Guest Author: Denzel Johnson

The world is a big place, but each location is different and separated in such ways that can’t be explained merely by distance. What I mean by that is how people in the world are separated and so different yet so important to how each other person lives.

Let me introduce myself; I’ve lived in England for most of my life and have grown up in London. Life there has always increased my interest in travel, especially with my background in Geography. The subject has so many broad topics that it can never be boring, for me at least. My interests have led me to now be travelling the Americas on a Geography Scholarship from England’s Royal Geographical Society.

One of Ecuador’s development villages

The Americas present such a broad range of topics from a Geographer’s point of view; the human side, which incorporates things like development, or the physical side where the landscape is involved (eg: Deforestation etc). Travel through the Americas will hopefully show the different contrasting means of development that the region offers. So far I have begun my South American journey in Ecuador, a country where I have found various wonders in a developing tourism industry within a country some call a “diamond in the rough”.

South America as a region is impressive; thirteen countries, that include the Andes, the Amazon, amazingly diverse natural landscapes, and indigenous species. South America as a continent is big. Big enough to house one of the world’s most diverse ecosystems with more plant and animal species than anywhere else, with the potential to cure some of the world’s illness. As the region becomes more and more important to world development, questions arise about land preservation, reforestation, or hunting by indigenous populations. All are issues needing a resolution, but like every decision, so many variable need to be taken into account to reach the final goal of a sustainable solution that allows development and protection of the people as well as the environment.

Many reasons add up to why South America is an important region, worthy of attention. Most importantly they are why I am travelling in it to understand how it works, and could work.

Weighing up the odds

About the author: I am a student from England currently travelling the Americas on a scholarship from the Royal Geographic Society. My interests come from a geographic point of view aimed at understanding different cultures and what their place is in the modern world.