Surprising Reason Why The Amazon Is Bridge-Free

Bright Side

Let's dive into the engineering mystery of why the Amazon is bridge-free, exploring everything from the shifting riverbeds to the extreme seasonal water levels that rise over 30 feet! You’ll learn how the lack of a road network in the deep rainforest and the sheer width of the river make construction a logistical nightmare for architects and governments. We’re breaking down the fascinating environmental and economic reasons why locals still rely on ferries and boats instead of multi-billion dollar bridges. Whether you're a fan of mega-projects or civil engineering puzzles, this deep dive into the heart of South America reveals a side of the jungle you’ve never seen.   Animation is created by Bright Side.  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/   Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV  Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Our Social Media:  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brightplanet/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en   Stock materials (photos, footages and other):  https://www.depositphotos.com  https://www.shutterstock.com  https://www.eastnews.ru  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate.

Transcript

00:00A bridge, a very helpful structure that traces back to the Neolithic times.

00:05The oldest bridge in the world, at least the one that is still standing,

00:09is the Arcadeco Bridge, built more than 3,000 years ago.

00:13But there is a river you cannot cross using a bridge,

00:16the Amazon River, the largest and longest river in the world.

00:21Okay, the Nile River is actually the longest river in the world,

00:24but the Amazon wants both titles for itself.

00:27The Amazon River is born in Peru and crosses Colombia and Brazil

00:32until it reaches a massive delta at the Atlantic Ocean.

00:36Its waters travel a longer distance than Frodo and Sam,

00:39and yet not a single bridge has ever been built over it.

00:43Why is that?

00:45First of all, seasonal floods change the size of the river.

00:49During dry seasons, the Amazon is about 3 miles wide,

00:53but during heavy rains, it can get up to 30 miles wide in a few weeks.

00:59Not only that, but the flood also makes the river change its position.

01:03Now imagine trying to build a bridge in a place where the ground turns into water for about 4 months.

01:10Not an impossible task, but not the easiest one either.

01:14Now, if you look back at your geography classes,

01:16you might remember that the soil of the riverbank can be very soft,

01:20especially in the Amazon, which means it can erode and shift.

01:24Heavy rains also create marshes,

01:27a type of wetlands that actually reduces the magnitude of the floods and purifies the water.

01:32It's also home to many animals.

01:35This means that to build a bridge,

01:38part of this wetland would have to be drained,

01:40which would ruin the lives of all those animals.

01:43Besides, the foundations of said bridge would have to be deep,

01:47and that would cost a lot of money.

01:49The rain creates yet another problem for the potential bridge.

01:53It increases the river's water level by 13 to almost 50 feet.

01:58Of course, bridges have been built in deep rivers before,

02:02like the Padma Bridge,

02:03a gigantic structure with a foundation of 417 feet.

02:08But because the soil of the Amazon River can erode easily,

02:11a bridge would have to be built using floating structures,

02:15known as pontoons,

02:16and they're not helpful in a river that changes depth whenever it feels like it.

02:21Next on our list of things that are a problem to human endeavors is the Amazon Rainforest.

02:26This forest spreads over nine countries and is so big and so dense,

02:32it could cover about half of Europe.

02:34This means that a bridge would almost likely connect one patch of the forest to another.

02:39A pointless improvement to the lives of capybaras and jaguars.

02:43Of course, the real users of such a bridge would be humans.

02:47Most people live around the tributaries of the Amazon River,

02:50not around the river itself,

02:52because who wants to live like a beaver at a dam?

02:56There's even a state called Amapa,

02:58on the left side of the Amazon River,

03:00that is completely cut off from the rest of Brazil.

03:03You could easily take your car and visit its neighbor,

03:07a place called French Guiana.

03:08But if you wanted to go to another part of Brazil,

03:11you'd have to find other means of transportation.

03:15Aside from small riverside populations that live right on the riverside,

03:20duh, of the Amazon,

03:22bigger cities were built near tributary rivers,

03:24like the Rio Negro,

03:26which has a bridge, by the way,

03:28and the Nanai River in Peru.

03:29The bridges that go over the Nanai and the Rio Negro

03:33are the only two bridges over the rivers in the Amazon Basin.

03:37The lack of good roads and highways inside the Amazon

03:40also makes the creation of bridges a pointless endeavor.

03:44Back in the 70s,

03:46humans had big ideas on how to explore the Amazon evermore,

03:49which is why they decided to build a highway

03:52which would cut the Amazon Basin from left to right.

