By its area and number of inhabitants, Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world and, as of 2011, it has also earned the title of the world's fifth largest economy. It is therefore quite understandable that this is the country where big power projects are being built. One of them is the Belo Monte hydropower complex, the world's third largest project by power output, which is situated on the Xingu River, the right-side tributary of the Amazon River. The construction is going on despite unprecedented protests and objections both in the country and worldwide, which have resulted in several changes of the initial design. The arguments of construction opponents arise from the need to preserve the enormous Amazon rainforest which is - due to its luxurious vegetation, biodiversity and abundance of water - extremely significant for sustainable life on planet Earth. Finally, despite plans for several hydropower plants, only one will be built at the great river turn, and the storage reservoir will be filled by means of canals in a separate area, so as not to disturb the autochthonous indigenous population. After numerous legal battles, the construction work started in 2011 and the project is due for completion in 2015.
