Editing Amazon basin

{{Short description|Major drainage basin in South America}}
{{About|the drainage basin|the geologic feature|Amazon Basin (sedimentary basin)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
[[File:Amazonriverbasin basemap.png|thumb|Amazon River Basin (The southern [[The Guianas|Guianas]], not marked on this map, are a part of the basin.)]]
[[File:Mouths of amazon geocover 1990.png|thumb|The mouth of the Amazon River]]

The '''Amazon basin''' is the part of [[South America]] drained by the [[Amazon River]] and its [[tributary|tributaries]]. The Amazon [[drainage basin]] covers an area of about {{convert|7000000|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}},<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Amazon-River |title=Amazon River |website=britannica.com |publisher=Encyclopaedia Britannica }}</ref> or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries of [[Bolivia]], [[Brazil]], [[Colombia]], [[Ecuador]], [[Guyana]], [[Peru]], [[Suriname]], and [[Venezuela]], as well as the territory of [[French Guiana]].<ref>Goulding, M., Barthem, R. B. and Duenas, R. (2003). ''The Smithsonian Atlas of the Amazon'', Smithsonian Books {{ISBN|1-58834-135-6}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/places/amazon | title=Amazon | publisher=World Wildlife Fund | date=24 March 2023}}</ref>

Most of the basin is covered by the [[Amazon rainforest]], also known as [[Amazon rainforest|Amazonia]]. With a {{convert|5.5|e6km2|e6mi2|abbr=unit}} area of dense [[tropical forest]], it is the largest [[rainforest]] in the world.

== Geography ==
[[File:Amazon14 (5641588550).jpg|thumb|right|Aerial view of the [[Amazon rainforest]], near [[Manaus]]]]
The Amazon River begins in the [[Andes|Andes Mountains]] at the west of the basin with its main tributary the [[Marañón River]] and [[Apurímac River|Apurimac River]] in [[Peru]]. The highest point in the [[Drainage divide|watershed]] of the Amazon is the second biggest peak of [[Yerupajá]] at {{convert|6635|m|ft}}.

The Amazon River Basin occupies the entire central and eastern area of South America, lying to the east of the Andes mountain range and extending from the Guyana Plateau in the north to the Brazilian Plateau in the south.

With a length of about {{convert|6400|km|mi|abbr=on}} before it drains into the [[Atlantic Ocean]], it is [[List of rivers by length|one of the two longest rivers in the world]]. A team of scientists has claimed that the Amazon is longer than the [[Nile]],<ref>{{cite web | url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/06/070619-amazon-river.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070822042725/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/06/070619-amazon-river.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=22 August 2007 | title=Amazon Longer Than Nile River, Scientists Say | publisher=National Geographic | date=18 June 2007 | author=Roach, John}}</ref> but debate about its exact length continues.<ref name="River Britannica">{{cite web | url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Amazon-River | title=Amazon River | publisher=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] | date=16 March 2018 | access-date=21 August 2018 |author1=Raymond E. Crist |author2=Alarich R. Schultz |author3=James J. Parsons}}</ref>

The Amazon system transports the largest volume of water of any river system, accounting for about 20% of the total water carried to the oceans by rivers. Some of the [[Amazon rainforest]]s are [[deforestation of the Amazon rainforest|deforested]] because of an increase in cattle ranches and soybean fields. The Amazon basin formerly flowed west to the [[Pacific Ocean]] until the Andes formed, causing the basin to flow eastward towards the Atlantic Ocean.<ref name="Amazon Pacific">{{cite web|url=http://news.mongabay.com/2006/1024-amazon.html |title=Amazon river flowed into the Pacific millions of years ago |work=[[Mongabay]] |date=24 October 2006 |access-date=8 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130103204147/http://news.mongabay.com/2006/1024-amazon.html |archive-date=3 January 2013 }}</ref>

Politically the basin is divided into [[Peruvian Amazonia]], [[Amazônia Legal]] of Brazil, the [[Amazon natural region]] of [[Colombia]], [[Amazonas (Venezuelan state)]], and parts of [[Bolivia]] and [[Ecuador]].

