Sometimes referred to as the Amazon jungle, the Amazon rainforest is a tropical belt that covers most of South America’s Amazon basin—an area of more than 1.7 billion acres within the boundaries of nine countries: Brazil, French Guiana, Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador, Columbia, Bolivia, Guyana, and Suriname (most of the rainforest falls in the territory of Brazil). Home to a vast species of flora and fauna, this tract represents half of the Earth’s remaining rainforest.
The forest’s essential lifeline is the Amazon River, the second longest in the world after the Nile, but the largest river regarding volume and discharge of water. The river has more than one thousand tributaries—some with greater volume than even the Congo River. The river drains the basin and has historically been the main factor in its development over time. Many ecosystems and habitats comprise Amazonia such as deciduous forests, savannahs, seasonal forests, and, of course, rainforests.
Scientists believe that the Amazon rainforest probably formed during the Eocene era (roughly one million years ago). At one point in its history, the Amazon River actually flowed west unlike its present eastern flow toward the Atlantic Ocean. Today, the species-rich biome of this rainforest is unrivaled for its biodiversity. Scientists have revealed that one in ten world species can be found in the Amazon rainforest. It is the world’s largest collection of living flora and fauna. Scientists also believe that one square mile of the forest can contain as many as 75,000 kinds of trees.
Approximately 2.5 million insects live in Amazonia along with 1,200 species of birds, three thousand types of fish, and nearly five hundred species of the following: mammals, amphibians, and reptiles. Although new discoveries continue to be made, scientists estimate the rainforest has well more than 400,000 species of plants; the properties of these plants continue to be a subject of study for scientists worldwide. Some of the most noteworthy animals that live in the Amazon basin include jaguars, anacondas, poison dart frogs, and American crocodiles. Among the river’s famous inhabitants are pink dolphins, piranha, and electric eels. Bull sharks also lurk in the river.
Historically, Amazonia has also been home to hundreds of indigenous tribes. These tribes and many current peoples have lived in harmony with the forest. Today, however, deforestation threatens the well-being of the rainforest which produces roughly twenty percent of the planet’s oxygen. The Amazon rainforest is also threatened by climate change which can have disastrous effects for the plant and animal life. Threats to the rainforest continue to generate immense controversy worldwide.