The development of the amazon

Group 7
Cassio Ferreira Kenzie Smith
Peiwin Li
Professor Benmamoun
IB 310
6 December 2012
The Development of the Amazon
The Amazon rainforest presents an extremely complex and delicate ecosystem. For a long time, the Amazon was attributed to be the lungs of the world; however, due to climate change, the Amazon rainforest has been commonly referred to as merely the air conditioner of the world. The importance of the Amazon to humanity is linked not only to the large biodiversity and global ecological balance, but also to its existing indigenous peoples who inhabit the surroundings of the forest and its rich natural resources that can contribute to the development of the world. With a faster pace of development of the countries surrounding the Amazon, these countries’ governments have been taking initiatives to benefit from the many resources available in hopes to get international investments that will enable these countries’ economies to continue growing.
The Amazon rainforest covers over 1.2 billion acres representing two-fifths of the enormous South American continent and is found alongside the Amazon River. It is an important river in South America and so much also for the planet. The Amazon River is the second longest river in the world. The Amazon River has the largest watershed and more tributaries than any other river in the world. The Amazon River has more than 200 tributaries. Streams that begin in the Andes Mountains are the starting sources for the Amazon River. The Amazon River makes up for a large portion of the earth's fresh water. The Amazon River flows through eight countries: Brazil, Bolivian, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, and Surinam. Many people that live in the surroundings of these rivers have become highly dependent on the natural resources for basic sustainability.
The Amazon Rain Forest faces terrible deforestation problem. Over the last 40 years, one-fifth of the Amazon rainforest has been cut down. Today,