Today, we decided to introduce to you the largest and the most important forest in the World- Amazon.
1. The rainforest is called Amazon because it locates in the Amazon River basin. If you trace the name to even earlier time, you will find out that the name, Amazon, was originated after the war between the Spanish explorer, Francisco de Orellana and the local tribe Tapuyas. During the war, women of the tribe fought alongside the men. After the incident, Orellana called the place Amazonas after the mythical Amazonas tribe of women warriors described by Herodotus.
2. World’s largest river, Amazon, and its branches flow through the Amazon rainforest, watering the dense population of trees.
3. Amazon is often called the “lungs of the planet” because it produces about 20% of the world’s oxygen.
4. The age of the Amazon forest estimated to be about 55 million years. Scientists suggest the rainforest came to an existence during the Eocene era.
5. Amazon forest occupies about 2.2 million sq. miles. It is 9 times larger than the state of Texas.
6. When we talk about Amazon Rainforest Facts, we have mention about its important flora and animal life: One in ten known species on earth dwell in the Amazon rainforest. It includes 40 thousand species of flora, 430 species of mammals and 300 – reptiles, as well as a large number of insects (butterflies just over 1,800 species).
7. The number of birds that live in the Amazon rainforest accounts for one / third of the total number of bird species on earth. The most famous symbol of the forest is a toucan.
8. According to researchers, the largest deforestation activity is taking place in Amazon forest due to the industrial development of nearby states. Since Amazon rainforest is the important source to decrease global carbon dioxide from the air and produce oxygen, the deforestation of Amazon is not threat only for surrounding countries, but these destructive activities can give negative effect to the planet as a whole.
9. It is also important to mention the human population of the Amazon. The Rainforest is home for nearly 3 million indigenous Amazonians, these indigenous people represent about 300 tribes, And, they speak in 170 different languages.
10. Annually, the Amazon forest gets over 95 inches (240 cm) of rain. About 50% of that recycles back into the atmosphere through evaporation.
11. It is worth noting that the number of species of fish that live in the region exceeds the number of species of fish that found in the territory of whole Europe. Amazon also facilitates the world’s largest fish – Arapaima. Their length reaches impressive 8.5 ft. (2.5 m in length), and they have a record weight of 552 lbs. (250 kg).
12. If you decided to travel to the Amazon rainforest, you should be aware of the risks of being attacked by a cougar, jaguar, or an anaconda.
13. Amazon is home for major cattle ranchers. I included it because cattle ranches cause an estimated 70 percent of Amazon deforestation.
14. The rainforest gets dust for its soil from the Sahara desert, which locates on the other side of the Atlantic ocean.
A rain and flooding wash off the crucial dust from the rainforest. Interestingly, 56% of compensation to that loss comes from the part of the Sahara desert which locates in Northern Chad. An estimated 50 million tonnes of dust from Sahara naturally blown into the Amazon forest coming all the way across the Atlantic Ocean.
15. The first settlers inhabited the place about 11,200 years ago.
