Rolim de Moura do Guaporé, Brazil

This Amazon outpost is hardly the tropical paradise its name evokes. With a population of just under 60,000, Rolim de Moura was hastily settled in the 1970s, and the bureaucracy involved in obtaining land and services remains a persistent headache. The climate is hot and humid, with heavy rainfall for much of the year. While the city has grown rapidly, it lacks the infrastructure and amenities of more established urban centers. Rolim de Moura may appeal to the rugged individualist willing to navigate its challenges, but for most, the reality falls well short of the romantic Amazon dream.