Gold fever in the Amazon - by Douglas Engle

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Women at a bar during the evening in a virtually instant town in the remote Amazon forest, about 80km from Apui in the Brazilian state of Amazonas, Feb. 1, 2007. Thousands of people have created the town, including prostitutes, bars and pharmacies, in a mobilization rivaling that of a military operation to dig for gold in the region, discovered in Dec. 2006. The environment is not much of a concern as trees are felled and pits are dug by people from all over Brazil and from all walks of life....
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Women at a bar during the evening in a virtually instant town in the remote Amazon forest, about 80km from Apui in the Brazilian state of Amazonas, Feb. 1, 2007. Thousands of people have created the town, including prostitutes, bars and pharmacies, in a mobilization rivaling that of a military operation to dig for gold in the region, discovered in Dec. 2006. The environment is not much of a concern as trees are felled and pits are dug by people from all over Brazil and from all walks of life. Most simply say that some deforestation in the immense amazon it is the price to pay for Brazilians to exploit their nation's riches. (FOTO:DOUGLAS ENGLE/AUSTRAL FOTO)
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