Amazon Rainforest

Amazon Rainforest‏‎

The Amazon Rainforest‏‎ (also known as the Amazon Jungle or Amazonia) is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America. This basin encompasses 7,000,000 square kilometers (2,700,000 sq mi), of which 5,500,000 square kilometers (2,100,000 sq mi) are covered by the rainforest. This region includes territory belonging to nine nations.

Geography

The majority of the forest is contained within Brazil, with 60% of the rainforest, followed by Peru with 13%, Colombia with 10%, and with minor amounts in Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. Four nations have "Amazonas" as the name of one of their first-level administrative regions.

Biodiversity

The Amazon Rainforest‏‎ is recognized as a mega-diverse region, hosting the most extensive collection of living plants and animal species in the world. The region is believed to be home to 390 billion individual trees divided into 16,000 species. Some estimates suggest that one square kilometer (0.4 square miles) of Amazon rainforest can contain about 90,790 tonnes of living plants.

Conservation

The Amazon Rainforest‏‎ has been a major focus of conservation efforts, due to its vast biodiversity and its role in regulating the world's climate. However, it has been under threat from activities such as deforestation, illegal logging, and mining, which have led to significant environmental damage.

See also

• Amazon River
• Deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest
• Fauna of the Amazon Rainforest
• Flora of the Amazon Rainforest