Network systems and connectivities structuring the colonization front in Amazonia: the case of Xingu-Iriri frontier, in the south of Pará State, Brazil

Abstract

This paper describes the Xingu-Iriri frontier, in the south of Pará State, Brazil, in a region called “Terra do Meio”, considering the role of the networks, fluxes and connections in the patterns and process of the territory organization. Field data, interviews and secondary data were added to previous analysis to describe the transportation networks, the communication and information networks, the social network, the patterns of population mobility and the urban network. We present the importance of this characterization tool to improve the discussion about the role of the network systems and its interactions in the spatial structure and organization of a frontier region. This work is part of the GEOMA Network (Thematic network for Environmental Modelling in Amazonia) activities, complementary to the study of deforestation patterns and process in the evolution of new frontiers. Key words: physical and social networks; population mobility; urban network; frontier; Brazilian Amazon; territory structure.