03:55The road, called the Trans-Amazonian Highway,

03:58was supposed to bring people to the heart of the Amazon.

04:01But it seems like the difficulties of building

04:04more than 2,000 miles of road

04:07inside a dense rainforest were not foreseen.

04:10Halfway through, the project was abandoned

04:12because it was super expensive and problematic.

04:16Nowadays, highways in the Amazon Basin

04:19are always flooded, filled with holes and mud.

04:22This whole situation creates a ripple effect.

04:25People don't live near the river

04:26because it's hard to access it.

04:28The roads don't go there either

04:30because it's hard to build them,

04:32which in turn makes even fewer people

04:34want to settle on the banks of the Amazon River

04:37because they have no roads to get them there.

04:40So, if there are no roads and no bridges,

04:43how do people live there?

04:44You're not going to believe this,

04:46but the riverside population uses a very old

04:49but reliable invention called a boat.

04:53The Amazon River is fully navigable

04:55and the people that live there use it like a road.

04:58Much like motorcycles, cars, and buses,

05:01the Amazon River has canoes, speedboats, and ferries.

05:04There's even a very specific ferry called Obedense,

05:08transporting people to the municipality of Obedos,

05:12hence the name.

05:12Locals do everything on boats.

05:15They even have a boat hospital that floats around

05:18and visits riverside populations

05:20and a boat bank

05:21so you can do all your bank-related things

05:23while looking at the vastness of the Amazon.

05:26Honestly, genius invention.

05:30The downside to this lack of bridges

05:32is that it stops us from exploring

05:34the truly hidden gems of the world.

05:36In the Amazon, for example,

05:38there are over 10,000 undiscovered archaeological sites.

05:43We may never be able to dig out stuff

05:45like fortified villages, geoglyphs,

05:48and many other structures.

05:49It would be pretty neat to go full-on Laura Croft

05:52in the middle of the Amazon,

05:53but these findings are tucked deep

05:55in the heart of the forest.

05:57At the same time,

05:58only on a boat are you able to witness

06:01the crazy phenomenon

06:02of the unmixed waters of the Hio Negru

06:05and the Solimoines on the Amazon River.

06:07For more than three miles,

06:09these two tributaries of the Amazon River

06:11flow side by side without mixing.

06:14The speed and the temperature

06:16of these waters are different,

06:17so you'll see a river that looks like coffee

06:20and Coca-Cola mixed.

06:22This awesome phenomenon is called

06:24the meeting of waters.

06:27But the Amazon River is not the only river

06:30in the world deemed bridgeless.

06:32The Congo River,

06:33the second longest river in Africa,

06:35only has one bridge crossing it.

06:38The two Congos,

06:39yes, there are two different countries

06:41in the world named Congo,

06:43are separated by the Congo River,

06:45and so far,

06:46no roads connect them.

06:48Also, fun fact,

06:49some geologists believe

06:51that back when Gondwana existed

06:53and the continents were all cuddled together,

06:55the Amazon and the Congo River

06:57were one river connected to each other.

07:01Another place with a lack of bridges

07:03is the east side of the Thames in London.

07:06The west side of the river is narrower,

07:08which makes building a bridge easier.

07:10There are about 33 bridges

07:12on the west side alone,

07:14but if you want to cross the river

07:15from the east side,

07:16it's gonna be a hassle.

07:18The thing is,

07:19back in the 1800s,

07:21shipping companies decided

07:22that building too many bridges

07:23over the Thames was too expensive,

07:26because this was a shipping route

07:27and the bridges would have to be taller than usual.

07:30The structure would also have to be long,

07:32since some parts of the Thames

07:34are about 1,870 feet wide.

07:38But building long bridges

07:39is not a problem per se.

07:41In Rio de Janeiro, for example,

07:44you can find the Rio Nito Oe Bridge,

07:46which is about 8.26 miles long.

07:50Back when it was built in the 70s,

07:52it was the second longest bridge in the world.

07:55The bridge is so long

07:57that in 2018,

07:58a girl was born

07:59while her mother was crossing it,

08:01and now the birthplace

08:02in her birth certificate

08:03is literally the bridge.

08:06There's also no U-turn on it,

08:07so if you drive onto the bridge by mistake,

08:10you're in for a long drive.

08:13So next time you feel like exploring the Amazon,

08:15remember to pack your own boat.

08:20So it turns out that you can't drive

08:23between South America and North America.

08:25And there's a simple reason for that.

08:28There are no roads connecting the two continents,

08:30not even a rudimentary one.

