Welcome to the Amazon!
Let's explore the world's largest tropical rain forest, and its extremely diverse ecosystem.
Where is the Amazon Rainforest?
The Amazon Rainforest is primarily located in South America. It spans across nine countries:
- Brazil (the largest portion of the forest, about 60% of the total)
- Peru
- Colombia
- Venezuela
- Ecuador
- Bolivia
- Guyana
- Suriname
- French Guiana (an overseas territory of France)
The forest stretches across the Amazon Basin, which is drained by the Amazon River and its many tributaries. The majority of the Amazon Rainforest is located in the northern part of Brazil, but it also extends into the neighboring countries listed above.
Facts about the Amazon Rainforest
Size and Location
- The Amazon Rainforest spans about 5.5 million square kilometers (2.1 million square miles), covering parts of nine countries: Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana.
- It makes up about 40% of the world’s remaining tropical rainforests.
Biodiversity
- It is home to around 10% of the known species on Earth, including thousands of plants, animals, and insects.
- The forest contains more than 400 billion trees of about 16,000 different species.
- The Amazon hosts more than 2,200 species of birds and mammals, and over 2.5 million species of insects.
Threats to the Amazon
- The Amazon faces significant threats due to deforestation, largely driven by activities such as agriculture, logging, and mining.
- Fires have become more frequent, especially in recent years, contributing to the destruction of large areas of the forest.
- The loss of the Amazon is a major concern for global biodiversity and climate change.