Colombia’s lone Amazon port faces drying river and rising tensions with Peru

['John Otis', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Where Img', 'Height Auto Max-Width', 'Vertical-Align Bottom .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Vertical-Align Middle .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar Is .Alignleft .Alignright'] TPR: The Public's Radio 2025-09-07 13:30:00

(John Otis | NPR)LETICIA, Colombia — The jungle town of Leticia provides Colombia’s only access to the Amazon River. Most food and other supplies arrive here via Amazon River boats from Peru and Brazil. But Santa Rosa formed in 1974 and has never been formally allocated to either country. When Santa Rosa formed, the deepest channel ran north of the island making it Peruvian. Max Ortiz, the acting mayor of Santa Rosa, predicts border disputes will keep cropping up due to the ever-changing flow of the Amazon River.