Number of reactors: 2
Which Is The Longest Forest On The Earth.
The Amazon is referred to as the "Lungs of the Earth", and with good reason. More than 20% of the world's oxygen is produced here.
The Earth has a surface area of 196.9 mllionsquare miles.
The Amazon Rainforest covers 3.4 million square miles - this is less than 2% of the Earth's surface, yet this space produces more than 10 times that amounts worth of the world's oxygen!
Located in South America, the Amazon Rainforest spans across 9 countries in total: Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana.
1. The extremely rich ecosystem of the Amazon houses around 40,000 plant species, 1,300 bird species, 2,200 types of fish, 427 types of mammals, 430 amphibian species, 380 reptile species and a staggering 2.5 million different types of insects. It shelters 10% of the world’s known biodiversity. One in five of all species of bird and fish live in the Amazon.
2. Around 400-500 indigenous Amerindian tribes live in the Amazon rainforest. Around 50 of them have their own language and culture and have never had contact with the outer world. They are nomadic hunters and gatherers and constantly need to move around.
3. Some of the animals living in the Amazon rainforest are bizarre and deadly. From pink dolphins and green anacondas to poison dart frogs, bullet ants, electric eels and flesh-eating piranhas, some of these creatures can shock you with their abilities.
4. Around 137 species of plants, animals and insects become extinct every single day in the Amazon because of deforestation and cattle ranching that have killed vast sections of the forest.
5. The Amazon River which runs through the Amazon rainforest is the world’s second longest river after the Nile. It is also the world’s largest by water volume. The Amazon River comprises hundreds of waterways which stretch across 6,840 km, and has 17 tributaries which drain 55 million gallons of water every second into the Atlantic Ocean.
6. When it rains on the Amazon, it takes around 10 minutes for the water to reach the forest floor. This is because the forest is so thick that the ground remains permanently in darkness. Only 1% of the sunlight makes it to the forest ground as well making it completely dark.
7. The Sahara Desert impacts the Amazon rainforest to a great extent by supplying phosphorus which is essential for fertilization. Dust containing phosphorus blows in from the Sahara via wind over the Atlantic Ocean and helps the rainforest flourish.
8. The origin of 80% of the varieties of food we get across the world origin in the Amazon rainforest. More than 3000 types of fruit which are grown in the Amazon are edible. These include oranges, lemons, avocados, coconuts, grapefruits, mangoes, and pineapples.
9. The Amazon rainforest is a carbon sink it absorbs carbon dioxide and stores it. So, it is a major player in maintaining carbon levels globally.
10. Though the Amazon rainforest is the richest in forest vegetation, the land has very little mineral content making it unsuitable for sustainable agriculture.
11. One-fourth of the world’s western medicine uses ingredients from the Amazon rainforest. 70% of the plants which work against cancer cells come from the Amazon.
12.The Amazon has faced a severe drought before from 2005 to 2010 when the rainfall was very low. The Rio Negro Tributary of the Amazon rainforest went to its lowest level on record and dead wood released green house gases. This also increased the frequency of forest fires.
13. Climate change could spell havoc for the Amazon rainforest as 75% of it could be destroyed with just a three degree rise in temperature. Experts even say that the rainforest could die in just a 100 years because of the global temperatures now.