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Distribution of the Amazon River basin area and discharge between countries<ref name=HyBam>{{cite web|url=http://www.ore-hybam.org|title=HyBam}}</ref><ref name="Região Hidrográfica Amazônica — Agência Nacional de Águas e Saneamento Básico (ANA)">{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.br/ana/pt-br/as-12-regioes-hidrograficas-brasileiras/amazonica|title=Região Hidrográfica Amazônica — Agência Nacional de Águas e Saneamento Básico (ANA)}}</ref>
!Country
!State
!Area
(km<sup>2</sup>)
!(%)
!Discharge
(km<sup>3</sup>)
!(%)
|-
|{{flagicon|Bolivia}}[[Bolivia]]
| rowspan="2" |
|724,000
|10.4
|291
|4.0
|-
|{{flagicon|Brazil}}[[Brazil]]
|4,674,619
|67.5
|4,167.3
|57.2
|-
| rowspan="11" |
|{{flagicon|Acre}}''[[Acre (state)|Acre]]''
|''164,123''
|''3.5''
|''144.2''
|''2.0''
|-
|{{flagicon|Amapá}}''[[Amapá]]''
|''44,870''
|''1.0''
|''57.7''
|''0.8''
|-
|{{flagicon|Amazonas}}''[[Amazonas (Brazilian state)|Amazonas]]''
|''1,559,159''
|''33.3''
|''1,848.3''
|''25.4''
|-
|''[[File:Bandeira do Distrito Federal (Brasil).svg|border|25px]] [[Brasília]]''
|''1,010''
|''0.02''
|
|
|-
|''{{flagicon|Goiás}}[[Goiás]]''
|''212,131''
|''4.5''
|''96.7''
|''1.3''
|-
|''{{flagicon|Maranhão}}[[Maranhão]]''
|''39,396''
|''0.8''
|''9.4''
|''0.1''
|-
|''{{flagicon|Mato Grosso}}[[Mato Grosso]]''
|''723,470''
|''15.5''
|''490.6''
|''6.7''
|-
|''{{flagicon|Pará}}[[Pará]]''
|''1,190,147''
|''25.5''
|''1,053.1''
|''14.5''
|-
|''{{flagicon|Rondônia}}[[Rondônia]]''
|''237,591''
|''5.08''
|''140.6''
|''1.9''
|-
|''{{flagicon|Roraima}}[[Roraima]]''
|''224,301''
|''4.8''
|''211.6''
|''2.9''
|-
|''{{flagicon|Tocantins}} [[Tocantins]]''
|''278,421''
|''6.0''
|''115.1''
|''1.6''
|-
|{{flagicon|Ecuador}}[[Ecuador]]
| rowspan="5" |
|146,688
|2.1
|258.4
|3.6
|-
|{{flagicon|Guyana}}[[Guyana]]
|12,224
|0.2
|8.8
|0.1
|-
|{{flagicon|Colombia}}[[Colombia]]
|345,293
|5.0
|755
|10.4
|-
|{{flagicon|Peru}}[[Peru]]
|967,176
|14.0
|1,739.5
|23.9
|-
|{{flagicon|Venezuela}}[[Venezuela]]
|53,000
|0.8
|60.0
|0.8
|-
| colspan="6" |
|-
| colspan="2" |'''''Amazon basin'''''
|'''''6,923,000'''''
|''100.0''
|'''''7,280'''''
|''100.0''
|}

== Plant life ==
[[File:Campo12Foto 2.JPG|thumb|Aerial view of part of the Amazon rainforest]]

Plant growth is quite dense and its variety of animal inhabitants is comparatively high due to the heavy rainfall and the dense and extensive [[Evergreen forest |evergreen]] and [[coniferous forest]]s. Little [[sunlight]] reaches the ground due to the dense roof of canopy by plants. The ground remains dark and damp and only shade-tolerant vegetation will grow here. [[Orchid]]s and [[bromeliad]]s exploit trees and other plants to get closer to the sunlight. They grow hanging onto the branches or tree trunks with [[aerial roots]], not as parasites but as [[epiphyte]]s. Species of tropical trees native to the Amazon include [[Brazil nut]], [[rubber tree]] and [[Assai palm]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Amazon|first1=Plants |title=Amazon plants and trees|url=http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/amazon/about_the_amazon/wildlife_amazon/plants/|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Coolest Plants in the Amazon Rainforest|url=https://www.rainforestcruises.com/jungle-blog/coolest-plants-in-the-amazon|website=Rainforest Cruises}}</ref>

== Wildlife ==
[[File:Jaguar in Pantanal Brazil 1 (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Jaguar]] in the area of Miranda near Amazon basin]]

=== Mammals ===
More than 1,400 species of [[mammal]]s are found in the Amazon, the majority of which are species of [[bat]]s and [[rodent]]s. Its larger mammals include the [[jaguar]], [[ocelot]], [[capybara]], [[Cougar|puma]] and [[South American tapir]].

=== Birds ===
{{Main|Birds of the Amazon}}

About 1,500 [[bird]] species inhabit the Amazon basin.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://rainforests.mongabay.com/0305.htm |title=Diversities of Image |last=Butler |first=Rhett |date=31 July 2012 |website=Mongabay.com |access-date=20 December 2014}}</ref> The [[biodiversity]] of the Amazon and the sheer number of diverse bird species is given by the number of different bird families that reside in these humid forests. An example of such would be the [[cotinga]] family, to which the [[Guianan cock-of-the-rock]] belong. Birds such as [[toucan]]s, and [[hummingbird]]s are also found here. [[Macaw]]s are famous for duck gathering by the hundreds along the clay cliffs of the Amazon River. In the western Amazon hundreds of [[macaw]]s and other [[parrot]]s descend to exposed river banks to consume clay on an almost daily basis,<ref>Munn, C. A. 1994. Macaws: winged rainbows. National Geographic, 185, 118–140.</ref> the exception being rainy days.<ref>{{cite journal | author = Brightsmith D. J. | year = 2004 | title = Effects of weather on parrot geophagy in Tambopata, Peru | journal = Wilson Bulletin | volume = 116 | issue = 2| pages = 134–145 | doi=10.1676/03-087b| s2cid = 83509448 | url = https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/209843 }}</ref>

=== Reptiles ===
The [[green anaconda]] inhabits the shallow waters of the Amazon and the [[emerald tree boa]] and [[boa constrictor]] live in the Amazonian tree tops.