08:33Technically, you could try your luck crossing on foot,

08:36but let me tell you,

08:37that would be a huge, huge mistake.

08:40The region that connects the two continents

08:43is called the Darien Gap.

08:45It stretches across southern Panama's Darien province

08:48and the northern part of Colombia.

08:50The only land route there is

08:52is a 60-mile jungle trek.

08:54Crossing it can take anywhere from 3 to 10 days.

08:58It depends on weather conditions,

09:00how much you're carrying,

09:01and, honestly, just pure luck.

09:04Chance plays a big role here,

09:06because this isn't some chill, relaxing nature walk.

09:09It's a harsh, extreme environment,

09:12known for being completely isolated

09:14and one of the most dangerous places on Earth.

09:17Still, people seem to forget that and go there anyway.

09:20Every year, the number of people crossing

09:23just keeps growing.

09:24In 2014, fewer than 10,000 people crossed the gap.

09:29In 2023, that number increased to 520,000.

09:34Now, you might be wondering,

09:35what are so many people doing

09:37in the middle of the two American continents,

09:40risking all that danger?

09:41Well, that's because the Darien Gap

09:44has become a route for refugees

09:46migrating to North America.

09:48But, to get there,

09:49they face all kinds of dangers,

09:52from insect bites and infections

09:54to serious fractures.

09:56We're talking about a no-man's land.

09:58Since there are no police stations,

10:00immigrants must also watch out for thieves.

10:03Along the way,

10:04they have no choice but to rely on

10:06and support each other.

10:08Most people start the crossing

10:10with at least a tent or tarp,

10:12rain boots, water, and some food.

10:14But these things get heavy fast,

10:17and people normally can't carry enough supplies

10:19for the entire journey.

10:21At some point,

10:22people start drinking river water

10:24to avoid dehydration.

10:25But the water's full of bacteria and dirt,

10:28so it causes intestinal issues.

10:31And if things get serious,

10:33there's no medical help there.

10:34To make this whole scenario even worse,

10:37the temperatures are brutal,

10:39often hitting over 95 degrees Fahrenheit.

10:42Now, a small subset of people

10:44who venture through the Darien Gap

10:46are hardcore adventurers

10:48and travelers looking for a survival experience

10:51in the jungle.

10:52But this region is no place

10:54for a relaxing vacation.

10:56A group of tourists who went there in 2023

10:59ended up getting jungle rot,

11:01a fungus that affects the feet.

11:03The situation got so bad

11:05that a woman had to be carried out

11:07by the group on the last day

11:09because she couldn't walk.

11:11No matter how prepared people are

11:13for the Darien Gap,

11:15in the end,

11:16survival mostly comes down to luck.

11:18Out there,

11:20travelers won't find cities

11:21with solid infrastructure,

11:23where they can crash at a hotel

11:25and gear up for the next day.

11:27In some spots,

11:28they might stumble across basic camps

11:30right in the jungle.

11:31These camps might offer

11:33wooden platforms for tents,

11:35bucket showers,

11:36toilets,

11:36and even plates of chicken and rice.

11:38But it all comes at a price.

11:41Wi-Fi, for example,

11:43might cost $2 an hour.

11:45And that seems like a pretty good deal,

11:47considering there's no cell phone service

11:49on the trail.

11:50They pretty much lose all contact

11:52with the outside world.

11:54Now picture a dense rainforest

11:56with steep, muddy terrain.

11:58The hiking trail is littered with boulders

12:01and tangled with vines,

12:02like nature's own tripwires.

12:04It climbs sharply over a mountain,

12:06becoming a serious challenge

12:08even for someone in good physical shape.

12:11The area also gets constant heavy rainfall,

12:14which can lead to landslides,

12:16flash flooding,

12:17and extremely muddy conditions.

12:19The situation gets so intense

12:21that even the t-shirts and faces

12:23of those who make the crossing

12:25end up covered in mud.

12:27They'll also have to cross

12:29a lot of fast-moving rivers.

12:31A Venezuelan dad,

12:32who recently went through the area

12:34with his two kids,

12:35said their sneakers ripped apart

12:37on the very first day.

12:39That's how powerful the rivers can be.

12:41And they're deep, too.

12:43Sometimes the water reaches

12:44all the way up to their shoulders.

12:46But the dangers in that area aren't recent.

12:50For centuries,

12:51the Darien Gap was thought

12:52to be impossible to cross.

12:54The first Europeans

12:55who ventured into Latin America

12:57saw it as kind of a jungle training school.

