Amazon rainforest has been one of the largest rainforests in existence for thousands of years, and it is a major contributor to our lives on earth. The secrets it holds and its life-giving nature are still a big mystery to humans, even after living on this earth for such a long time.
Every day researchers discover something new about it. Even after our countless technological advancements, we have not discovered the full extent of the amazon rainforest, which speaks volumes about its enormous size.
Home to countless species of mammals, plants, fishes, and insects, Amazon remains one of the world’s best-sustained diversity, where countless species coexist.
Researchers have discovered countless facts, yet countless remain to be found but even less are known by the general public. Yet, the internet is working in favour of sharing this information with people who want to discover the depths of Amazon through their screens.
Amazon Rainforest Facts
We are sharing a list of fascinating facts about Amazon with you, which you might not be aware of and may get dumbfounded by its magnitude. Here are some fun facts about the Amazon rainforest:
1. Largest Tropical Rainforest
The Amazon rainforest is the largest tropical rainforest in existence. It covers about 2.1 million square miles of the area around the world, which is approximately five times the size of the Philippines. Stretched across multiple countries such as Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Columbia, and Venezuela.
It is astonishing to think about the size of the Amazon rainforest, and it could cover over half of the area in the USA. It covers around 4% of the earth’s surface, representing its extravagant size.
If someone gets lost within this huge entity, there’s a very slim chance of being discovered again.
2. Abundance of Diversity
The Amazon Rainforest is the world’s largest tropical rainforest, so it has a plethora of diversity that shouldn’t be surprising. A land spread out to 2 million square miles inhabited by over 400 mammal species, around 1300 species of birds, and more than 2000 species of fish.
It is mind-boggling to think that in this forest has so many species have been co-existing for millions of years and will continue to do so in the future. The amazon rainforest is so enormous, stretched across multiple countries such as Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Columbia, and Venezuela. It is so magnificent that it seems as if it had come into existence through some miracle.
What seems surprising is that the ecosystem is still sustainable despite millions of species living together. It seems as if humans are the only species that cannot sustain themselves irrespective of having advanced intelligence compared to any other species.
3. World’s Largest River
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0lN7_JDRGc
It is the second-largest river globally, only second to the largest river globally, i.e. Nile. Its entire length is over 4000 miles, and it is considered the biggest river when its volume is taken into account.
According to some research, you would be surprised to know that the river pumps out a mind-boggling volume of water into the Atlantic ocean, which measures more than 50 million gallons.
The abundance of rainfall that occurs in South America is due to the fact that this great rainforest exists within the confines of this continent. Amazon is abundant with water accounting for the rainforest’s humid climate and generous rainfall pattern.
4. Amazon River Flows in Multiple Countries
By Brett Zeck/Unsplash Copyright 2022.
Amazon river doesn’t just belong to a single country; it exists in multiple countries, proving its enormous size as the 2nd largest river globally.
The nine countries the Amazon exists in are Brazil, Venezuela, Suriname, Peru, Bolivia, French Guyana, Colombia, and Peru. The only competitor that measures up to the Amazon is the Nile River, which runs across 10 South African countries.
We can say that the river is so huge that not only does it benefit one country, but it may be responsible for the sustenance of multiple such countries mentioned above.
This vast yet beautiful Amazon river is home to countless dangerous animals such as flesh-eating piranhas and dolphins.
5. Connected to Greek Mythology
An interesting fact regarding the Amazon Rainforest is its connection to Greek Mythology. A story goes around about a race of female warriors called themselves Icamiabas. These women were unmarried and were known to be fierce warriors.
Many entertainment media has been based on this theory, including books, shows, and movies. Many fictional stories have been published for more than 50 years about their exploits and existence.
6. Produces over 20 Percent of the World’s Oxygen
By Samuel Ramos/Unsplash Copyright 2022.
Some researchers claim that Amazon is responsible for producing over 20 percent of the world’s oxygen, which in itself speaks volumes about its importance on earth. Just imagine the amount of carbon dioxide that the Amazon rainforest absorbs.
It can also be considered a huge factor in preserving the glaciers considering the increased carbon dioxide emissions worldwide.
