- Types of plains in the Amazon and location
- - The alluvial plains, flood plains or low plains
- Location
- - High plains
- Location
- - Piedemontes
- Location
- Natural resources and economic activity
- Resource exploitation
- Agricultural activity
- Hydroelectricity
- References
The Amazon plain is the set of all the plain areas located throughout the Amazon rainforest in South America. These plains are scattered among the territories of Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, French Guiana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela that belong to the Amazon; and they have different characteristics between them.
The territory of the Amazon is classified as "the most extensive forest in the world", whose extension is calculated on 7 million square kilometers.
In addition, this jungle is known for its great biodiversity, and for having been declared in 2011 as one of the seven wonders of the modern world.
Some anthropologists and geographers estimate that the Amazon plains have been inhabited for at least 11,730 years, as the oldest known archaeological sites in this area are of that age.
By studying these remains, it is even believed that the pre-Columbian populations that existed in them were more numerous than the rural populations that settle today in these lands, which are mainly concentrated on the edges of the different rivers. that flow on all the plains.
Types of plains in the Amazon and location
The plains that occur in the Amazon are mainly of three types: alluvial plains (or low plains), high plains and foothills.
- The alluvial plains, flood plains or low plains
They are plains that reach a height of less than 200 meters above sea level (masl), which is why in the rainy season or when rivers rise, they can suffer floods.
Annual cycles of erosion and sedimentation occur in the Amazon area, and the constant flow of sediment between one river and another causes the floodplains to undergo changes in their morphologies. Therefore, they undergo modifications throughout the year.
In plains of little extension, noticeable changes in the relief can be generated, but in plains with an extension greater than 20 km these changes are not so important.
Location
The flood plains of the Amazon are distributed among the Amazon areas of:
-the north and south of Peru
-the coastal north of Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana
-the north of Brazil, bordered by the Brazilian highlands and the Guaianas
-the flood forests of the Colombian region, such as the lower Putumayo, which cover a total of 57,388 square km
-the Moxos floodplains in Bolivia, also known as “Beni floodplains”; which have an area of 126,000 square kilometers and occupy a large part of the north of this country, within the departments of Beni, Santa Cruz, La Paz, Cochabamba and Pando.
- High plains
They are plains that exceed 200 meters above sea level, which is why they are less prone to flooding. Plateaus and plateaus fall into this category of plains.
A characteristic of the high plains is that this type is the best of the plains soils, since they are healthier because they are not flooded and agricultural activity is better in them.
Location
Some of the Amazonian high plains are:
-the central plateaus of French Guiana
-the Kaieteur plateau in southern Guyana
-the Guaianas and Brasileño flatlands, north and central Brazil, surrounding the northern low plains
-the plains of the province of Sucumbios in Ecuador, with a height of around 400 meters above sea level, and the plains of recreation in the same country, which are located on the margins of the different rivers in the Amazon area, especially those of the Napo River
-the plains of the Bolivian Chiquitanía in the department of Santa Cruz, which have an average altitude of 300 meters above sea level
-the Amazonian plenillano of Peru, which ranges between 350 and 650 meters above sea level, and which has an area of 694,688 kilometers.
- Piedemontes
The foothills are the transitional plains that are located between the end -or the foot- of the mountain ranges and the plains.
Location
The foothills of the Amazon plain are located in:
-Peru, along the eastern Andean border of this country, with a height that reaches up to 2000 meters above sea level and an area of 90,961 square kilometers
-the foothills of the Colombian Amazon, with a height between 200 and 1000 meters above sea level, and which begin in the Pato River of the northwestern limit of the Caquetá department, up to the San Miguel river in the southwest of the Putumayo department.
Natural resources and economic activity
The Amazon plains, like the vast majority of the natural regions of South America, have numerous natural resources, water and hydrocarbons, which guarantee them a high economic potential.
Resource exploitation
Mining activity is practiced in them, since they have natural reserves of resources such as gold, silver, copper, manganese, lead, zinc, tin, iron, antimony, tungsten, oil, nickel, among others.
All these resources are generally extracted by the different countries in which they are located.
-In Brazil, along the Amazon River there are large deposits of potassium and bauxite salts that ensure great economic potential for this area; however, the extraction mining activity carried out is low.
-On the other hand, in the Amazon plains of Colombia and Ecuador, oil exploitation activities are carried out, this being the main economic activity that has contributed to the development of these regions.
Agricultural activity
In addition, the Amazon plains have fertile soils where agricultural activity and cattle rearing are carried out.
For example, in the area of the Ecuadorian high plains, large companies have established African palm, tea and grassland cultivation. The indigenous populations carry out agricultural activities in which they grow cassava and tubers.
In the Bolivian plains of Santa Cruz, the sowing of cotton, soybeans, sugar cane, and cattle raising are practiced - the latter also occurs in the plains of Moxos.
In the Amazon plains of Peru, the forest extraction of wood (cedar, mahogany and oak) is carried out, and there is also the planting of coffee, banana, yucca, rice, cocoa, beans and corn.
The Amazonian areas of Brazil and Colombia are also largely sustained by agricultural activity.
Hydroelectricity
Regarding the use of available water resources, the Agoyán, Paute and Pisayambo hydroelectric plants in Ecuador and the Mantaro hydroelectric plant in the department of Junín in Peru can be mentioned.
References
- DUMONT, F. (1992). Morphostructural features of the Peruvian Amazon plain: Effects of neotectonics on fluvial changes and the delimitation of morphological provinces. Retrieved September 9, 2017 on the World Wide Web: horizon.documentation.ird.fr
- Organization of American States (1989). Regional Diagnosis - Planning and Management Plan of the San Miguel and Putumayo River Basins. Retrieved September 9, 2017 on the World Wide Web: oas.org
- PARIS, M. (2014). The stories behind the Colombian foothills. Accessed September 9, 2017 on the World Wide Web: elespectador.com
- WALSH, C. (2006). Crossing the line: socio-educational dynamics and border integration: the case of Ecuador with Colombia and Peru. Retrieved September 9, 2017 on the World Wide Web: books.google.com
- Wildlife Conservation Society (2017). The main channel. Consulted on September 9, 2017 on the World Wide Web: aguasamazonicas.org
- Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved September 9, 2017 on the World Wide Web: Wikipedia.org.