AMAZONAS

departamento, southeastern Colombia, located in the warm, humid Amazon River basin. It is bounded on the northwest by the Caquet River, on the northeast by the Apaporis River, on the east by Brazil, and on the south by Peru and the Putumayo River. Colombia's only direct contact with the Amazon River is through Amazonas. It is the largest departamento in Colombia but is also one of the least densely populated. Principal economic activities are the procurement of mahogany and other woods, rubber, and ipecac from the forests; fishing; and the cultivation of peanuts (groundnuts), bananas, pineapples and other fruits, rice, and sugarcane. Most of the population lives in and around Leticia (q.v.), the capital and major trade centre. No good roads penetrate the rain forest; travel is entirely by river or by air. Area 42,342 square miles (109,665 square km). Pop. (1994 est.) 57,107. largest estado (state) of Brazil, situated in the northwestern part of the country. It is bounded to the northwest by Colombia, to the north by Venezuela and the Brazilian state of Roraima, to the east and southeast by the Brazilian states of Par and Mato Grosso, to the south by the Brazilian state of Rondnia, to the southwest by the Brazilian state of Acre, and to the west by Peru. Despite its size, it is one of the most thinly populated Brazilian states. Amazonas occupies the greater part of the tropical forest zone of the Amazon River basin. The capital, Manaus, is located in the eastern part of the state at the confluence of the Negro River with the mainstream of the Amazon. The Spanish explorer Francisco de Orellana passed through this region in 154142 during a voyage down the Amazon from the Coca, one of its Andean headwaters, to its Atlantic estuary. In 1669 a Portuguese captain, Francisco da Mota Falco, founded the fort of So Jos do Rio Negrinho on the site of the present Manaus; and in 1755 the captaincy of So Jos do Rio Negro was established in the region. After Brazilian independence Rio Negro remained dependent on the state of Par until 1850, when it gained autonomy, becoming the province of Amazonas in 1852. After the overthrow of Brazil's imperial regime in 1889, the province became a federal state, adopting a constitution in 1891. From 1880 until its decline in 1910, the rubber trade brought prosperity to Amazonas, for which a modern port was constructed at Manaus by 1900. In 1946 the Brazilian government launched a plan for the economic development of Amazonia that has been continued to the present. Except on the northern borders, where Neblina Peak reaches 9,888 feet (3,014 m), the highest point in Brazil, the state's mean elevation is not more than 300 feet (90 m) above sea level. The mainstream of the great Amazon River (known as the Solimes River from the Peruvian frontier to the Negro River confluence) traverses the state from west to east; its major tributaries are the Ia, the Japur, and the Negro rivers from the north and the Javari, the Juru, the Purus, and the Madeira from the south. With an annual average temperature of 79 F (26 C) and an annual rainfall of 80 inches (2,000 mm), the climate is warm and extremely humid. Apart from small areas of savanna (grassy parkland) on the northern borders, equatorial rain forest covers virtually the entire state. The native animal life is numerous and varied. Mammals are represented by monkeys, bats, and rodents; birds by ant thrushes, parrots, toucans, and various marsh birds; and reptiles by caymans, turtles, boas, anacondas, and iguanas. Most of the people of the areas remote from the Amazon mainstream live in settlements on the banks of its tributaries. Nearly all of the rural population consists of caboclospersons of mixed European and American Indian descent. There is also a large group descended from immigrants from northeastern Brazil who arrived during the rubber boom. The Indian population in the late 20th century was estimated at 60,000, or one-fifth of the total Indian population in Brazil. The Indian groups, of which about 30 may be distinguished, have been progressively reduced in numbers by imported disease and by economic dislocation. Large areas of the state's territory are uninhabited. Almost half of the population is concentrated in Manaus. The language of Amazonas is Portuguese, but the local vocabulary also incorporates many words from the Indian languages. Roman Catholicism is the dominant religion, though the Indians have preserved elements of their original religions. Yellow fever, malaria, leprosy, and other tropical diseases occur sporadically. The University of the Amazon, at Manaus, was founded in 1962. The National Research Institute for Amazonia, with its headquarters in Manaus, conducts research on Amazonian ecology. The products of the state's vegetationrubber, Brazil nuts, timber, guarana (a climbing shrub containing tannin and caffeine), vegetable oils, and fibresform the basis of the economy. Cassava, jute, sugarcane, bananas, and sweet potatoes are grown on the belts of land fertilized annually by the rivers. Cattle have been introduced to the higher lands through government assistance programs that promote large-scale cattle ranching. Brazilian industry absorbs most of the raw materials produced by Amazonas, but rubber, timber, jute, vegetable oils, nuts, resins, aquarium fishes, and skins are exported. Transport is mainly by water; the rivers accommodate both large ships and canoes. The Transamaznica highway, however, runs from east to west and connects the Atlantic coast, near Recife, with the Peruvian border. Area 605,390 square miles (1,567,954 square km). Pop. (1991 prelim.) 2,088,682. estado (state), southern Venezuela. It is bounded on the north by the state of Bolvar, on the east and south by Brazil, and on the west by Colombia. The large but sparsely populated state lies within the drainage basins of the Orinoco River, which rises near the Brazilian border, and the Negro River, which is a northern tributary of the Amazon. Near the centre of the territory is a maze of intricate natural channels. One stretch of 204 miles (328 km), the Casiquiare, flows south from the Orinoco; it is usually navigable by small boats for half the year and links the Orinoco with the Negro and, thus, the Amazon. Amazonas also includes the western outliers of the Guiana Highlands. Largely unexplored, the state consists mainly of hot, humid rain forest, with much tropical savanna. About two-thirds of the inhabitants are forest-dwelling Indians who hunt and fish for food, mainly on a subsistence basis. Puerto Ayacucho (q.v.), the state capital, lies on the Orinoco, just below rapids that block continuous navigation of the river. The economy is based principally on the gathering of rubber, balata, vanilla, and chicle. Transportation is mainly by boat, airplane, and dugout canoe. Area 67,900 square miles (175,750 square km). Pop. (1994 est.) 65,252. departamento (formed 1832), Nor Oriental del Maran regin, northern Peru, bounded on the north by Ecuador. It consists mostly of rain forest in the north, while in the south the Maran River and its tributaries dissect the Cordillera Central. The Maran forms part of the western boundary with Cajamarca departamento before flowing northeastward into the Amazon River basin. The density of the largely rural population is low, with most settlements in the south. Chachapoyas (q.v.), the capital, is accessible by air and by road. Paved highways connect Amazonas with San Martn departamento to the east and Cajamarca to the west. Sugarcane, corn (maize), rice, potatoes, cotton, and cereals are grown, mainly in the south. Area 15,154 square miles (39,249 square km). Pop. (1992 est.) 361,201.