The Smithsonian Atlas of the Amazon

The Smithsonian Atlas of the Amazon provides the first comprehensive view of this massive river system, revealing the rainforest as never seen before with 150 color maps and almost 300 stunning photographs. The Atlas brings every fact to life and unveils the heart of South America - its mighty rivers and giant trees. The detailed maps trace the water flow from the furthest headwater in the Ucayali valley of Peru at an elevation of 4,000 meters (13,000 feet) to the mouth of the Amazon over 6,400 km (3,850 miles) to the northeast. Charts explain how water is recycled through the rainforest, and how the Amazon's freshwater pushes far into the Atlantic, creating one of the world's great estuaries. Interspersed among the maps and charts are photographs that take you onto the river and into the rainforest, revealing the mystery and beauty of Amazonia. The landscape surrounding the Amazon is complex - composed of snow-capped mountains, pristine rainforests, agricultural valleys, and rapidly expanding urban areas. In this land of water it is rivers that are the life force, providing food and drink while carrying goods and people to ports and towns." Following an introduction to the Amazon River system and the lands that surround it, the Atlas provides a river-by-river tour of the tributaries. Each of these rivers has its own environmental setting, from Jenipapo, the "town on stilts," to the magnificent waterfalls of the Xingu valley. These are the places of the Amazon, a land of wild rivers, forests, fauna, and people that remains unique.