rio amazonas

it was explained to me that for many of those who live at the edge of the river, the water is the sole path for transportation and communication, as there are no roads running behind these outposts. and as you can sort of see in this photo, the houses are built on stilts so that they can ride out the significant changes in water levels during the seasons. I was told that in many portions of this vast river basin, the river bed is relatively shallow, so that after the rainy season the river spreads sideways, not down, submerging large tracts of land under its rich waters for long periods of time. durign the dry season these locals can farm their surrounding areas with simple produce, but for many months these gardens are submerged, forcing them to find other sources of food. it also means that for long periods they can live only inside their homes or in their simple handmade canoes. as you will see in other photos, a lot of commerce takes place on the river. if you want to find out more about the amazon here are a few good links: http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/Amazonia/Facts/basinfacts.cfm; http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildplaces/amazon/facts.cfm