Amazon Rainforest Facts

The Amazon rainforest, also referred to as the Amazon jungle or Amazonia, is a moist broadleaf forest, spanning over an area of 1.4 billion acres of the Amazon Basin, in South America. Covering approximately 40 percent of the continent, the Amazon is the largest rainforest in the world. The Amazon rainforest is home to thousands of plant and animal species. One of the most interesting Amazon rainforest facts is that it constitutes approximately 54 percent of the total rainforests on the planet today.

Amazon Rainforest Interesting Facts
The Amazon rainforest is spread over eight South American countries, i.e. Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela. The Amazon river runs 4007 miles from the point of its origin to its mouth in the Atlantic Ocean. It discharges around 3.4 million gallons of water into the Atlantic on a per minute basis. More such Amazon rainforest facts are given below.

Amazon Rainforest Facts About Animals and Plants Species
The region is home to almost half of the plant, animal and insect species found on the planet. The bird species native to the Amazon rainforest constitute approximately one-third of the total bird population on the planet. The long list of animals native to this rainforest include Jaguar, Spider monkey, Giant ant-eater, Capibara, Anaconda, Amazon pink river dolphin etc. There are more than 40,000 plant species in the Amazon and the number is expected to soar as new species are being discovered every now and then. In fact, it is estimated that a large number of plant species which are used by the Amazon rainforest tribes, owing to their medicinal value, are yet to be subjected to scientific analysis.