Google Street View's Next Conquest: the Amazon

Google has brought its famous Street View cameras to the Amazon, and is using its famed trike, along with a boat, to map what are some of the most remote spots on Earth, reports the BBC. Together with the Foundation for a Sustainable Amazon (FAS), Google's plan is to map tiny villages along the Amazon, explore the river, and film schools and communities around the region. And it'll leave some equipment behind, so that work can continue once it decides to return to paved roads.

"For many outdoor enthusiasts, travelers, and environmentalists, this creates an opportunity to experience the wonders of the Amazon, which will be accessible in a way they’d previously only dreamed about," wrote Google on its blog. For the FAS, it's a unique way to show the world the culture of the Amazon and the pressures the region is under: "the challenges of climate change, deforestation and combating poverty." Click to see photos of the Google team at work. (More Google stories.)