The Amazon: What Everyone Needs to Know by Mark Plotkin, 248 pages
I’ve finished book 4 of my challenge to read 10 this year. I’m on track to hit 25, which is half of the number of books my wife read last year.
This is the fastest I’ve ever read a book. We’re sailing in the Amazon now and a generous fellow passenger lent me a copy of this book. Read it in two days. I loved it - solid 4.75/5.
The Amazon is a land of superlatives and seeing this massive river from the Atlantic has been my dream; we did the Pacific side several years ago and the two, of course, are vastly different.
The complex ecosystem covers an area about the size of the continental U.S. The Amazon discharges enough water in two hours to supply all of New York City's 7.5 million residents with water for a year.
One of every four flowering plant species resides in the Amazon. The Amazon is believed to contain more fish species than all European rivers combined. It is home to the world's largest anteater, armadillo, freshwater turtle, and spider, as well as the largest rodent (weighing over 90 kg), catfish (115 kg), and alligator (more than half a ton).
This book is an excellent overview of this fascinating place. It’s organized by chapters that begin with the place itself: Geology, Soils, Vegetation, and Rivers, then moves through its inhabitants- Plants, Animals,#and finishes with how the rain forest is endangered and how we can (and must) save it. Amazon: What Everyone Needs to Know by Mark Plotkin, 248 pages
I’ve finished book 4 of my challenge to read 10 this year. I’m on track to hit 25, which is half of the number of books my wife read last year.
This is the fastest I’ve ever read a book. We’re sailing in the Amazon now and a generous fellow passenger lent me a copy of this book. Read it in two days. I loved it - solid 4.75/5.
The Amazon is a land of superlatives and seeing this massive river from the Atlantic has been my dream; we did the Pacific side several years ago and the two, of course, are vastly different.
The complex ecosystem covers an area about the size of the continental U.S. The Amazon discharges enough water in two hours to supply all of New York City's 7.5 million residents with water for a year.
One of every four flowering plant species resides in the Amazon. The Amazon is believed to contain more fish species than all European rivers combined. It is home to the world's largest anteater, armadillo, freshwater turtle, and spider, as well as the largest rodent (weighing over 90 kg), catfish (115 kg), and alligator (more than half a ton).
This book is an excellent overview of this fascinating place. It’s organized by chapters that begin with the place itself: Geology, Soils, Vegetation, and Rivers, then moves through its inhabitants- Plants, Animals, and finishes with how the rain forest is endangered and how we can (and must) save it.
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