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CHAPTER XIV. 
THE PHYSICAL GEOGPAPHY AND GEOLOGY OE THE B 
AMAZON VALLEY. 
The basin of the Amazon surpasses in dimensions that 
of any other river in the world. It is entirely situated 
in the Tropics, on both sides of the Equator, and receives 
over its whole extent the most abundant rains. The 
body of fresh water emptied by it into the ocean, is 
therefore far greater than that of any other river; not 
only absolutely, but probably also relatively to its area, 
for as it is almost entirely covered by dense virgin fo- 
rests, the heavy rains which penetrate them do not 
suffer so much evaporation as when they fall on the 
scorched Llanos of the Orinooko or the treeless Pampas 
of La Plata. Eor richness of vegetable productions and 
universal fertility of soil it is unequalled on the globe, 
and offers to our notice a natm^al region capable of sup- 
porting a greater population, and supplying it more 
completely with the necessaries and luxuries of life, than 
any other of equal extent. Of this wonderful district we 
will now describe the principal physical peculiarities. 
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