The Amazon rain forest is the largest rain forest in the world, according to Encarta Encyclopedia, covering nearly 3 million square miles. It spans nine countries, with the majority of the rain forest being in Brazil.
The Amazon rain forest serves as habitat for more than 2 million plant and animal species, which is more species than are found in any other ecosystem in the world. Animal species include the brightly colored poison dart frog and the highly vocal howler monkey. It is home to more than 5,000 tree species, including mahogany.
The rivers of the Amazon rain forest are home to more than 3,000 fish species. There are 950 bird species in the Amazon rain forest, including the scarlet macaw and the toucan, according to the Brazilian Embassy.
According to the Nature Conservancy, prior to 1500 A.D. there were about 6 million indigenous people residing in the Brazilian Amazon rain forest. By the early 1900s, there were fewer than 250,000.
The Amazon rain forest of Ecuador and Peru is home to a vanishing population of indigenous people known as the Zapara, of which fewer than 300 remain. A mere five individuals are able to fluently speak the culture's language, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
According to a January 2007 "National Geographic" report by Scott Wallace, "During the past 40 years, close to 20 percent of the Amazon rain forest has been cut down--more than in all the previous 450 years since European colonization began."
