Laurence Blair

Thanks so much for having me, Tristan. Really pleased to be here.

Thanks so much for having me, Tristan. Really pleased to be here.

Thanks so much for having me, Tristan. Really pleased to be here.

Oh, definitely. I think we all have this idea, don't we, of the Amazon as this pristine wilderness, this kind of backwater, and it's so far away from anything and everything. But actually, what's so fascinating is in the past few decades alone, that idea is really being turned on its head and actually

Oh, definitely. I think we all have this idea, don't we, of the Amazon as this pristine wilderness, this kind of backwater, and it's so far away from anything and everything. But actually, what's so fascinating is in the past few decades alone, that idea is really being turned on its head and actually

Oh, definitely. I think we all have this idea, don't we, of the Amazon as this pristine wilderness, this kind of backwater, and it's so far away from anything and everything. But actually, what's so fascinating is in the past few decades alone, that idea is really being turned on its head and actually

We're discovering more and more archaeologists from Brazil and around the world and various South American countries are finding that this is really a center of world history and should be kind of considered as being up there with the Mexica or the Aztecs, with the Maya, even the Incas and any of the great ancient civilizations of the world.

We're discovering more and more archaeologists from Brazil and around the world and various South American countries are finding that this is really a center of world history and should be kind of considered as being up there with the Mexica or the Aztecs, with the Maya, even the Incas and any of the great ancient civilizations of the world.

We're discovering more and more archaeologists from Brazil and around the world and various South American countries are finding that this is really a center of world history and should be kind of considered as being up there with the Mexica or the Aztecs, with the Maya, even the Incas and any of the great ancient civilizations of the world.

So I'm really thrilled to have a chance to talk to you about some of them today.

So I'm really thrilled to have a chance to talk to you about some of them today.

So I'm really thrilled to have a chance to talk to you about some of them today.

That's a great question. So the Amazon is a huge area. It's the size of Western Europe. It spans eight countries here in South America. We're talking about a dozen major rivers that are crisscrossing it. Of course, the Amazon River is the most famous one. It's 4,000 miles long. And it's the largest tropical forest on the planet. And of course, it's crucial to the Earth's climate as well.

That's a great question. So the Amazon is a huge area. It's the size of Western Europe. It spans eight countries here in South America. We're talking about a dozen major rivers that are crisscrossing it. Of course, the Amazon River is the most famous one. It's 4,000 miles long. And it's the largest tropical forest on the planet. And of course, it's crucial to the Earth's climate as well.

That's a great question. So the Amazon is a huge area. It's the size of Western Europe. It spans eight countries here in South America. We're talking about a dozen major rivers that are crisscrossing it. Of course, the Amazon River is the most famous one. It's 4,000 miles long. And it's the largest tropical forest on the planet. And of course, it's crucial to the Earth's climate as well.

And I think one thing to make clear is it's not just this kind of endless expanse of trees, of jungle, to put it that way. We're talking about a huge range of landscapes.

And I think one thing to make clear is it's not just this kind of endless expanse of trees, of jungle, to put it that way. We're talking about a huge range of landscapes.

And I think one thing to make clear is it's not just this kind of endless expanse of trees, of jungle, to put it that way. We're talking about a huge range of landscapes.

You know, you've got these kind of tabletop mountains in Venezuela, Colombia, Guyana, a cloud forest on the eastern slopes of the Andes, big cities, you know, in Manaus and Belém, they're about, you know, 30 million people or so who live in the Amazon today. And of course, also, we have this kind of marshy swampland near the mouth of the river and these kind of floodplains in northern Bolivia.

You know, you've got these kind of tabletop mountains in Venezuela, Colombia, Guyana, a cloud forest on the eastern slopes of the Andes, big cities, you know, in Manaus and Belém, they're about, you know, 30 million people or so who live in the Amazon today. And of course, also, we have this kind of marshy swampland near the mouth of the river and these kind of floodplains in northern Bolivia.