Peru maintains it owns Santa Rosa Island based on treaties about a century old, but Colombia disputes that ownership because the island had not yet emerged from the river at the time.
The island faces Leticia, a Colombian city used by many tourists as the launching point for trips into the Amazon rainforest. "The Peruvian government has just appropriated it by law," Petro wrote on X, adding that Peru's actions could block Leticia's access to the Amazon river.
Like many rivers, the Amazon changes its course slowly over time, and erosion or changes in the weather can create or submerge islands.
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