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ABOUT THE AMAZON:
Encontro
das Aguas (Meeting of the Waters)
Nature has blessed the world with many beautiful ecological phenomena, and the Meeting of the Waters (Encontro das Aguas) is testament to the artistic talents of nature's hand. Two rivers, the Rio Negro and the Solimões (Amazon River), with such distinctive ecological characteristics, wrangle, dance and swirl together in an uniquely visual manner for a span of roughly several miles. This meeting is a truly magnificent spectacle that not only provides a fantastic sight for shutter bugs and intrepid Amazonian travellers, but also highlights the distinctive ecological properties of both waters. As the M.V. Amazon Guardian crossed the meeting point, most were on the deck mesmerized by our first truly Amazonian wonder, knowing there would be many more to encounter in the coming months. The Amazon River, the world’s largest hydrographic basin, which meanders over 4,000 miles throughout South America with over 1,000 tributaries, is murky brown in colour and very turgid. It resembles the colour of coffee, with milk! The Rio Negro, Brazil’s second largest river, because of its high tannin composition remains darkened and almost black at times (coffee, black please). The PH balance of each river is also quite different, and so two distinctive ecosystems have developed in and along each of the waterways. The Amazon river has a high PH balance and is the richer of the two rivers in terms of aquatic life. The Rio Negro is extremely alkaline and does not support the diversity of life as does the Solimoes. The diversity of flora and fauna is not limited to below the surface of the rivers, but can also be detected along the riverbanks of each. Where the rivers meet, the composition of each wrestle together, neither one completely acquiescing to the other, leaving a dancing line that ebbs and flows the distance of the confluence. The Meeting
of the Rivers is roughly 50 minutes from Manaus and the Amazon Guardian
crossed the Econtros das Aguas under a sharp crepuscular sky. The vividness
of each river provides an unmistakable border between these two large
waterways, and an image which tantalizes Encontro das Aguas is such a famous Amazonian location that many a songster, poet and artist has reflected upon or attempted to capture this beauty in song, prose or on canvas. Probably the most famous depiction of this ecological wonder is the painting that adorns the Theatros Amazonas. Originally painted in Paris by Crispim do Amaral. The Amazon River
More 'About the Amazon' Samauma:
The queen of the forest
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