Ushuaia, Argentina is growing as a commercial center and tourist center, the base for hiking, fishing, sailing and expeditions to Antartica.

Photo of Ushuaia Harbor thanks to ArtToday.com.

Note: due to technical difficulties, the regularly scheduled photo of the week is unavailable. I'll post it as soon as I can.

Scientists find ancient lost settlements in Amazon (Reuters): "A vast region of the Amazon forest in Brazil was home to a complex of ancient towns in which about 50,000 people lived, according to scientists assisted by satellite images of the region.

The settlements, consisting of networks of walled towns and smaller villages organized around a central plaza, are now almost entirely overgrown by the forest."

Explore Amazonia and enjoy the images in the Amazon Sampler Photogallery.

Photo of a calm backwater of the Rio Negro, part of Brazilian Amazonia, thanks to ArtToday.com.

The Nazca lines, or geoglyphs, in the sand of the Pampa San Jose, near the small town of Nazca, Peru, have posed mysterious questions for years. Who created these lines? And why? This figure of the Astronaut, or Shaman, is particularly well known.

Click on the link or the photo for more information about these thought-provoking figures.

Do you have a photo that you'd like to see featured as our photo of the week? Or as part of our photo galleries?

If you do, send it to me via the Submit a Photo Form.

Photo thanks to ArtToday.com.

Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro is on the list of the Top 10 Beaches We Love" from weather.com.

Included in the review: information about the beach, traveling in Brazil, and links to the other nine beaches.

Photo of a beach goer enjoying the sun and the water thanks to ArtToday.com.

For more of Rio's famous beaches, see Beaches of Rio de Janeiro photo gallery.