 400 kilometers (3,977 miles); from the head of Ucayali River is more than 7,000 kilometers (4,350 miles). The water flow is so massive that when flowing into the Atlantic Ocean the Amazon changes its salt composition and the color of the ocean within 320 kilometers (approximately 200 miles).
During the dry season the Amazon extends up to 11 kilometers (7 miles), covering 110,000 square kilometers (68,350 square miles) with water, while in the wet season the flooded area of the Amazon Basin rises to 350,000 square kilometers (217,480 square miles) and spreads over 40 kilometers (25 miles) and more. One of the marvels of the Amazon is its estuary which is the biggest delta in the world and has a width of 325 kilometers (200 miles). The ocean-going ships have navigated its waters and traveled as far inland as two-thirds the way up the entire length of the river.
The floods of the Amazon are rather distinctive, anticipated events. The upper course has two annual floods, and the river is subject to the alternate influence of the tributaries that come from the Southern Hemisphere (where rains fall from October to March) and from the Northern Hemisphere (where rains fall from April to October). This pattern of alternation disappears farther downstream, as the two seasons of high flow gradually merge into a single one.
The Amazon River Basin is not only the greatest in the world; it is home to the big varieties of fish and animals. About 3,000 fish species have been found within the Amazon system. Victoria regia of the family of water lilies is native to the lakes and tributaries of the Amazon River basin; its species has very large leaves.
The river is one of the main habitats of the boto, also known as the Amazon River Dolphin (Inia geoffrensis);manatee; piranhas; skates; electric eels; river sharks; alligators; anaconda (the world's largest species of snake); the arapaima (the biggest freshwater fish) and other species.
Together with its tributaries it’s the world’s greatest system of inland waterways with the total length of more than 25,000 kilometers (15,000 miles).
The Amazon rainforests have a prodigious variety of tropical animals and insects. The selva of the Amazon River Basin is called “the lungs of the planet”; it produces more than 20% of the world’s oxygen. More than half of the tropical forests growing on the planet are those of the Amazon.
It’s a common fact that the wandering South American River flows to the east, crossing the continent, and runs into the Atlantic Ocean. However, as the recent studies show, times ago it flew from the east to the west and sometimes both ways at once. About 100 millions years ago, during the Cretaceous (the "chalk period" when the land was populated with dinosaurs), due to the breakup between South American and African continents the crack was formed, which led to the slight elevation of the eastern coast of the South America. That’s when the Amazon turned its direction from the ocean back to the center of the continent. After a long period of time the small rise was formed in the center of South America and divided the river flow, so that one part of the Amazon turned its direction to the Atlantic Ocean, and the other remained flowing towards the just forming Ands.
In time the Ands blocked the streambed of the Amazon, and due to the flattening of the elevation the river turned its direction again, and its waters ran straight into the ocean.
The head of the Amazon was discovered by Vicente Yáñez Pinzón in 1500. Pinzón called the river flow Río Santa María del Mar Dulce (literally, sweet sea, because of its freshwater pushing out into the ocean). In 1541 Spanish conquistador Francisco de Orellana made the first journey down the river. In 1743-1744 the French scientist Charles Marie de La Condamine accomplished the first scientific exploration of the Amazon River. In the 1955 the group of German and Peruvian expedition explored the Amazon’s estuaries. Still, there are records of the Russian expedition organized in 1820-1828 by Prussian naturalist Langsdorff, a civil servant of the imperial Russia, who went up the Amazon from Rio de Janeiro, collected huge amounts of material about the territory and indigenous people of those lands, and several years later died of the jungle fever. Now, thanks to the support of the Banco de Brazil, there is a Travelers’ House named after Langsdorff’s in a small Brazilian village.
Ecuador
Ecuador
, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a representative democratic republic in the north-west of South America that has an area of 283,600 square kilometers; Ecuador straddles the equator and is washed by the Pacific Ocean. The country also includes the Galápagos Islands.
Population
of Ecuador numbers 12,664 million people (2004); the largest ethnic group is the Amerindians - Quechua (40%), and Mestizos. Urban population is 55,4% (1990). Official language of Ecuador is Spanish. The religion is predominantly Roman Catholic.
Administrative subdivisions: 21 provinces. The capital city is Quito. Ecuador is a presidential republic. The legislative body is National Assembly.
In the west of Ecuador Pacific coastal lowlands rise to the peaks and highlands of the Andes Mountains. The Andes rise dramatically in two parallel ranges, West and East Cordilleras (Sierra) with the peaks of a dormant volcano Chimborazo (6267 m), active volcano Cotopaxi and others. The east is represented by waste plains.
