Amazon Rainforest

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Amazon Rainforest

region, South America

Written and fact-checked by 

Last Updated: Apr 11, 2024 • Article History

Recent News

Apr. 11, 2024, 10:11 AM ET (New York Times)

'Narco-deforestation' and the future of the Amazon

Apr. 10, 2024, 1:28 AM ET (MSN)

Predator becomes prey: Moment anaconda crushes caiman to death in the Amazon rainforest by coiling itself around ...

Top Questions

How large is the Amazon Rainforest?

How many species does the Amazon Rainforest contain?

How quickly is the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil being deforested?

A stream in the Amazon Rainforest, Ecuador.

A stream in the Amazon Rainforest, Ecuador.

Amazon Rainforest, large tropical rainforest occupying the drainage basin of the Amazon River and its tributaries in northern South America and covering an area of 2,300,000 square miles (6,000,000 square km). Comprising about 40 percent of Brazil’s total area, it is bounded by the Guiana Highlands to the north, the Andes Mountains to the west, the Brazilian central plateau to the south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east.


A brief treatment of the Amazon Rainforest follows. For full treatment, see South America: Amazon River basin.


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Home

Geography & Travel

Nature Reserves & National Parks

Geography & Travel

Amazon Rainforest

region, South America

Written and fact-checked by 

Last Updated: Apr 11, 2024 • Article History

Recent News

Apr. 11, 2024, 10:11 AM ET (New York Times)

'Narco-deforestation' and the future of the Amazon

Apr. 10, 2024, 1:28 AM ET (MSN)

Predator becomes prey: Moment anaconda crushes caiman to death in the Amazon rainforest by coiling itself around ...

Top Questions

How large is the Amazon Rainforest?

How many species does the Amazon Rainforest contain?

How quickly is the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil being deforested?

A stream in the Amazon Rainforest, Ecuador.

A stream in the Amazon Rainforest, Ecuador.

Amazon Rainforest, large tropical rainforest occupying the drainage basin of the Amazon River and its tributaries in northern South America and covering an area of 2,300,000 square miles (6,000,000 square km). Comprising about 40 percent of Brazil’s total area, it is bounded by the Guiana Highlands to the north, the Andes Mountains to the west, the Brazilian central plateau to the south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east.


A brief treatment of the Amazon Rainforest follows. For full treatment, see South America: Amazon River basin.


Brazil

More From Britannica

Brazil: Amazonia

Central and Northern Andes and the Amazon River basin and drainage network

Central and Northern Andes and the Amazon River basin and drainage network

Amazonia is the largest river basin in the world, and its forest stretches from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the tree line of the Andes in the west. The forest widens from a 200-mile (320-km) front along the Atlantic to a belt 1,200 miles (1,900 km) wide where the lowlands meet the Andean foothills. The immense extent and great continuity of this rainforest is a reflection of the high rainfall, high humidity, and monotonously high temperatures that prevail in the region.


Glimpse the Amazon Rainforest's diverse wildlife, from anacondas and sloths to macaws and capybaras

Glimpse the Amazon Rainforest's diverse wildlife, from anacondas and sloths to macaws and capybaras

Learn about wildlife of the Amazon Rainforest, including macaws, toucans, tyrant flycatchers, capybaras, tapirs, sloths, squirrel monkeys, red howler monkeys, jaguars, caimans, anacondas, tarantulas, leaf-cutter ants, scarlet ibis, and black skimmers.

See all videos for this article

The Amazon Rainforest is the world’s richest and most-varied biological reservoir, containing several million species of insects, plants, birds, and other forms of life, many still unrecorded by science. The luxuriant vegetation encompasses a wide variety of trees, including many species of myrtle, laurel, palm, and acacia, as well as rosewood, Brazil nut, and rubber tree. Excellent timber is furnished by the mahogany and the Amazonian cedar. Major wildlife includes jaguar, manatee, tapir, red deer, capybara and many other types of rodents, and several types of monkeys.


Learn how the Brazilian government incentivized forest clearing in the Amazon for beef production and ranching

Learn how the Brazilian government incentivized forest clearing in the Amazon for beef production and ranching

Deforestation of the Amazon River basin has followed a pattern of cutting, burning, farming, and grazing. This process is then repeated on adjacent plots of land, steadily pushing back the borders of the Amazon Rainforest.

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Behold the multitude of Amazonian arthropods including spiders, scorpions, beetles, and mantids

Behold the multitude of Amazonian arthropods including spid


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