13:00They totally knew about its dangers.

13:02But still, many adventurers

13:04tried to make the crossing

13:06in the years that followed.

13:07In 1854, for example,

13:09an expedition disappeared

13:11for 49 days in the jungle,

13:13battling starvation and exhaustion.

13:16Then again, in 1870,

13:18a group of 100 men

13:20set out to cross it.

13:21Even though they were well-prepared

13:23and carried cutting-edge equipment

13:25for the time,

13:26they still suffered tremendously

13:28during the journey.

13:29They had to rely on incredible resilience

13:31to survive the challenge.

13:33Over the years,

13:34people who ventured in

13:35often ended up passing away

13:37from hunger, thirst,

13:39and even drowning in rivers.

13:41They also face the risk

13:42of being attacked

13:43by dangerous animals

13:44like jaguars,

13:46white-lipped peciaries,

13:47and the fer-de-lons,

13:49a fast, irritable snake

13:51that is one of the most venomous out there.

13:53The area is also swarming with mosquitoes,

13:56which can spread serious health problems.

13:59Leaning against trees to rest

14:01can also be risky.

14:02This jungle is full

14:03of spiked chunga palm trees,

14:05which are covered in long black spines

14:08up to 8 inches long.

14:10Unfortunately for us,

14:11these spines are covered

14:12in all sorts of bacteria.

14:14Just brush against a chunga,

14:16and you could end up

14:17with infected wounds.

14:18And yet another danger

14:20is getting lost in the dense forest

14:22and never finding your way

14:23back to safety.

14:25These days, though,

14:26this risk is a lot lower.

14:28Some people have mentioned

14:29color-coded markers

14:30that help guide travelers

14:32and keep them from going the wrong way.

14:34If they see blue or green fabric

14:36tied to trees,

14:37it means keep walking.

14:39But if they spot red fabric,

14:41that's a sign

14:42they're going the wrong way

14:43and need to turn around quickly.

14:46Since there are so many dangers,

14:48why not just build a road

14:49through the Darien Gap?

14:51While it might seem like a good idea,

14:54building a road

14:54connecting Panama and Colombia

14:56isn't really that simple.

14:58The Darien Gap

14:59has a humid climate,

15:01tough terrain,

15:01and constant rainfall,

15:03which means

15:04any attempt

15:05to build a functional road

15:06would be highly challenging

15:07and super expensive.

15:09Even though

15:10there have been

15:11previous attempts

15:12to fill in the gap.

15:14See, there's a huge road system

15:15called the Pan-American Highway,

15:17which stretches

15:18all the way from Alaska

15:20to the southern tip of Argentina.

15:22Nowadays,

15:23this highway hits a roadblock

15:25right at the Darien Gap.

15:27But it wasn't supposed

15:28to be like this,

15:29as the original idea

15:30was for the road

15:31to go through there.

15:33Leaders from Latin American countries

15:35tried to make this plan

15:36happen in the 70s,

15:38and then again in the 90s.

15:40But a lot of people

15:41were against it,

15:42mainly because they wanted

15:43to protect the local communities

15:45and the rainforest.

15:46Since the Darien Gap

15:48is mostly untouched by humans,

15:50it's one of the most

15:51biodiverse places on the planet.

15:53It's believed that

15:55one in five species

15:56are endemic to the region,

15:58meaning they only exist

15:59in that specific area,

16:01like the Darien Pocket Gopher

16:02and the slatty slender

16:04Mouse-o-possum.

16:05A road would have really

16:06damaged the ecosystem

16:07in the area,

16:08so the plans were scrapped.

16:11Eventually,

16:11an alternative was created

16:13to travel by sea.

16:15At least two companies

16:16started a ferry service

16:17connecting the two countries.

16:19However,

16:19the business

16:20wasn't profitable,

16:21and they ended up

16:22shutting down.

16:24Not long ago,

16:25Panama decided to close

16:26the Darien Gap route.

16:28Now they're sealed off

16:29with barbed wire fencing.

16:31It might just be a matter of time

16:33before other routes are created.

16:35But if you are an adventurer

16:36looking to visit South America,

16:38it's probably not best

16:40to wait for that.

16:41Traveling by plane to Colombia

16:43will always be

16:44a much safer option.

16:46That's it for today.

16:47So hey,

16:48if you pacified your curiosity,

16:50then give the video a like

16:51and share it with your friends.

16:52Or if you want more,

16:53just click on these videos

16:54and stay on the bright side.

Category

Transcript

Comments

Recommended