Ecuador’s climate
varies from tropical and mountain-tropical to subtropical (in the south). The average temperatures in Quito (on the elevation of 2800 m) are about 13° С (56° F); in the south they range from 23 to 27 °С (74 to 80° F). The annual precipitation varies from 100 mm (4 inches) to 6000 mm (236 inches) (in the eastern sides of the Ands).
The main rivers are the Guayas, the Putumayo, the Napo, and the Tigre. The lowlands and mountain sides are covered with humid tropical rainforests; the elevated areas are covered with alpine meadows interchanging with the belt of glacier-nival landscapes. National parks include the Galapagos, the Cotopaxi, the Sangay and others.
The ancient territory of Ecuador
was inhabited by Amerindian tribes; in the 15th century it was conquered by the Incas, and in the 16th it came under Spanish control. Under the Spaniards’ colonial dominance different labor systems were practiced, including the labor of slaves coming from Africa. The territory gained its independence from Spain in 1822 during the Spanish American wars of independence between 1810 and 1826. Till 1830 it was a part of Gran Colombia, and after 1830 it became a sovereign state, the Republic of Ecuador. The slavery was abolished in 1852.
During the World War II Ecuador severed relations with fascist coalition (1942). Between 1944 and 1946 the country was governed by the government consisting of communists, socialists and other democratic parties. After the coup d'etat of 1972 the military government followed a policy of protecting the state’s sovereignty and strengthening the public sector of economy. In1979 the civil government comes to power.
Ecuador is an agricultural and industrial country with major oil industry. GDP ratio (1994): agriculture17 %; oil and mining 15 %; manufacture 15 %.
Ecuador is one of the leading world producers and exporters of bananas (the1992 harvest was 3,600 million tons). Other trade agricultural products are coffee, cacao, cotton. Main consumer crops are corn, sugar cane, wheat, soybean, rice. Livestock raising is widespread along with fishing for tuna, shrimp and crayfish. Besides, there are forest industries (balsa is exploited for its light wood; hevea is used for extracting sap).
Electricity generation in Ecuador is about 8,300 billion kilowatt-hour (1995). Extraction of oil (141 million barrels in 1996), natural gas, copper and lead ores, gold, silver, and sulphur. Industries: oil refining, flavoring, textile, leather-shoe, timber, and cement. Cottage crafts. The rail mileage in 1993 was about 970,000 km (602,730 miles), highway mileage was about 43,100 km (26,781 miles) in 1996. Shipping tonnage was 504,000 tons deadweight in 1992. Major ports: Guayaquil, Balao, Esmeraldas. Export: oil and oil products, bananas, cacao, fish and marine products, coffee. Main foreign trade partners are USA, EEC and Latin America countries, Japan.
Ecuador’s Monetary unit was sucre (till September 2000); now the national currency is US dollar.
Quito
Quito is a capital of Ecuador. It was founded by Amerinidans in the 10th century. In the 16th century, when the city was occupied by Spaniards, Incas burned their capital but it was restored in 1534.
About 24 km (15 miles) north, in the small village La mitad del mundo (literarily, the middle of the world) there is a yellow line which indicates the equator. The equator is also marked by a monument with a huge globe on top that weighs 5 tons. The inside of the monument also serves as a local history museum.
The Quito itself is located on the elevation of 2800 m (about 9,186 ft) on the slopes of Pichincha, and the name of the city itself can be translated as a mountain village. The modern part of the city is located in the north. It’s a center of a business and night life but unlike the downtowns of other capitals Quito doesn’t have skyscrapers. The main street of the modern city is Avenue Río Amazonas with its numerous restaurants and bars. The most attractive sights are La Alameda Park with the monument of Simón Bolivar, The Royal Audience of Quito and diverse museums.
The Old Town is the World Cultural Heritage Site declared by UNESCO. Indeed, there are many historical sights of the Colonial Epoch located around the main squares: Plaza de La Independencia, Santo Domingo and San Francisco.
Plaza de La Independencia is considered to be a city center. It’s located near the Cathedral built in 1678. The Plaza de San Francisco was built after the so named city guardian, and the cognominal cathedral, the construction of which was finished on the 50th day after the founding of the city; it’s considered the oldest in the country. Another cathedral that attracts attention is San Augustine Church with a bell tower 37 meters (121 ft) high (the first Act of independence was signed in one of the church’s chambers in 1809); the Basilica of La Merced which has the highest tower in the Old town (47 meters or 154 ft) and the oldest clock; La Compañía Church (the finest example of the Quito art and Baroque style), and Santo Domingo church built by Dominican priests.
