It’s a given that Amazon is world’s biggest rainforest and supplies some of the food you prepare in your https://www.ponfish.com/top-best-countertop-microwaves-for-seniors/. But apart from that, there are also other interesting facts about Amazon that will surely amaze you.
Number 1. The Amazon rainforest is so big that it is even bigger than the 2 largest rainforests in Indonesia and Congo Basin combined.
Number 2. The Amazon basin measures at an immense 6.9 million square kilometers, which is about the size of 48 contiguous United States and covering around 40% of South American continent. The Amazon rainforest, which is biogeographically defined, does include rainforest in Guianas that is just outside the Amazon Basin. This covers 7.8 to 8.2 million square kilometers with 80% of it is forested.
Number 3. By far, the Amazon River is the biggest river in terms of volume and carries more than 5x the volume of Congo river or 12x that of Mississippi. It has about 1100 tributaries with 17 of which are actually longer than a thousand miles.
Furthermore, it drains an area that is almost the same size of the 48 contiguous United States.
Number 4. For once, the Amazon River is flowing westward rather than eastward as what it does these days. Well, this was because of the rise of Andes that caused it to flow into Atlantic Ocean.
Number 5. It is estimated that the Amazon rainforest has around 390 billion trees and 16,000 species of it.
Number 6. Believe it or not, you will be able to find approximately 2/3 of Amazon Rainforest in Brazil.
Number 7. The Amazon Rainforest houses around 2.5 million insect species. And more than half of it are thought to be living in canopy.
Number 8. As a matter of fact, 70% of South American’s GDP being manufactured in areas that are receiving water or rainfall from the Amazon. This is due to the reason that Amazon greatly influences patterns of rainfall that goes as far as the US.
Number 9. Cattle ranching basically account for approximately 70% of the deforestation in Amazon.
Number 10. Since 2004, deforestation in Amazon rainforest is declining, primarily because of falling deforestation rate in Brazil.
