Vale do Javari

In News: British journalist and a Brazilian indigenous affairs expert recently went missing in a remote corner of the Amazon rainforest.

• The duo were last seen in Vale do Javari — the western section of the Brazilian Amazon named after the Javari river, which forms the country’s border with Peru.

Why is the region significant?

• The region where Phillips and Pereira went missing is spread over 85,444 sq km and, according to the Brazilian government, it is home to “the greatest concentration of isolated groups in the Amazon and the world”.
• The area is home to 14 different indigenous tribes with nearly 6,000 inhabitants. These tribes are known to reject contact with the outside world.
• But in spite of that there are repeated attempts to forcibly enter their resource-rich territory.
• Vale do Javari also forms part of an international cocaine trafficking route, with gold being exchanged for drugs and arms, consequently making it a hotspot for violent crimes.
• Besides the Javari it is transected by the Pardo, Quixito, Itaquai and Ituí rivers.
• The Brazilian government has made it illegal for non-indigenous people to enter the territory

Previous Year Questions

Q.1) Consider the following pairs: (2022)

Regions in News                     Country

1. Anatolia –                       Turkey
2. Amhara –                       Ethiopia
3. Cabo Delgado –             Spain
4. Catalonia –                     Italy

How many pairs given above are correctly matched?

1. Only one pair
2. Only two pairs
3. Only three pairs
4. All four pairs

Source: Indian Express