Another sight worth seeing is a Presidential Palace with changing of the guards. You can also get one of the best panoramic views if you go on the hill called El Panecillo (“The Little Loaf of Bread”) with a monument to the Virgin of Quito located on top and an open market at the foot.
The most popular museums of Quito are The Museum of Musical Instruments with the biggest collection of musical instruments in the world; the Casa de Cultura, presenting the sculptures and paintings of 16th century and the arts of modern artists; the Vivarium in the Avenida de la Reina Victoria, exhibiting reptiles and amphibians; the Museo Nacional del Banco Central with the collection of ceramic and golden exhibits of the Pre-Columbian America; and also the Museo Amazónico specializing in the indigenous people and nature of the Oriente.
To the south of Quito you may see the "Avenue of Volcanoes". It’s a chain of mountain peaks; nine out of ten are the world highest. The Pan-American highway and narrow-gauge line also pass through this area. You can enjoy the beautiful mountain sceneries out of the window of your bus or train.
You can visit the town Otavalo which is two hours away from Quito. It’s famous for its market that opens on Saturdays. Here you can purchase weaving textiles and various souvenirs made by the real Amerindians.
Riobamba
Riobamba, is a city in central Ecuador, located at 2650 m (9,000 feet) in the Chambo River Valley. The city has a mass production of woolen blankets and canvas bags. Here you can find the remains of the ancient Inca palace; the streets are of the same period. Province: Chimborazo. Population: 114,000 people (1966). Riobamba is also an important trade center of the agricultural production (cattle-ranching and crops). Industry: textile, leather and construction materials. Handicrafts. The architectural monuments are of the Colonial period. The city was founded in 1534.
Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru (Republica del Peru), is a country in western South America. Peru covers 1,285,220 square kilometers (496,193 square miles). Population of Peru is about 25,600 million inhabitants (by the year 2000), nearly half is Amerindians (Quechua and Aymara), and others are Hispanic Peruvians. Peru has two official languages, Spanish and Quechua. The religion is mostly catholic.
Administrative-territorial division of Peru: 25 departments. Peru’s capital is Lima. The President is the head of state and government. Peru’s legislative body is Democratic Constitutional Congress.
Peru may be divided into three geographic regions from west to east: the Costa (coast) which consists of a long, narrow belt of desert lowlands; the Andes Mountains (the Sierra or highlands) with Mount Huascarán which is 6768 m high (22,205 feet); and Amazonia (Selva) immediately adjacent to the foothill (Montaña) on the south.
The average monthly temperatures of the Costa are 15-25 °С (60-77 °F); within the Sierra they are between 5 and 16 °С (between 41 and 60 °F); in the plains they are 24-27 °С (75-80°F). The annual precipitation ranges from 700 to 3,000 mm (from 27,000 to 118,000 inches). The plant life of the western slopes is sparse bushes, cactuses; the highlands in the north and east are covered with tropical Alpine grasslands; in the south-east there are semi-deserts. The eastern slopes of Ands and Selva plains are covered with evergreen rainforests. The biggest river is the Amazon; the largest lake is Titicaca. The national parks are Manú, the Cerros de Amotape (Amotape Hills) and others, including some reserves.
Diverse groups of indigenous Indians occupied Peru during the pre-Hispanic period. The Incas emerged in Peruvian territory as a powerful state of Tawantinsuyu. The Spanish Empire conquered the region in the 16th century and established a Viceroyalty. In 1821, in the course of Spanish-American War of independence, Peru achieved its freedom. The slavery was abolished in 1854. The middle of 19th century was marked by the inflow of the foreign capital, mainly British and American. Having lost the War of the Pacific of 1864-1866 and 1879–1883, the country lost a part of their territories rich in saltpeter.
Between 1968 and1980 the country was controlled by military governments. Alberto Fujimori, elected in 1990, promulgated a new constitution in 1993.
Peru is an agricultural country with well-developed mining and manufacturing industry. GDP ratio (1994): mining industry 8 %; manufacturing industry 22 %; agriculture and forestry 14 %. The main trade agricultural products are cotton (mostly long-staple), sugar cane, coffee, and cacao. Livestock raising is widespread, as well as cattle raising (pigs, sheep, llamas, alpacas) and timber stockpiling. Fish crop is 11, 600 millions metric tons (1994); mostly sardines and anchovies. Fish is used mainly for fish-flour production.
