<< >> Up Title Contents

D - THE POLITICAL CONTEXT

The geopolitics of Greater Amazonia are particularly interesting when confronted with the factor of indigenous populations : there is a distinct geographical unit but no single political entity. Greater Amazonia is divided politically between nine countries. Their main political and economic activities are concentrated in the surrounding mountains and on the coast, thus facing away from the Amazon basin. This contrasts sharply with the actual geography of the area: 50 to 100 % of the total area of theses countries are part of Greater Amazonia (see table 1 and map 1, `Greater Amazonia : political and administrative divisions'
[6])

table 1 : Lowland areas in Greater Amazonia

Country

total area
lowland areas
%




Bolivia
1 098 581 km2 704 968 km2 [7] 64 %
Brazil
8 511 965 km2
5 432 936 km2
64 %
Columbia
1 138 914 km2
646 697 km2
57%
Ecuador
283 561 km2
130 160 km2
46 %
Guyana
215 083 km2
215 083 km2
100 %
French Guiana
90 000 km2
90 000 km2
100 %
Peru
1 285 215 km2
738 505 km2
57 %
Suriname
163 820 km2
163 820 km2
100 %
Venezuela
912 050 km2
719 000 km2 [8] 79 %




TOTAL
13 699 207 km2
8 841 187 km2
64,5%

[6] From the Atlas géographique de l'Amérique du Sud, Groupe Reclus, 1990

[7] This figure includes part of the Chaco area (south of the Santa Cruz department and the Tarija department) actually beyond the scope of this report.

[8] This figure includes regions in the north of the Llanos (Barinas and Guárico States) also beyond the scope of this report.

<< >> Up Title Contents