WhereIsAtlas · Geography

The Amazon Rainforest

The world's largest tropical rainforest — spanning nine countries and the vast Amazon Basin

Active — The Amazon Rainforest is the world's largest tropical rainforest, spanning about 5.5 million square kilometers across nine South American countries, with the majority in Brazil. It is the most biodiverse place on Earth and a critical part of the planet's climate system.

The Amazon Rainforest is the largest tropical rainforest on Earth, covering roughly 5.5 million square kilometers across South America. It spans nine countries — Brazil (about 60%), Peru, Colombia, and smaller portions of Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana.

The rainforest occupies the vast Amazon Basin, a drainage basin centered on the Amazon River and its tributaries. Its boundaries are the Guiana Highlands to the north, the Brazilian Central Plateau and Andes foothills to the south, the Andes to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east.

The Amazon is the most biodiverse place on the planet, home to an extraordinary share of the world's species. It also plays a crucial role in the global climate, absorbing carbon and producing oxygen, and is often called the 'lungs of the Earth.' Today the Amazon faces serious threats from deforestation, mining and climate change, making its protection a global concern.

Quick facts

Size
~5.5 million km² (largest rainforest)
Countries
9 (Brazil ~60%, Peru, Colombia, +6)
Basin
The Amazon River and its tributaries
Biodiversity
The most species-rich place on Earth
Role
A major carbon sink / 'lungs of the Earth'
Threat
Deforestation, mining, climate change

Sources

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