The Amazon Rain forest is the largest rain forest on Earth. Think about the “Amazon Rain forest” and analyze your knowledge.
The thoughts could be about the lush green trees. Or the colorful images of varieties of wildlife and plant species? It could be the views of the Amazon River.
Amazon Rain forest is a fascinating rain forest in the world. There are lots of secrets and mysteries hidden inside this thick deep forest, but the chances of them being revealed, are low.
Maybe, that’s why even after vast researches and trials, we know just about a limited area of the Amazon Rain forest. There are still many patches that are unexplored and untouched by outsiders.
Well, it makes things newer for us, as our curiosity reaches on another level. There are a lot of things that are unknown, undiscovered, unseen to us, and have not come out.
When? The answer to that is unknown, too, but would be known someday. Summing up, we can say that, Amazon Rain forest is one of the most precious gems on this Earth, and it’s the need for our survival.
Here, we are going to open up the most interesting facts about the Amazon Rain forest for you. The world of the thick, lush green forest and its amazing corners is a thing to explore. Meet the rarest wildlife forms that are only found here, and know their surprising capabilities.
Let’s get inside and meet the Indigenous tribes who are still persuading their ethnic culture of hunting and gathering and are living in the Amazon.
There is a life of struggle inside; for all the components of this fantastic forest, no matter if they are humans, animals, or plants, everyone needs to compete for their survival. The theory of “Survival of the Fittest” is well applied here. There is a fight every day, for living, for surviving. Survival is difficult in this Amazon rain forest.
The simple rule of the forest is that “If you want to survive, you need to fight.”
There’s a thread of amazing events and adventures that may leave you in complete awe. Let’s dive inside and discover some of the fantastic and fascinating details about this vast and unique Amazon Rain forest:
Amazon Rain forest: World’s Biggest Rain Forest
When we talk about the Amazon Rain forest, then the most noteworthy fact is the huge area it has! Many are amazed that Amazon is the world’s biggest rain forest, larger than the next two most extensive rain forests in the Congo Basin and Indonesia combined. It covers an area of 2.1 million square miles, which is enormous in itself. The following nine countries share the Amazon Region:
- Brazil – 58.4%
- Peru – 12.8%
- Bolivia – 7.7%
- Colombia – 7.1%
- Venezuela – 6.1%
- Guyana – 1.4%
- Suriname – 2.5%
- French Guyana – 1.4%
- Ecuador – 1%
No doubt, it is the biggest rain forest present on the Earth and is breathing. Covering the two-third area of Brazil, it has become the landmark for Brazil, making it worldwide famous for having the amazing Amazon inside it. Because of its huge size, it is still wholly undiscovered and inhabits lots of mysteries inside its brown-green cover.
If you are getting a chance to visit this incredible rain forest, then you should plan a trip of at least two weeks, for knowing things and getting its 5% views, that becomes too difficult because of its density and vast area.
The Structure of the Amazon Rain Forest:
Amazon is the largest Rain forest in the world because of its deep, dark, and wet features. It is entangled in its branches and shoots. The forest reflects the laws and structure of nature; it shows how life is and what struggle for survival is.
It is beautiful and challenging at the same time.
It is called the most diverse place on Earth, and it is worth the title. Thousands of species of plants form this vast tropical forest. We can never differentiate between all of its features, but few structures that are identifiable when you take an in-depth look.
- The moist forested area of the basin is evergreen and shows four strata of plant life.
- The four layers of vegetation are under-story, sub-canopy, canopy, and emergent layers.
Let’s take a broader look:
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Under- Story Layer:
These are present 5 to 20 feet above the ground layer and consist of small plants and shrubs. They pursue the capability to survive in low or no light and have chemical adaptations that give it protection from the predators. They fight the hardest battle to survive on the ground in the shade below the tall trees that are high up in the sky.
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Sub-Canopy Layer:
These are the layers present just above the Under-story structure, and they consist of palms and contain trees that struggle to get some sunlight through the openings on the canopy so that they can have some growth.
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Canopy Layer:
The Canopy layer averages 25 to 30 meters in height. The tall trees coverage dominates them. The tall trees present in this section build up the dense and thick canopy of the forest that makes the persistence of the sunlight difficult through its broad leaves.
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Emergent Layers:
This section is dominated by the tallest trees of the Amazon Rain forest. They have an average height of 50 to 60 meters from the ground level and reach above the canopy layer of the woods.
This structuring of the Amazon is naturally formed, and it strictly balances the ecological atmosphere of the rain forest. The big thick leaves of the trees that build up the canopy of this huge dense forest decides the amount of sunlight that can reach inside the forest. For the most exciting part, whenever it rains in the Amazon Rain forest, the raindrops take on an average of 10 minutes to reach the forest floor.
Amazon Rain Forest: The Amazon River
The lifeline of the Amazon Rain forest, nothing is possible in the Amazon without it. All the wildlife, plant species, and tribes that live inside the thick dark forest are dependent on the river for their survival.
The vast Amazon Basin covers a large area of 2.7 million square miles; it is twice large as of the Congo River. It is believed that the Amazon River carries the Earth’s one-fifth of all the water. Let’s take a look at its amazing features:
- It is the second-longest river in the world after the Nile River.
