ABSTRACT
The exploitation and settlement of the vast Amazon region has long been a cherished Brazilian goal. Amazonia constitutes one of the earth's last major frontiers. Brazil's portion of the region, referred to as Amazonia Legal, encompasses some 5 million square kilometers, an area larger than Western Europe and equal in size to approximately one-half of the United States. The initial model selected for resettlement was planned agricultural colonization along the proposed Transamazon Highway, a major east-west road to be built across the region. However, in the surge of enthusiasm for planned colonization, one important aspect of Amazonian settlement patterns was largely ignored. Ironically, despite the knowledge that most Amazonian migration has occurred outside of official channels, many planners dismissed spontaneous colonization as a valid or reasonable model for development. In addition, most research carried out in Ama-zonia has focused on the planned agricultural colonizations.
