The Amazon Rainforest: South America's Green Heart

Location

The Amazon rainforest occupies the Amazon Basin – a 6.7M km² (2.7M sq mi) drainage across 9 countries:

• Brazil (60%), Peru (13%), Colombia (10%), Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana.

Core Geography

• Equatorial (0–10°S) – consistent day length, high insolation.
• Lowland (<500 m) – vast floodplain (várzea, igapó) + terra firme.
• River network: Amazon main stem + 1,100 tributaries (17 > 1,500 km).

Ecological Superlatives

• Biodiversity: ~10% of Earth's known species (40k plants, 3k fish, 1.3k birds, 430 mammals, 2.5M insects).
• Carbon: 150–200 Gt stored; 2B tons CO₂ absorbed annually.
• Hydrology: 20% of global river discharge; "flying rivers" feed La Plata basin.

Threats & Protection

• Deforestation: cattle, soy, logging, mining, roads.
• Protected areas: 2.2M km² (indigenous territories + parks).
• Tipping point risk: 20–25% loss → savannization.