The Amazon Basin covers an area of about 7 million sq. kilometers (2.7 million sq miles). For comparison, it is roughly the area of mainland USA. The Amazon covers 40% of the South American continent and includes eight countries: Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana and Suriname. Sixty percent of the Amazon rainforest is in Brazil. The Amazon represents over half the planet’s remaining rainforests and as the producer of 20% of the world’s oxygen, it is considered the “lungs of the world”. The Amazon contains the largest collection of living plant and animal species in the world. One square kilometer of Amazon rainforest may contain over 75,000 types of trees and 150,000 species of plants. The region is home to millions of insect species and one third of all the bird species on earth. To date at least 40,000 plant species, 3,000 fish, 1,294 birds, 427 mammals, 427 amphibians and 378 reptiles have been scientifically classified. Millions of species remain undiscovered: one of many reasons for the importance of protecting and conserving this beautiful area. |
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