Amazon River: irrigating life in earth

NATURAL WONDERS
In a crowded world, where development requires the preservation of nature, it is imperative to the existence of wilderness areas where the Earth can preserve its natural and pristine. Many times we talk about the Amazon as the "lungs of the world" for its huge plant life extensions that allow pollution recycle oxygen. In a metaphor perhaps a little poetic but certainly representative: if the forest is the lung, the Amazon River are the bronchi.
The Amazon River is a large and mighty waterway located in South America. Travel the continent from west to east, from the peaks of the Andes in Peru to the Atlantic coast of Brazil. It has a length of 6800 km, making it the longest and mightiest river in the world. The Amazon basin is also the largest watershed on the planet surface, which supports the Amazon rainforest.
There are several theories about the origin of its name: it is thought that the word "Amazon" was given by Francisco de Orellana after facing a local ethnic group in which men and women are equally defended. Orellana derived the name from the Greek myth of the Amazon warriors of Asia and Africa, narrated by Herodotus and Diodorus. However, it is very likely that the word Amazon was a false friend paronomásico deformation of an Indian word whose pronunciation to Spanish ears was like "Amazon" Indian word meaning "breaker of boats", this marayoara especially among which could see the tremendous pounding that leads to contact this river at its mouth on the Atlantic Ocean.
Amazon traditionally assigned to second in length, behind the Nile, although there has never been a general consensus on what are the measuring points acceptable. The latest research, some 740 km further added the channel, which would place him definitely in the top of the ranking of the world's longest rivers.
The Amazon carries more water than the Mississippi, the Nile and the Yangtze together, its drainage area or basin is also the largest in the world. The volume of water carried to the Atlantic is enormous: with an annual average of 230 000 m³ / s, reaching up to 300 000 m³ / s in the rainy season. Indeed, Amazon is responsible for a fifth of all the fresh water added to the oceans of Earth. In addition, the water is perfectly drinkable offshore the mouth to a distance from the coast which is no longer visible. Atlantic Ocean salinity is considerably lower within several thousand miles around this point to the north of its mouth: it should be remembered that in this area the sea currents bring salt water into the mouth and not the reverse.
All flora and fauna of the humid intertropical American rainforest is present in the Amazon. There are countless species of plants, thousands of species of birds, amphibians and countless millions of insects still unclassified. The fauna is very varied, from the smallest insects to large mammals like the jaguar, puma, tapir and several species of deer. There are also reptiles such as turtles, caimans, alligators and snakes. There birds and fish of all species, feathers and scales. Even identified a pink dolphin species unique in the world

After cross it in one of his expeditions, the famous oceanographer Jacques-Yves Cousteau went on to state that "there are more species of fish in the Amazon than in the Atlantic Ocean"

Atacama: the driest desert in the world

NATURAL WONDERS

The dictionary defines a biome with the name of "desert" as the area of ​​land in which rainfall rarely exceeds 250 mm per year. How do we call a place where it rains every 15 years??? Just something sub-classified (and note that it is not redundant) like a "dry" desert.

The Atacama Desert, the driest in the world, is located in the north of Chile, in the regions of Arica and Parinacota, Tarapaca, Antofagasta and northern Atacama Region. This desert is surrounded by the Andes mountains and the coast, covering about 105 000 km ². It is part of the Pacific Desert ecoregion, which includes all the coastal deserts of Chile and Peru.

The main cause of its origin is a global climatic phenomenon at this latitude creates deserts on the western coasts of all the continents of the Southern Hemisphere. Great stable high pressure systems known as anticyclones Pacific, remain along the coast, creating winds eastward moving storms. Moreover, the Humboldt Current carries cold water from Antarctica northward along the Chilean and Peruvian coast, water cooling sea breezes from the west, reduces evaporation and creates a cold air inversion-immobilized under a layer of warm air, preventing the formation of large clouds, producing rain.

The Atacama Desert is rich in metallic mineral resources such as copper, gold, silver and iron, as well as non-metallic minerals, among which significant deposits of boron, lithium, sodium nitrate and potassium salts. Also notable is the Salar de Atacama, which extracts the bischofita, permazante agent used in road construction.

Sports in the desert, the Atacama Desert is home to the world's athletesof the road. In this desert there have been various Baja Atacama Rally Championships, Rally Baja Chile, Patagonia Atacama Rally, and received the Dakar Rally Series in 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012, organized by ASO This desert dunes are ideal for this type of sport, located on the outskirts of the city of Copiapo, Atacama Region.