We can say that Amazon is one of the major reasons we enjoy life as we know it. Imagine a world without Amazon, and everything would turn into chaos when we factor in the carbon emissions, lack of oxygen, food, and rainfall that would impact the continent of South America and the whole wide world.
7. Home to Poison Dart Frogs
Amazon Rainforest is home to one of the most dangerous species of frogs in the world, i.e. poison dart frogs. Not even venomous snakes are resistant to their poison and avoid them, even though frogs are natural prey for them.
These frogs are further divided into many subcategories, and some of them are so lethal that even a mere contact with their skin can cause death, which is why they are considered to be one of the most dangerous animals on earth.
8. The Forest is Disappearing at an Alarming Rate
By roya ann miller/Unsplash Copyright 2022
You may not know, but the world’s largest tropical rainforest is becoming a victim of humanity’s progress, costing us our precious source of oxygen. Not only trees but countless species have become extinct due to changes in the atmosphere, and thus it has become a major issue that must be addressed properly.
According to some research, 1.5 acres of forest cover is lost every second, which is a very big cause for concern. There are many reasons for these changes, like deforestation, forest fires, cattle grazing, imbalance in the ecosystem, etc.
9. Discovery of New Species
By Sonika Agarwal/Unsplash Copyright 2022
You may find it surprising, but according to some research, every 3 days, a new animal species is discovered in this rainforest. This proves that there is so much that we still are not aware of. This phenomenon has been going on for the last ten years.
There may as well be species ranging from thousands to millions which have, yet to be discovered. Some of these species are so deep within the confines of this forest, that even after countless technological advancements, we cannot reach them.
10. Responsible for Climate Change
By Cassie Matias/Unsplash Copyright 2022
By holding more than 90 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide in itself, the Amazon can be considered one of the main reasons we can still exist on earth. But due to the abundance of deforestation and random forest fires, the forest has taken big damage, which has caused a severe blow to the environment on earth.
Considering the significant chunk of the world’s oxygen is produced in the Amazon rainforest, it is quite evident. The magnitude of the amazon rainforest is so big that when something changes there, it impacts the whole continent. Still, the whole wide world is impacted even by the small changes in the amazon rainforest.
11. Existence of Humans
More than 400 tribes of humans exist in the rainforest, which might seem surprising considering they have been living in a forest for thousands of years and never had any contact with the outside world.
When you consider these facts about the amazon, you realize that there is still so much to be discovered within those confines of the woods. Imagine a tribe of humans living within the Amazon rainforest for thousands of years.
What will it be like for them to come out of their old habitat and adapt to the confines of the modern world?
12. Swimming the Entirety of Amazon
By Jordan Whitfield/Unsplash Copyright 2022
You may not know this fact, but a man named Martin Strel swam the whole Amazon river in 66 days. He swam up to ten hours per day until his goal was achieved.
It is crazy to imagine that there exists a person who would go on swimming in the world’s longest river, which is terrifying yet astonishing at the same time. Swimming the beautiful Amazon river, which is home to one of the most terrifying species that live underneath the water’s surface, like flesh-eating piranhas, electric eels, and venomous snakes, takes a lot of courage.
Swimming the Amazon river is nothing short of a miracle and is a feat that isn’t easily achievable.
13. Cattle Ranching
By Annie Spratt/Unsplash Copyright 2022
We know that the Amazon rainforest is disappearing at an alarming rate, but you may not know the major reason. According to some researchers, cattle ranching is the major reason behind the deforestation of the Amazon and may add up to 70 percent of the major cause of the situation.
As we have stated before that, humans also exist within the Amazon rainforest, and among these tribes of humans the majority of them are farmers and herders. Apart from ranching, people in Amazon also work in mining and oil & gas extraction.
Millions of species live in Amazon, but the ones causing the disruption are humans themselves.
14. We Rely on Rainforest
By Mandy Choi/Unsplash Copyright 2022.
We humans have been benefiting from Amazon for thousands of years for water, oxygen, and food. There’s an abundance of products that we obtain from rainforests like coffee, tea, sugar, and various spices, including vanilla.
