Here are some interesting facts about the Amazon Rainforest:

3 million species live there

The Amazon Rainforest holds up to 10 percent of the worlds species. From the Titan beetle to the Jaguar, the diverse animals in the rainforest play an important role in the ecosystem. The scraps from food, feces, and animal carcasses hold valuable nutrients that help the soil microbes to better absorb carbon instead of releasing it back into the atmosphere. The animals of the rainforest help transport seeds to different locations, helping to spread plants to different areas and create even more biodiversity in the forest. 

It contains 123 billion tons of carbon

Known as one of the largest carbon sinks in the world, the Amazon Rainforest stores at least two billion metric tons of carbon each year and releases 6% of the worlds oxygen. Through the process of photosynthesis, the trees in the rainforest pull CO2 from the atmosphere and from the soil and convert that into glucose. The trees store the remaining carbon in the soil and tree roots while releasing the oxygen back into the atmosphere. Due to recent deforestation ,the carbon that was once stored in the trees and soil is now being released back into the atmosphere. New forest fires don’t benefit this cause either. 

The Amazon River is 4,000 miles 

The “River in the sky” runs through Peru, Columbia, and Brazil, carrying 20% of the Earth’s freshwater out into the sea. The Amazon River is a bunch of smaller streams that collectively join together to make the Amazon River. It is home to 3,000 species of fish, and is a large area for biodiversity to take place. 

It is home to 30 million people

The Amazon Rainforest has been home to many ethnic and indigenous groups for centuries. It is also home to many different types of animals, bugs, and plant species. Over the years, the indigenous people that inhabit the Amazon have been faced with many environmental challenges, such as deforestation. Despite these challenges, Brazil has set aside large regions of forest for Indigenous reserves helping to preserve these Indigenous nations and slow down deforestation rates for years to come. 

–https://rainforests.mongabay.com/amazon/amazon-rainforest-facts.html 

–https://news.mongabay.com/2021/09/new-study-offers-latest-proof-that-brazilian-amazon-is-now-a-net-co2-source/#:~:text=While%20the%20Amazon%20as%20a,metric%20tons%20during%20that%20period. 

–https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/a28910396/amazon-rainforest-importance/ 

–https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/biodiversity-and-the-amazon-rainforest/ 

–https://research.noaa.gov/article/ArtMID/587/ArticleID/2778/Deforestation-warming-flip-part-of-Amazon-forest-from-carbon-sink-to-source?fbclid=IwAR3vo9Qgld1N6H8ODxnhffL3olgiHtlPeqmA58yQ4xfBFyN9ELHm2YQRoZA#:~:text=The%20Amazon%20is%20estimated%20to,helping%20to%20moderate%20global%20climate. 

–https://animals.mom.com/how-do-animals-in-the-rain-forest-survive-7065552.html 

–https://www.science.org/content/article/amazon-rainforest-ability-soak-carbon-dioxide-falling#:~:text=Worldwide%2C%20they%20suck%20up%202.4,should%20encourage%20trees%20to%20grow. 

–https://www.skysource.org/blog/2018/12/19/the-largest-river-on-earth-is-in-the-sky 

–http://www.discover-peru.org/peru-geography-amazon-river/