Salto del Angel: water falls from the sky

NATURAL WONDERS
Since ancient times, man was fascinated by waterfalls, and its power is relentless, rainbows forming in its path or generally wonderful place is immersed. Among them are American whole hops called Iguazu Falls, the natural beauty mixed with civilization in Niagara Falls and of course, the highest in the world: "Salto del Angel"
Angel Falls is the highest waterfall in the world, with a height of 979 m (807 m of uninterrupted fall) generated from the Auyantepui. It is located in the Canaima National Park in Bolivar State, Venezuela.
This nature reserve, established as a national park on June 12, 1962 and declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1994, covers an area of ​​30,000 km ² to the borders with Guyana and Brazil and its size is one of the most extensive in the world. The name that is known internationally, Salto Angel, was suggested by a Venezuelan in honor of aviator Jimmy Angel, who in 1937 more formally confirmed the existence and exact location of the crash to fly over in an airplane and later settle at the top, giving it just global impact. In the XXI century, was one of 28 finalists in the election of the seven natural wonders of the world.
Angel Falls is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Venezuela, but even today, a trip to the falls is not a simple matter, because the area is isolated by thick jungle, and make navigation dangerous tepuyes air. You can reach the region by a plane flight from Caracas or Ciudad Bolivar to reach Canaima camp. Other tourists prefer to reach the falls by more natural means, crossing the jungle waterways to reach the base of the jump.
It was inspired by many Hollywood movies: much of the landscape of the fictional moon "Pandora" in the science fiction movie of 2009 James Cameron's Avatar (awarded with several Oscar), were inspired by Angel Falls, the Auyantepui and in the Canaima National Park landscapes in general. Similarly, in the 1998 movie Beyond the dreams starring Robin Williams, Angel Falls is explicitly mentioned and displayed it as a unique and spectacular, almost fantasy.

The Galapagos Islands: a place where nature and science meet

NATURAL WONDERS
It is no coincidence that the most exotic species, rare and antique still survive in remote islands where the main historical predator (man) took many many years to conquer. The cases are perhaps the most recognized of kangaroos and koalas in Australia, the New Zealand Kiwi or the Komodo dragons on the island that bears his name in Indonesia. An example, one of the most beautiful is that of iguanas and giant tortoises of the Galapagos Islands. Another legacy of Latin America to the world.
The Galapagos Islands (Galapagos islands also and officially archipelago of Columbus) are an archipelago located in the Pacific Ocean 972 km off the coast of Ecuador. It is composed of 13 large islands with an area greater than 10km2, five medium-sized islands with an area of ​​1km2 to 10km2 and 215 other small islands of rocky promontories plus few square meters distributed around the line of Ecuador land.
The Galapagos Islands are famous for its numerous endemic species such as the giant tortoises, land and marine iguanas, hammerhead sharks and birds. They are called by tourists, the "Enchanted Islands" as the flora and fauna found there is virtually unique and it can not be found anywhere else in the world. So many people visit and enjoys meeting the unique animals and plants.
A little history ... Galapagos Islands were discovered by chance on March 10, 1535, when the Dominican friar Tomás de Berlanga, Bishop of Panama, went to Peru in compliance with an order of the Spanish king Carlos V, to arbitrate in a dispute between Francisco Pizarro and his subordinates after the conquest of the Inca Empire. The first maps to include the islands were prepared by Abraham Ortelius and Mercator around 1570. The islands were described as "the Galopegos Insulae" (Turtle Island).
The Galapagos were used as a hideout for English pirates on their trips to plunder Spanish galleons carrying gold and silver from America to Spain. The first known pirate who visited the islands was Richard Hawkins, in 1593. From then until 1816 many pirates came to the archipelago. Finally, Ecuador annexed the Galapagos Islands February 12, 1832 under the government of General Juan José Flores, baptizing as Colon Archipelago.

The Rice Terraces: Agriculture as an object of beauty

NATURAL WONDERS
When nearly 2,000 years ago, the original Balinese inhabitants created the technique of terraced rice agriculture for its fertile lands never imagined that his legacy will transcend the centuries and continue today as agribusiness system and how the cult of beauty of nature. The rice terraces in Bali, are a natural spectacle that deserves its place in our culture generally.

The rice terraces of Bali are perhaps the most iconic image of the island, a bright green postcard in fields ranging scaled on volcanic slopes. There are also numerous rice fields on the island, flatter and less showy, but also picturesque. Rice cultivation is very important to the Balinese as it represents the mainstay food on the island.

The rice fields of Bali have a history dating back 2000 years back in time. Even today, the Balinese make offerings to the rice goddess Dewi Sri when cooked, before harvesting of the fields or before planting rice offerings are also prepared for special occasions and holidays.

Geysers: Mysterious expression of nature

NATURAL WONDERS

The nature in the geyser gives us another example of his inexhaustible creativity. With its captivating mystery reminds us that life on earth begins with the alacrity of its core. Unknown to many, fascinating and reserved, geysers, deserve their own promotional space.

The geyser is a type of hot spring that "erupts" periodically, ejecting a column of hot water and steam into the air. Its activity is caused by contact between surface water and rocks heated by magma located underground. The geothermally heated water returns to the surface by convection through porous and fractured rocks. The formation of geysers requires a favorable hydrogeology exists only in some parts of the planet, so it is a quite strange phenomenon. There are about 1,000 around the world, nearly half are located in Yellowstone National Park, United States

During the eruption process, the bottom temperature begins to rise geyser reaching boiling and steam bubbles ascend to the top of the duct. Crossing the geyser crater, some water overflows and splashes out, reducing the width of the column and the water pressure underneath. With this pressure relief, water is mixed with superheated steam, ebulliendo violently through the column. The resulting foam between steam and hot water is pushed out of the geyser.

The duration of eruptions and time between them vary by geyser, Strokkur in Iceland erupts few seconds every 14 minutes, while Grand Geyser in the United States does for about 10 minutes every 8 or 12 hours.