We indirectly destroy our valuable resources by destroying the Amazon forest via deforestation. The amazon rainforest accounts for the production of oxygen on a large magnitude, which is why we can sustain life as we know it.
The contribution of the amazon rainforest is not limited only to food, water, and oxygen, but also the pleasant environment we are used to is also heavily impacted by the presence of the Amazon rainforest.
15. The Rainforest Floor
By Sebastian Unrau/Unsplash Copyright 2022.
Amazon is considered one of the densest forests in existence. It is so dense that roughly 2 percent of light makes it through to the forest floor. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that the amazon rainforest is a very dark and scary place to be at its core. Due to lack of proper sunlight, leaves decay very quickly, and decomposers like termites, worms and fungi thrive in such an environment.
The tress and plants growing in small patches of sunlight have adapted according to the environment and are unlike the plants and trees that we see in our day-to-day lives. The survival of animals on the forest floor solely depends on insects and dead plants.
16. Largest Species of Insects
By Weronika Romanowska/Unsplash Copyright 2022.
Many people are scared of bugs, and they have proper justified reasons to behave that way. Bugs are unpredictable creatures, so we are afraid of them. It is good that bugs are significantly small in size and thus keep our fear at bay.
But what if we told you that a species of bugs exist within the Amazon rainforest, which is the size of rodents and some even bigger.
Amazon rainforest is home to one of the largest species of bugs known to men found on earth. Namely, the Titan beetle is a rare species found within the deep confines of the Amazon rainforest and measures up to the astonishing size of 6 inches, which quite honestly would scare the living hell out of anyone with a fear of bugs.
17. Role of the Sahara Desert
By Andrzej Kryszpiniuk/Unsplash Copyright 2022
Very few people know this, but the Sahara desert plays a huge role in sustaining the world’s largest tropical rainforest. As we all know, the Amazon rainforest is prone to yearly floods due to excessive rains.
This fact alone causes the loss of precious minerals that these plants require for proper growth. Due to excessive rainfall, all the minerals required for proper growth are swiped away from the soil and thus restricting sustainable growth.
Now Sahara desert is situated near the Amazon river basin. The dust particles from the Sahara are continuously reaching the amazon basin and thus replenishing the lost minerals of the soil, resulting in the sustainable growth of plants for decades and thus indirectly contributing towards a balanced growth of plants and the trees and thus conserving the ecosystem.
18. Covering Around 40 Percent of the South American Continent
By Andrew Stutesman/Unsplash Copyright 2022
Amazon rainforest is majorly situated in South America. It is a well-known fact that the Amazon is the world’s largest forest, but what seems astonishing is that it covers up to 40 percent of the South American continent.
You may as well say that the economy of South America is heavily based on the rain it receives due to the forest. Not only via rain, but the Amazon rainforest also contributes to the economy through various products like coffee, tea, timber, rubber, cocoa beans, etc.
19. Amazon Rainforest Home to Rare Species
By John Yunker/Unsplash Copyright 2022
It should come as no surprise that the humongous rainforest owning up to 40 percent of the land on the continent, is home to some of the rarest life forms.
It is home to some of the most beautiful and dangerous species on earth, to name a few of the most fascinating ones, such as the Amazon river dolphin, Hyacinth Mcaw, Tapir, brown spider monkey, and howler monkeys, etc.
20. Agriculture
By Raphael Rychetsky/Unsplash Copyright 2022
One might think that a rainforest as enormous as the Amazon rainforest with an abundance of plants and trees must be ideal for agriculture. Nothing can be further from the truth, as the soil requirements for agriculture are quite complex as it requires soil with an abundance of minerals, but the Amazon rainforest is not known for its rich soil.
Due to excessive rain, all of the minerals are swept away, Leaving the soil unproductive and a deficit of necessary minerals ideal for farming. Thus we can say that the Amazon jungle is not ideal for agriculture.
21. More than 300 Billion Trees
By Filippo Cesarini/Unsplash Copyright 2022.
Amazon forest is home to more than 300 billion trees, more than 15000 species of trees and more than 40,000 plant species, generating oxygen and preserving the life on earth.
We hope you liked our list of fascinating Amazon rainforest facts.
Last Updated on by ritukhare
