Located at the north of Brazil, the Amazon River Basin has 20% of all fresh water that exists on the planet.
Home to more than 10% of the world’s known wildlife species, the Amazon’s diverse forests, rivers, and savannas harbour the greatest known richness of species than any other ecosystem.
Before being named the Amazon River, the largest river in Brazil was called Rio Icamiabas by the natives. Icamiabas means women living without men, like the mythical Amazons.
With over 100 new species discovered each year, the Amazon is still revealing its secrets.
Over 400 tribes, each with a distinct culture, language, and territory, continue to live in a largely traditional manner, relying on these forests for their survival. Nearly 100 of these tribes are “uncontacted” or in “voluntary isolation”.
Amazon river – lungs of the planet
Often referred to as the “lungs of the planet” the Amazon is the world’s largest tropical forest. Spanning roughly 6.7 million square kilometers (2.6 million square miles), it plays a vital role in reducing levels of air pollution.
Of the twenty largest rivers in the world, ten are in the Amazon Basin. Even the Amazon River is 4087 miles long (2246 miles are in Brazilian territory).
One of the rivers of the Amazon, the Rio Negro has more water than all the fresh water in Europe.
You can find sharks and other sea fish in the Amazon River. Sharks have been seen 400 km upstream.
One of the peculiarities of the Amazon basin are the aquatic plants on Amazon. The best-known plant is the Victoria Regia, whose leaves sometimes can grow up to seven meters in diameter.
Marajó Island is not an island but an archipelago of about 2000 islands in the Amazon. The area of Marajó is greater than Switzerland.
The largest river archipelago in the world is Mariuá, at the bed of the Rio Negro. Believe it or not, Mariuá is made up of over 700 islands.
The second largest freshwater archipelago in the world is in the Amazon and is called Anavilhanas. Located in the state of Amazonas, the Anavilhanas Archipelago consists of about 400 islands.
But since large-scale deforestation began in 1970, some 20% of the rainforest has been destroyed.
