Iquitos is an anomaly.

 It is an industrial city in the middle of the Amazon rainforest.

It is the world's largest city that is not accessible by roads., but its streets are crowded with over 50,000 mototaxis and open-aired, windowless school buses that move people around.

It is a launching off for jungle excursions and the center for many petroleum operations and lumber companies.

It grew during the rubber boom at the beginning of the 20th century, but no longer plays a major role in the world rubber market.

Walking through the streets of the city of half a million people, you realize that every good that was brought to Iquitos was brought as its final destination.

The network of communities along the jungle rivers that flow by Iquitos supply the city with almost all of its produce. Last year, one of those rivers suffered from serious flooding and lost almost all of its harvests, which caused an increase in local food prices.

A cornucopia a tropical fruits adds vibrant color to the city's Belen Market while the populations that produce those fruits eat yuca at almost every meal.