Facts About The Amazon
Nearly two-thirds of the he world’s largest rainforest famed for its biodiversity is found in Brazil.
Cruising The Amazon River , Brazil Sunday, February 26, 2017
Covering 5.5 million square kilometers, it is the world's biggest rain forest, bigger than all the other rainforests combined. It represents more than half of the earth's rain forests.
At 6.9 sq. km., it is roughly the size of the 48 contiguous Untied States and covers some 40 percent of the South American continent.
Nine (9) countries that have the Amazon in their borders are Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guyana.
It is the world's largest river in terms of tributaries and the second longest river in the world. There are no bridges in the Amazon river.
It once flowed west-ward instead of east-ward as it does today.
It is estimated to have 16,000 tree species and 390 billion individual trees. There are around 3,000 edible fruits found in the rain forest, with the indigenous tribe using over 2,000 of them and about 200 of them being used in the west.
It is the world's pharmacy. About 70 percent of the plants that have medicinal qualities and anti-cancer properties are found in the rain forest. About 90 percent of the plants regularly used by the Amazon natives have not been studied by modern science.
Around 80 percent of the food we get like coffee, potatoes, tomatoes, bananas, pineapple and corn originally came from the rain forest.
There are around 400-500 indigenous tribes in the Amazon and about fifty of these tribes have never had any formal contact with the outside world.
Nearly two-thirds of the Amazon rain forest is found in Brazil. Due to its vastness, a lot of it is still unexplored. There is of course an eclectic biodiversity with rare species to be explored. The Amazon rain forest is thought to have 2.5 million species of insects. It is home to more species of plants and animals than any other terrestrial ecosystem on the planet. However, it can also be a dangerous place being host to deadly creatures like piranhas, poison dart frogs, jaguars and venomous snakes. It is also home to the Anaconda that glide through the rivers and streams.
The toucan is the loudest creature in the Amazon and you can hear it as far as half a mile.
It is often referred to as the “ lung of the earth.” An entire 20 percent of the world's oxygen is derived from it. It's rich vegetation take carbon dioxide out of the air, and releases oxygen back.
During the dry season, it is about 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) wide at its widest points. During the wet season, it explodes to some 40 kilometers in width.
The Amazon floor is in permanent darkness due to the thickness of the canopy and only one percent of the available sunlight make it through the three canopy above. It is so thick that when it rains, it takes about ten minutes for the water to reach the ground. It also influences rainfall pattern as far away as the United States.
Boats are the common public transport used to transport both passengers and cargo on the river.
The Amazon river cuts across South America making its way through three different countries; Brazil, Colombia, and Peru.
Two main characteristic of tropical rain forests is that they are hot and wet. In most parts of the Amazon rain forest, it rains nearly every day.
At least 20 percent of the Amazon rain forest has been cut down in the past 40 years. The destruction is due to logging, slash -and- burn agricultural technique, mining and subsistence agriculture.
During the dry season, (June through November) the width of the Amazon River average between 2 to 6 miles depending on the area. During the wet season, (December through April) the width can reach up to 30 miles.