Amazon basin

Amazon Basin

The Amazon Basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about 7,500,000 square kilometers, or roughly 40 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela.

Geography

Most of the basin is covered by the Amazon Rainforest, also known as Amazonia. With a 5.5 million square kilometers area of dense tropical forest, this is the largest rainforest in the world.

Biodiversity

The Amazon Basin is home to the richest biodiversity of any place on Earth. It includes millions of species of insects, plants, birds, and other forms of life. Many of them are still unrecorded and likely unknown to science.

Climate

The Amazon Basin has a tropical climate, with temperatures that range from 22 to 34 degrees Celsius (72 to 93 degrees Fahrenheit). The region has a wet season that lasts from November to June, and a dry season from July to October.

Human Activity

The Amazon Basin is also home to millions of indigenous people who make their living from the forest. These people have been living in the Amazon for thousands of years, and their lifestyles and cultures are deeply intertwined with the forest ecosystem.

Threats

The Amazon Basin is under threat from a variety of sources. These include deforestation, climate change, and illegal mining and logging activities. These threats have significant implications for the people and wildlife that call the Amazon home.

See Also

• Amazon Rainforest
• Amazon River
• Deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest
• Climate change in the Amazon Rainforest

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