A fisherman walks to his boat in Santa Rosa, Peru, an island on the Amazon River at the center of a territorial dispute with Colombia, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)
PHOTO ESSAY: Life on Santa Rosa Island, a meeting point of three nations along the Amazon River
SANTA ROSA, Peru (AP) — Santa Rosa is a small island in the middle of the Amazon River. It has just one paved road, no running water and a health post ill-equipped for emergencies. Despite its limitations, residents maintain a fluid and highly interconnected triple-border life, regularly crossing to Colombia and Brazil for shopping, healthcare and daily needs.
The most common businesses in town are nightclubs and evangelical churches. Its one-story homes are built on stilts to withstand floods between March and May. Most residents collect rainwater, filter it through cloth, and boil it on wood stoves. There is no sewage system and no cemetery; many bury their loved ones across the river in Colombia or Brazil.
This is a documentary photo story curated by AP photo editors.
Residents attend a local news program to speak in defense of their land in Santa Rosa, Peru, an island on the Amazon River at the center of a territorial dispute with Colombia, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)Peruvian soldiers prepare for their morning formation ceremony in Santa Rosa, Peru, an island on the Amazon River at the center of a territorial dispute with Colombia, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)Residents of Santa Rosa, a Peruvian island on the Amazon River, load goods in Leticia, Colombia, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)People use a taxi in Santa Rosa, Peru, an island on the Amazon River on the border with Colombia, Monday, Aug. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)A man prays at an evangelical church in Santa Rosa, Peru, an island on the Amazon River at the center of a territorial dispute with Colombia, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)A woman illuminates her Bible with a flashlight during a power outage in an evangelical church in Santa Rosa, Peru, an island on the Amazon River at the triple border with Colombia and Brazil, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)Patrons gather at a bar in Santa Rosa, Peru, an island on the Amazon River at the triple border with Colombia and Brazil, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)Peruvian soldiers form ranks during a flag ceremony in Santa Rosa, Peru, an island on the Amazon River at the center of a territorial dispute with Colombia, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)A band plays during a flag-raising ceremony in Santa Rosa, Peru, an island on the Amazon River at the center of a territorial dispute with Colombia, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)Students sit behind Peruvian police forming ranks to for a flag ceremony in Santa Rosa, Peru, an island on the Amazon River at the center of a territorial dispute with Colombia, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)A girl walks along a street in Santa Rosa, Peru, an island on the Amazon River on the border with Colombia, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)A boat captain prepares to pick up passengers on the Amazon River in Santa Rosa, Peru, an island at the border with Colombia and Brazil, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)Residents attend a town fair in Santa Rosa, Peru, an island on the Amazon River at the triple border with Colombia and Brazil, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)A doctor measures a child’s height at the health center in Santa Rosa, Peru, an island on the Amazon River at the triple border with Colombia and Brazil, Monday, Aug. 18, 2025.(AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)A woman walks through a health center in Santa Rosa, Peru, an island on the Amazon River on the border with Colombia, Monday, Aug. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)A fruit vendor works at his stand in Santa Rosa, Peru, an island on the Amazon River at the triple border with Colombia, Monday, Aug. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)People walk along a street with a welcome sign to Santa Rosa, Peru, an island on the Amazon River at the center of a territorial dispute with Colombia, Monday, Aug. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)Mayor Max Ortiz poses for a portrait in his office in Santa Rosa, Peru, an island on the Amazon River at the center of a territorial dispute with Colombia, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)Students board a boat after attending classes in Santa Rosa, Peru, an island on the Amazon River at the triple border with Colombia and Brazil, as they head home to Tabatinga, Brazil, on a triple border with Colombia, Monday, Aug. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)A woman shades herself with an umbrella in Santa Rosa, Peru, an island on the Amazon River at the triple border with Colombia and Brazil, Monday, Aug. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)
The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.
