The composition and appearance of the Amazon rainforest amazes with its abundance of life forms of plants, exceptional richness of species composition (about 4000 species of trees), density and complexity of the plant canopy.
This rich plant mass on Earth, especially in the western part of the Amazon, possesses incalculable resources of food, technical and medicinal raw materials, construction and craft materials. The Amazon basin plays an important role in global metabolism, accounting for about 10% of the Earth's primary biological production.
The species composition and appearance of the forests varies depending on their position in relation to the rivers. Periodic spills of the Amazon and its tributaries have a major impact on vegetation. Therefore, different types of forest vegetation are distinguished in the lowlands: forests in river valleys flooded for several months a year (local people call them "yigapo"); forests in river valleys flooded for a short period (they are called "warzea"); forests in watershed areas not flooded at all (known as "ete"). In addition, aquatic vegetation of the Amazon itself and other rivers, as well as mangroves on the Atlantic coast, stand out.
Vegetation along the rivers is the least abundant in flooded areas. They are usually devoid of soil cover and covered with mud, which envelops tree trunks up to a height of a few meters. Terrestrial vegetation cover and undergrowth are equipped with breathing roots and supporting roots. Typical for yoghapo is a medium-high tree with wide whitish leaves and undergrowth roots. There are also a lot of lianas and epiphytic plants that bloom brightly and beautifully.
The surface of the standing and slowly flowing waters are covered with various algae and aquatic plants, among which the Victoria regia (Victoria regia) from the jug family with leaves up to 2 m in diameter and able to withstand loads of up to 50 kg is particularly remarkable. Its fragrant large flowers gradually change their color from white to magenta during flowering, and the seeds are edible.
Although the Amazonian animal world as a whole is very rich, such abundance is not evident in the primeval forests. Amazon's dense rainforests are generally poor in large animals. Most of them are found along the edge of the forest and along the rivers. Birds and insects, reptiles and amphibians dominate.
The animal life of the Amazon and its tributaries is especially rich. There are up to 2000 species of fish, including predatory piranhas, large mammals (manatees, freshwater dolphins, vaults), reptiles (river turtles, caymans). A giant anaconda boa lives along the banks of rivers and lakes, spending most of its time in the water.
For a long time, the population density of the Amazon has been very low, with rivers remaining the main communication routes. In recent decades, air transport has become very important.
There were a few cultivated lands. Many valuable species of Amazonian flora (gay, cocoa, Brazilian walnut, etc.), which have long been widely cultivated in South America and other continents, in their homelands, were not specially grown, used products of wild trees. The local population was engaged in hunting, fishing, collection of nuts, turtle eggs, and rubber juice.
During the centuries since Francisco de Orellana, the first European to cross the Amazon from the foothills of the Andes to the Atlantic Ocean (1541-1542), until the 1960s, the Amazon remained a territory of almost undeveloped, relatively little studied, and its vast natural wealth (except for incalculable biological, water, climatic resources, it has reserves of oil and other minerals) is almost unused.
Then came a sharp turning point. The states, which include the Amazon (first Brazil), began to develop forest areas. For this purpose, Trans amazon highways were built (the construction of the longest of them, which has a sub latitudinal direction, started in the 70s of the XX century, has not been completed yet) and other roads, including the railway through the Eastern Amazon, along which the clearing of forests for arable land and pastures is going on, exploration and extraction of mineral resources, the construction of settlements and industrial enterprises.
Large areas of South American jungle have begun to settle gradually. Since the early 1960s, the population within the Brazilian Amazon has increased tenfold, reaching 20 million by 2002. As a rule, settlement is accompanied by uncontrolled deforestation, as well as the destruction of unique species of flora and fauna. The sharp decrease in the area of Amazon forests is also confirmed by the data of observations from space.
Since 2000, the Amazon has been implementing a large-scale economic development plan called Avansa Brasil, which includes the construction of new roads, railways, gas pipelines, power plants, power lines, and other infrastructure. As a result of this project, up to 40% of the forests within the Brazilian Amazon may be destroyed by the middle of the 21st century.