While the majority of the Amazon jungle---approximately 60---is located in Brazil, the jungle also stretches into Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Suriname, French Guyana and Guyana.
The Amazon jungle covers nearly 3.5 million square miles.
The ability of the rain forest canopy to hold moisture nurtures what is thought to be the richest and most diverse array of plant and animal life on Earth.
Large unexplored areas of the Amazon have long served as refuges for indigenous peoples escaping slave labor and the destruction of their traditional habitat, blurring the lines between tribes. But there are still an estimated 200 native groups living in the jungle.
While a recent report by the National Institute for Space Research revealed a drop in deforestation toward the end of 2009, large portions of the ecosystem are still being destroyed.
The 2008 nonfiction book "The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon" recalls British explorer Percy Fawcett's search for a mythical ancient Amazonian city in the early 20th century.
