Amazing Amazon- Interesting Facts About the Amazon Rainforest
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Amazing Amazon – Interesting Facts about the Amazon Rainforest
The Amazon rainforest is the world's largest tropical rainforest and is located in the Amazon basin of South America. Such is its abundance and variety of flora and fauna that much of it, as of yet, the Western world has not documented. What we do know about the Amazon rainforest provides us with a wealth of interesting and unusual facts.
Area
The Amazon rainforest has a total area of over 1 billion acres. This is the equivalent to approximately 2/3 of the continental USA. As well as covering more than half of Brazil, it also stretches into the countries of Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, Suriname, Guyana, French Guyana, Ecuador and Peru.
People
Approximately 200,000 people live in the Amazon rainforest itself, the vast majority of them indigenous Indians. This is in stark contrast to the1500s when approximately 10 million indigenous Indians lived there. Among these 200,000 people there are 50 tribes than have never been in contact with anyone outside of the rainforest.
Fauna
Over 500 different mammals live in the Amazon rainforest including: capybaras, which are the largest rodents on earth; jaguars; spider monkeys; tapirs; vampire bats and sloths. There are also over 300 different species of reptile including the anaconda, a constrictor snake which can grow to lengths of over 20 feet, and the caiman, a species of crocodile.
The Amazon rainforest has a total area of over 1 billion acres
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In the Amazon river itself there are about 30 times as many different species of fish as in all European rivers combined. These include freshwater catfish called pirarucu that can grow to over 10 feet long and electric eels capable of stunning a man. These in addition to the infamous, carnivorous red-bellied piranha.
One third of the world's species of birds live in the Amazon rainforest, amongst them macaws, toucans, herons and parrots.
Flora
An variety of evergreen broad-leaf trees make up most of the Amazon rainforest. So immense is this variety that you can find over 200 different species in just one hectare of rainforest. These trees and other rainforest plants, including the Amazon water lily which can measure over 7 feet across, produce 20 percent of the world's oxygen.
The Amazon river
The River
The Amazon river is approximately 4000 miles long, about twice as long as the Mississippi river. Depending on the season, the Amazon river can be a wide across as 3o miles. When the Amazon floods its banks during the rainy season, its flood waters cover an area approximately the size of Oregon.
The Amazon rainforest's sheer size combined with its immense variety of wildlife, and the river itself, make it one of the most fascinating areas in the world. Although high levels of deforestation put its long term future in doubt, it remains, for now, an area where fact is indeed stranger than fiction.
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Hi Genna East! It is one of the most important ecosystems on the planet. The rainforest biodiversity scale of destruction is alarming. Some of the types of aggressive deforestation done in recent years is all in the name of economic development. If no action is taken, it can reach a critical point! Yet it is interesting to know all about these fascinating facts about the Amazon. Thank you for dropping by to read and for the kind comment, I appreciate!
There are lots of important species and plant life. The Heart and Lungs of the Earth, as they say. Tremendous ecosystem. I'v been to the Amazons in the early 2002 when still was studying medicine. It is truly amazing! Deforestation is a serious issue. I enjoyed reading these facts on the Amazons. It was very interesting indeed. Thanks for sharing it with us.
That was real interesting. I wish to visit the rainforest one day, but I have seen documentaries on TV. I find it so enchanting to see those colorful parrots, spider monkeys, anacondas, jaguars, and to see all those other exotic creature. What an adventure that would be! Great Article!
Scientists have documented also 2500 species of fish, 4 types of cats, 1500 species of birds, about 1800 species of butterflys, 200 species of mosquitos, 50,000 species of different plant origins. Yes it is truly amazing. A very fascinating place.
Wonderful and interesting information,makes me want to go there before they make highrises out of it!
voted up and interesting.
Thank you baygirl33. I've always believed the Amazon rainforest was like the Garden of Eden. It is not only beautiful, but also the lungs of this world!
Thanks for dropping in, I appreciate it.
Very good article full of interesting information! I believe that it is our duty to preserve what humans have not detroyed yet.
You can use Ecosia, which is an eco-friendly search engine donating 80% of its revenue to wwf in order to save the rainforest.
Voted up and interesting
Hi Nomascus concolor, thanks! I checked out Ecosia, interesting site! I never heard of them before so thanks for pointing that out. Interesting to know that 80% of their revenue goes towards saving a rainforest. Once again- thanks for dropping by this hub, and for the vote as well, I appreciate it.
Genna East Level 6 Commenter 5 months ago
Fascinating hub. I didn’t realize that deforestation had hit these areas so hard...they certainly have been everywhere else. This river is an amazing microcosm in and of itself. Up and awesome. :-)