The Amazon rainforest is the largest rainforest in the world, located in South America. The Amazon covers an area of over 5 million square kilometers (1.9 million square miles), stretching across nine countries: Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana.
The Amazon is home to an incredible diversity of plant and animal life; it is estimated that there are around 16000 species of trees and 10 000 species of animals living in the forest. The Amazon River flows through the rainforest – it is the second longest river in the world after the Nile and has more freshwater than any other river on Earth!
The climate of the Amazon is tropical – hot and humid with little variation throughout the year. However, there are two seasons in which rainfall varies: a wet season (November to April) and a dry season (May to October).
Deforestation is a major threat to the Amazon rainforest. Every year, large areas of forest are cleared for cattle ranching or soybean farming. This destroys vital habitat for many plants and animals as well as releasing huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere – contributing to climate change.