Major mining industry lines (1992). Extraction of zinc (602,000 tons); lead (194,000 tons); copper (369,000 tons) and iron ores; silver (1,600,000 tons; one of the leading positions in the world); gold and oil. Electricity generation is about 16,800 billion kilowatt-hour (1995); three-fourths are generated at hydroelectric power stations.
Industries: flavoring, mainly fishing; nonferrous-metals and iron; oil refining; textile.
The rail mileage in 1993 was about 2,100 km (1,304 miles); highway mileage was about 71,400 km (44,365 miles) in 1996. Major port is Callao. Export: mining and metal industry products; oil and oil products; fish-flour, coffee, cotton, sugar. Main foreign trade partners are USA, Japan and Germany.
Monetary unit between 1986 and 1991 was inti. The national currency now is nueva sol.
Iquitos, the center of Amazonia
On the eastern slopes of the Ands spreads the vast territory covered with green that reaches the horizon. That’s tropical jungles. Iquitos, 122 m (400 ft) above sea level, the capital of Loreto Region that takes up almost one third of Peru’s territory, is located on the Amazon River in the heart of Peruvian rainforest. It has kept some of the architectural magnificence of the rubber production barons of 19th century.
Different tourists come to Iquitos for a trip into the tropical rainforests that provide great opportunities for hiking. One day jungle packages or cruises along the area’s rivers are offered daily. Various tourist trips along the selva are organized from Iquitos: guided walking tours; observation of birds, apes, butterflies and other species of local fauna; boat trips; fishing, and even visiting the Amerindian communities. There are several places right in the jungles where tourists may have a rest and relax.The city can be reached only by airplane or boat; for example, daily trips from Lima, Peru’s capital, take up less than 2 hours.
The city itself is famous for its weekly open-air market in Belén where you can purchase different handmade works of local tribes. Iquitos is the most secluded in the jungles trade center; the ocean-going vessels that come there travel more than 2,500 kilometers (1,550 miles) into the Amazon River from its estuary in the Atlantic Ocean.
Iquitos was established as a Jesuit mission in the 1757; they tried to implant their religion among the local tribes. The city was named after San Pablo de los Napeanos and became a first river port in the Amazon. The expansion of the city started in the end of 19th century due to the start of the rubber industry, set up on the rubber extraction from hevea, the tree growing in the Amazonian selva. This period was known for the city’s prosperity. The richest patrons of the rubber industry built their luxurious mansions there in the so called Colonial style; many of these buildings still remain in the modern Iquitos.
Today Iquitos has a growing reputation as a tourist community and is considered a jumping-off point for tours to the Amazon rainforest.
Some of the sightseeing of Iquitos and its surroundings:
Malecon Tarapaca
, located on Iquitos’ border on the Amazon’s riverside.
The quaycreated during the affluent period of the rubber boom. It offers a wonderful panoramic view of the Amazon and the Belen's port.
The Amazonian Museum. The museum offers a collection of over 80 individual life-size statues which depict members of various tribes from across the Amazon region, as well as from Brazil and Venezuela. The museum also has a gallery of about 40 historic photographs of Iquitos of how it used to look like in the beginning of the previous century.
The AIlpahuayo-Mishana National Reserve
is located only 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Iquitos and has the biggest number of various trees per hectare (about 300), and the biggest amount of reptiles (140 species). Besides, here you can find 28 species of critically endangered animals, such as: nutria, eagles, red howler monkey, black peacock and giant armadillo.
The river port Nauta
is located 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Iquitos. Here, from a closer distance, you can see the confluence of the two major upper Amazonian tributaries, Marañón and Ucayali Rivers. They are the origin of the great Amazon, the world’s most full-flowing river that extends 6,788 kilometers (4, 217 miles) into the Atlantic Ocean.
ThePacaya–Samiria National Reserve
is the largest reserve in the country, the second largest in the Amazon region and the fourth largest in South America; it’s located across the Nauta’s port. It covers 2,000,000 hectares of swamp jungle, lagoons, lakes and humid soil. Here you can see the manatees (sea cows), the pink dolphins, little turtles (tortuga charapa) and the anaconda. It has the biggest swamp forest in the Amazonia because of the heavy rainfalls and humidity. These jungles are also called mirror-like since the lakes and rivers of the area clearly reflect the sky and the vegetation of the forest.
