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Rio São Francisco, Northeast Brazil August 1985.
This photograph shows a section of the Rio São Francisco in northeast Brazil and the small town
of Bom Jesus da Lapa (note the two straight roads coming together in a 90-degree angle on the
east side of the river, near the center of this photograph). Large rectangular agricultural
field patterns can be observed near the center of the photograph along the west side of the
river. Because of the size of this agricultural pattern, this area is probably a plantation and
the crop is likely sugarcane. Numerous smoke plumes are visible in the photograph, possibly
indicating that more land is being prepared for agriculture. In addition to other fairly large
field patterns in this scene, many smaller field patterns are also clearly visible. The Rio São
Francisco floodplain is seen as a narrow swath of land immediately east and west of the river.
Sandbars (highly reflective areas in the river) are visible. It should be noted that this
particular area is included in the general northeast region of Brazil that is subject to
extensive periods of drought.
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