MODERN AMAZON MAPS

People today use maps for all sorts of reasons. Scientific uses are among the most important, but they're also used by travelers for a sense of where they are or to get around, or by tourists as souvenirs. Navigators use nautical charts of the rivers to move large cargo ships up and down the main stream of the river. Ocean-going vessels can sail over 2,500 upstream to Iquitos, Peru, making the city the world's most inland port. (Read more about how navigators use maps.)