- The forest contains more than 5,600 species of fish who live here.
- The Arapaima, which is one of the world’s largest freshwater fish, is found here.
- The Dolphins in the Amazon River changes its color with age from gray to pink to white.
- It is the primary mode of transportation for the indigenous people.
Altogether, this makes the Amazon River the real lifeline of the Amazon and also the mightiest river on the Earth.
Lungs of the Earth:
Amazon Rain forest is known as the “Lungs of the earth” as it produces more than 20% of the world’s oxygen. But, at the same time, human intervention has led to its decline. The lungs of the Earth were on flames, the forest fire in the Amazon had a devastating effect on its flora and fauna, and the entire food chain lay disturbed for a long time.
The tribes living inside the forest suffered a lot as the fire engulfed all the food resources for them. The dark smoke covered the parts of Brazil and caused immense destruction.
Though, every forest has its secret healing secrets and ways. Amazon is still the world’s largest oxygen giver, but at the same time, most of the produced oxygen is used by the trees in the rain forest, for photosynthesis. Moreover, it creates a balance in the atmosphere.
Life in the Amazon Rain Forest:
Amazon is the home of thousands of plant species and wildlife creatures. The indigenous tribes living inside the thick woods also make up their livelihood from the forest. Altogether, the reason for Amazon getting burst with life is them.
Indigenous people are living the Amazon for centuries, and their population is much denser than before. Let us know some interesting facts about them:
- The tribes in the forest are completely different from any other tribes in the world for millions of years.
- Most of them are completely untouched from the outer world and are still following their ethnic culture.
- They depend on the forest for their livelihood; mostly, they follow the practice of hunting and gathering.
- They follow Shifting Cultivation for making their food.
- They follow a sustainable method of existence, i.e., they use the land of the forest without harming the plants and animals of the rain forest.
Though they have become a kind of threat to the forest too, their practice of shifting cultivation is causing a fast decline in the forested area of the woods. Sometimes, the fire set to burn a particular area of the forest, leads to dangerous devastation, as the flames spread to the other patches too.
The life of the Indigenous people has also been in danger, as they encountered the people from the outer world. There was a transfer of many diseases that led to community death in the forest.
National Parks: Amazon Rain Forest
The protected area under Amazon was created in 2002, and on an area of 2.5 million hectares, new national parks, and biological reserves were built in. To name some:
- Yasuni National Park, Ecuador
- Mamiraua Sustainable Development Reserve, Brazil
- Jau National Park, Brazil
- Manu National Park, Peru
- Madidi National Park, Bolivia
Economic Significance of the Amazon Rain Forest:
The Amazon Rain forest is the richest place on the planet from the billions of year’s evolution of life before humans were around. It is the home of the rarest animals and plant species that are mainly found in the Amazon Rain forest. This gives the Rain forest economic importance in the world economy. Let’s take notice to some notable points:
- The Amazon Rain forest is the most important producer of natural rubber in the world.
- This has made Brazil the largest producer of meat and soy-beans products in the world.
- The rich timber providers to the timber industry are trees like mahogany, teak, chestnut, walnut, rosewood, and ebony.
- Agriculture products like cocoa, coffee, and maize are grown on the cleared forest patches of the Rain forest.
- Tourism to the Amazon Rainforest contributes millions to the economy of South America.
Thus, we can see that the Amazon Rain forest is not less than a lifeline of the South American economy.
Threats to the Amazon Rain Forest:
The existence as the world’s largest rain forest is not a cakewalk. The forest is suffering because of human interventions and destructive actions. The Amazon forest has lost many of its natural bio-me and ecological equilibrium because of the interference of humans in its natural path.
- The fire in the Amazon Rainforest caused havoc to its natural balance and all the lives inside it.
- Deforestation in the Amazon for extracting gains and Cattle Ranching is causing an imbalance both in the food chain and in the natural environment inside the forest.
- On one side, the forest offers huge opportunities and economic gains for humans, but humans are too cruel for it.
- The continuous over-exploitation of the forest has led to a drastic decline in its forested areas.
- Illegal happenings in the forest are a major threat to it.
- Many illegal drugs are grown in the forest that contributes to illegal drug dealing that reaches Europe and the United States.
- Biological Trade is a significant threat to the wildlife of the Rain forest, mostly to the endangered species. The traders deal in the animal’s skin and other body parts.
- The destruction of the Amazon is also leading to an imbalance in the world’s climatic condition, like rainfall and freshwater contribution.
- The imbalance in the Amazon has also affected the fish industry of the Atlantic Ocean.
Overall, the Amazon Rain forest is facing a major biological depletion. We, humans, are not being a threat to the forest but also our lives.
The Amazon Rain forest is the lifeline of this whole world. Everything depends on it, ranging from our global climate to our survival. It is the reason for the rain and the balance of gases in the atmosphere.
Google the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, and see the green Amazon Rainforest with the deforested land. Let us contribute to its preservers and not as a driver of deforestation. The Amazon rain forest sustains the life on the Earth. Thus, its conservation and preservation is a need for us to live without difficulties.