What s so quirky about the Amazon and why isn t there a bridge to cross?

Mondo Tourism Updated on 2024-02-01

The Amazon River, you must have heard its name, is the most spectacular river in the world and one of the most important ecosystems on the planet. It accounts for one-fifth of the world's rivers and has a basin of 7.05 million square kilometres, the second longest in the world, after the Nile. The Amazon River flows through several countries in South America, among which Brazil is the main one, which is the national river of Brazil and the pride of Brazilians.

The Amazon River basin is the largest tropical rainforest region in the world, with a hot and humid climate, abundant rainfall, dense vegetation, and a wide variety of animals, some of which have not even been discovered by humans. It is the richest place on Earth and the last frontier of human exploration. The Amazon River not only nourishes all the things in this land, but also gives birth to human civilization here, and many villages along the river depend on the blessings of the river and live with different peoples.

The Amazon River looks so spectacular and beautiful, but did you know that there is not a single bridge on this river? Yes, you heard it right, on the Amazon River, there is not a single bridge, which is very rare in the world. You may wonder why no one has been able to build a bridge over such a large river. Could it be that the technology is not advanced enough? Or is it not necessary? In fact, there are many reasons why there are no bridges on the Amazon River.

The current of the Amazon River is very powerful, its average flow is 200,000 cubic meters per second, and the maximum flow can reach 300,000 cubic meters per second, which is equivalent to the water gushing out of the river every second of 30 Olympic-sized swimming pools, can you imagine? Such a current is enough to wash away anything that stands in its way, including bridges. Moreover, the flow of water in the Amazon is not constant, it changes with the seasons and rainfall, sometimes in extreme cases.

The rainy season in the Amazon River generally runs from November to June, during which the river is constantly flooded, the river course expands, the banks are submerged, and the surrounding forests are flooded, forming the so-called "water forest". In the rainy season, the water level of the Amazon River can be **10-15 meters, and the width of the river can be increased several times, sometimes even up to 40 kilometers, known as the "river sea". Such a change in water level puts forward extremely high requirements for the stability and safety of the bridge, the bridge must be able to withstand huge water pressure and impact, but also to be able to adapt to the rise and fall of the water level, which is very difficult for the design and construction of the bridge.

The geological conditions of the Amazon River basin are also very complex, and the riverbed is mostly soft sediment, which is not conducive to the construction of bridge foundations. The foundation of the bridge is the foundation of the bridge, which must be able to support the weight of the bridge and at the same time resist the erosion of the current. Traditional bridge foundations need to be buried deep into the riverbed to ensure the stability of the bridge. However, in the Amazon River, traditional bridge foundation construction methods are difficult to work because the sediment in the riverbed is too soft to provide sufficient support, and the sediment in the riverbed also changes with the change of water flow, resulting in the instability of the bridge foundation.

The construction of bridges over the Amazon requires more complex and expensive technologies, such as the use of reinforced concrete or steel pile foundations, or the use of pontoon bridges or suspension bridges, which require highly skilled engineers and construction personnel, as well as a large amount of money and materials, which is difficult for the countries of the Amazon basin to afford.

The Amazon basin is also very sparsely populated and has a low level of economic development, which is also an important factor affecting the construction of bridges. The construction of bridges not only requires technology and capital, but also needs and benefits, if the construction of bridges can not bring enough social and economic benefits, then the construction of bridges is meaningless.

The population of the Amazon basin is about 30 million people, most of whom are indigenous people, who live on the banks or in the forests, live a life of fishing, hunting or farming, their way of life is very different from the outside world, the demand for transportation is not high, and they are more accustomed to using boats to travel than bridges. There are also not many cities in the Amazon basin, the largest is Manaus, Brazil, with a population of about 2 million, and the other cities are small, with a population of less than 100,000.

The traffic between these cities is also not very developed, the roads on the banks of the river are mostly dirt roads, which are not suitable for large vehicles, and are often washed away by floods, and the boats on the river are also affected by the current and water level, which does not guarantee stable transportation. The level of economic development in the Amazon basin is also low, with per capita income well below the average in South America, and the main industries are agriculture and tourism, which do not have a strong demand for bridges and do not bring in enough income to support their maintenance.

Therefore, the economic benefits of building bridges over the Amazon River are not high, and the construction of bridges can result in a huge waste of investment without a corresponding return, which is not cost-effective for the countries of the Amazon Basin.

In summary, the absence of a bridge over the Amazon is the result of a combination of natural and man-made factors, all of which make it very difficult to build a bridge over the Amazon. The Amazon is the most spectacular river in the world and one of the most important ecosystems in the world, and it deserves our awe, perhaps without bridges.

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