Amazon Rainforest

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Quick Facts

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Local names

Brazilian Portuguese: Floresta Amazônica; Spanish: Selva Amazónica

Countries

Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela

Area

7,050,000 km² (2,720,000 sq mi) approx.

Rivers

1,100+

Main river

Amazon River - 6,400 km (4,000 mi) approx.

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Introduction

Rio Negro, Amazon

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The Amazon Rainforest, also known as the Amazonia, the Amazon jungle or the Amazon Basin, contains over half of the rainforest in the world and is by far the largest rainforest with about 7 million square kilometers. The area actually containing forest is slightly smaller and is divided by 9 countries of which Brazil has the largest part. The other countries that the Amazon rainforest stretches into are French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.

Although the name comes from its main river, the Amazon River, there are over 1100 other rivers running through the tropical rainforest like the Orinoco River, Rio Madeira and Rio Negro. The Amazon River itself is the most important one and arguably the longest in the world (the Nile claims the same) with about 6600 kilometers from its delta near the Atlantic Ocean to its source high in the Peruvian Andes. Sometimes it is named the Amazon Basin referring to the total flooded area in the wet season of the Amazon River and all its branch rivers.

Getting there

Getting to the Amazon Rainforest requires time, money and sometimes a combination of the two. Although it is possible to travel overland or by river to most places, the occasional flight is a fair welcome when you are tired of travelling slowly.

There aren't many cities in the Amazon Rainforest itself, but the city of Manaus probably holds the title 'Capital of the Amazon' and actually has nearly 2 million inhabitants.

Other places from where to explore the rivers and rainforests are Porto Velho and Belem in Brazil, Iquitos in Peru and the so called triple frontier area of Colombia, Peru and Brazil.
Although Belem, Porto Velho and Manaus can be reached overland when travelling between these places, access is only by boat or by plane.