LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Classroom » Multimedia

About this photograph

Creator
Margery H. Freeman
Date created
1991
Location
Misahualli, Ecuador
License
This photograph copyright ©2006. Terms of use

Related media

Learn more

In the classroom

  • See our collection of articles on visual literacy for ideas on using photographs meaningfully in the classroom.
Ecuadorian rainforest stream

Size: 682×1024

A shallow stream extends into the Ecuadorian rainforest. Sunlight filters through the dense canopy to expose a small rocky island in the stream.

Ecuador is commonly divided into three regions—the coast on the west, the Andes in the middle, and the Amazon rainforest to the east. In fact, the rainforest area of Ecuador is commonly referred to as el Oriente, or “The East.” The Ecuadorian rainforest contains almost twenty million acres of tropical rainforest. The Oriente is one of Earth’s most biodiverse regions, with more than twelve thousand plant species. This region of Ecuador is sparsely populated but also a popular destination for ecotourism. A major threat to this area is deforestation caused by logging companies and the ever-increasing search for oil. The roads and facilities built by oil companies are threatening the existence of the Ecuadorian rainforest.