Manaus
Where the black waters of the Rio Negro (Black River) come to one with the yellow stream of the Solimões River stands the city of Manaus. No one even thought that a small God-forsaken Brazilian village, founded by Portuguese in 1669, in time would become the second biggest city in the country, and the first largest in amount of gold and money.
Although it may seem strange, the major contribution to the prosperity of the small town in the middle of the jungles was made by John Boyd Dunlop’s invention of pneumatic or inflatable tires in 1888 and by the mass automobilization of Europe and USA in the end of 19th century. These two closely related factors turned Manaus into a real Klondike and made its citizens the richest people on the planet for a period of time.
From the history of Manaus
Conquistadors searched for the gold in vain around these places. Twenty years later their descendants found something that used to be absolutely useless in 17th century but was valued higher than precious metal in the 20th. The automobile industry needed hundreds of thousands of rubber tires. Those were made of hevea sap that grows liberally near Manaus. The car tire became a product number one for the city. For somewhat a decade the middle of nowhere became the economic center of Brazil. The whole country was caught in a new business fever. Rubber replaced sugar cane, gold, diamonds and coffee. Coffee planters were kicking themselves out of envy thinking of the profits that the new “masters of life” made.
In just a few years the city became a miraculous oasis of luxury and culture; what's more, one in a thousand miles around. Mansions and palaces, restaurants and monuments, grand streets - all that appeared with a wave of a wand in the impenetrable jungles on the bank of the Rio Negro. The rubber bourgeois ware falling all over themselves to demonstrate each other how rich they were. The new “fazendeiros” were terrified with a mere thought that their rivals might suspect them of not spending enough money. The whole group of Brazilian enterprisers found their meaning of life in outdoing each other in all kinds of excesses. Sufficient it to say that lighting a cigar with a large bill was the most innocent action among their entertainment.
Alas, the fairytale of the splendid Manaus didn’t have a happy ending. The hevea seeds were exported to Malaysia where they appeared to grow better and, most importantly, much cheaper. The cost of the Malaysian rubber was next lower order than that of the Brazilian, that’s why the plantations and factories in the Amazonian rainforest in an instant lost all their importance. Their owners went bankrupt, the workers were laid off, and the glorious city was doomed to the slow dying. The golden flow ran low. The rich sold their mansions and marble statues for a song and left. The city gradually lost its liveliness that still cannot be revived even by a massive tourist flow who come to see the “rivers’ wedding” and Amazonia, as well as the famous opera theatre built hundred years ago when many people thought that the Golden Age of Manaus would last forever.
The city’s sights
Of course, now it’s hard to see the great past in the modern Manaus. But there is still something that can be detected. The symbol of the city’s golden days is the opera house. Almost certainly it’s the only building in the whole world of such kind located in jungles. The construction of the great building took twelve years and was finished in 1896. This period is also marked by the highest peak of the city’s affluence as the capital of new Brazilians. It was for them that such unprecedented construction was built in the heart of the Amazonian selva.
The new-rich intended this theatre to outshine the best theatres of the Old World with its lavishness; that’s why all the building materials were ordered from across the water. The forged iron was sent from England; the marble and crystal was bought from Spain; the metal structure was produced in Scotland; the tile for the main dome, the polished wood and all the bronze details were made in Spain. The interior of the Amazonas theatre give an absolute impression of the good old Europe. Antique mythology, Greek masks, Mozart and Verdi’s music directly demonstrate that anybody who came didn’t enter just a theatre; they entered the temple of art. Four upper circles with Corinthian pillars top the air shed, the painting of which suggests that the person is standing under the Eiffel Tower, the unattainable dream for many and the symbol of beautiful life.
And it doesn’t matter that just in a couple of miles from the theatre’s stage there are frolicking alligators, rampant malaria and yellow fever. It makes no difference that the two biggest Amazon’s tributaries for centuries celebrate their eternal wedding, which is very much so: the “rivers’ wedding” is the name of this phenomena when two flows run into one another and continue like that for several miles, not intermixing. And it doesn’t matter at all that the level of water during the wet seasons can go up to 15 meters (50 ft) and flood everything around far and wide.
The city of Manaus is considered the cleanest place in the world in terms of ecology. It’s located on the riverbank, surrounded by wild nature, and is a jumping-off point of getting to know Amazonia. It is a five-hour flight to the north-west of Rio de Janeiro. One of the most interesting tours is a night cruise. The departure from Manaus starts before dusk so that tourists could enjoy the sunset over the Rio Negro. The cruise goes down the Rio Negro till it comes into the lake Janauari where the tourists take the canoe and go into the jungles along the narrow channels.