Question

The density of population is sparse in Amazon basin. Give geographical reasons

Answer 1

The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. Roughly 40 percent of the South American continent comes under the Amazon basin and it is located in the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. Most of the basin is covered by the Amazon Rainforest, also known as Amazonia which is is the largest rainforest in the world.

The people living in many regions of the Amazonia have the forests cleared for soya bean plantations and ranching. Some of the inhabitants also harvest wild rubber latex and Brazil nuts. Lumbering or agriculture is also one of the occupations in the Amazonia. Dry-season riverside agriculture of rice, beans, and corn is also an important occupation found on the river's shoreline. Charcoal that is made from the forests and shoreline deadfall is produced for use in urban areas. The other occupations include fishing, growing free-range chickens, and exploitation of bushmeat especially of deer and turtles.

Answer 2

Geographic reasons behind the sparsity of population in the Amazon basin:

• The thick and dense hardwood forests existent in the Amazon basin make human settlement difficult.

• The existence of gigantic wild animals poses threat to the lives of people.

• Possibilities of huge forest fires refrain people from living in the region.

• Frequent rains throughout the year leave the climatic conditions unfavorable for living.

• The flooding of the Amazon River leaves the region uninhabitable.

• The remoteness of the region does not allow the development of humans, thus not many people choose to inhabit the region.