Many [[reptile]] species are illegally collected and exported for the international pet trade. Live animals are the fourth largest commodity in the smuggling industry after drugs, diamonds and weapons.<ref>{{cite web|title=Amazon Reptiles|url=https://rainforests.mongabay.com/amazon/reptiles.html|website=Mongabay.com}}</ref>

=== Amphibians ===
More than 1,500 species of [[amphibian]]s swim and are found in the Amazon. Unlike temperate [[frog]]s which are mostly limited to [[habitat]]s near the water, tropical frogs are most abundant in the trees and relatively few are found near bodies of water on the [[forest floor]]. The reason for this occurrence is quite simple: frogs must always keep their [[skin]] moist since almost half of their [[Respiration (physiology)|respiration]] is carried out through their skin. The high [[humidity]] of the rainforest and frequent [[rainstorm]]s gives tropical frogs infinitely more freedom to move into the trees and escape the many [[predator]]s of rainforest waters. The differences between temperate and tropical frogs extend beyond their habitat.

=== Fish ===
[[File:Gregory Moine - Red bellied Piranha (by).jpg|thumb|[[Red-bellied piranha]] (''Pygocentrus nattereri'') is a species of [[piranha]]. This species lives in the Amazon River basin, coastal rivers of northeastern Brazil, and the basins of the [[Paraguay River|Paraguay]], [[Paraná River|Paraná]] and [[Essequibo River]]s.]]

About 2,500 [[fish]] species are known from the Amazon basin and it is estimated that more than 1,000 additional [[undescribed species]] exist.<ref name="Junk2007">{{citation |author1=Junk, W.J. |author2=M.G.M. Soares |author3=P.B. Bayley | year=2007 | title=Freshwater fishes of the Amazon River Basin: their biodiversity, fisheries, and habitats | journal=Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management | volume=10 | issue=2 | pages=153–173 | doi=10.1080/14634980701351023 |s2cid=83788515 }}</ref> This is more than any other river basin on Earth, and Amazonia is the center of diversity for [[Neotropical fish]]es.<ref name="AlbertReis2011">{{cite book|author1=James S. Albert|author2=Roberto E. Reis|title=Historical Biogeography of Neotropical Freshwater Fishes|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_Suu7a-ERdMC&pg=PA308|year=2011|isbn=978-0-520-26868-5|page=308|publisher=University of California Press }}</ref> About 45% (more than 1,000 species) of the known Amazonian fish species are [[Endemism|endemic]] to the basin.<ref name=Reis2016>{{cite journal | author = Reis R.E. | author2 = Albert J.S. | author3 = Di Dario F. | author4 = Mincarone M.M. | author5 = Petry P. | author6 = Rocha L.A. | year = 2016 | title = Fish biodiversity and conservation in South America | journal = Journal of Fish Biology | volume = 89 | issue = 1| pages = 12–47 | doi=10.1111/jfb.13016| pmid = 27312713 | url = https://zenodo.org/record/896303 | doi-access = free }}</ref> The remarkable species richness can in part be explained by the large differences between the various parts of the Amazon basin, resulting in many fish species that are endemic to small regions. For example, fauna in [[Clearwater river (river type)|clearwater rivers]] differs from fauna in [[Whitewater river (river type)|white]] and [[blackwater river]]s, fauna in slow moving sections show distinct differences compared to that in [[rapids]], fauna in small streams differ from that in major rivers, and fauna in shallow sections show distinct differences compared to that in deep parts.<ref>{{cite journal | author = Stewart D. J. | author2 = Ibarra M. | year = 2002 | title = Comparison of Deep-River and Adjacent Sandy-Beach Fish Assemblages in the Napo River basin, Eastern Ecuador | journal = Copeia | volume = 2002 | issue = 2| pages = 333–343 | doi=10.1643/0045-8511(2002)002[0333:codraa]2.0.co;2| s2cid = 86617207 }}</ref><ref>Mendonça, F. P., W. E. Magnusson, J. Zuanon and C. M. Taylor. (2005) ''Relationships between habitat characteristics and fish assemblages in small streams of Central Amazonia.'' Copeia 2005(4): 751–764</ref><ref name=Duncan>Duncan, W.P.; and Fernandes, M.N. (2010). ''Physicochemical characterization of the white, black, and clearwater rivers of the Amazon Basin and its implications on the distribution of freshwater stingrays (Chondrichthyes, Potamotrygonidae).'' PanamJAS 5(3): 454–464.</ref> By far the most diverse orders in the Amazon are [[Characiformes]] (43% of total fish species in the Amazon) and [[Siluriformes]] (39%), but other groups with many species include [[Cichlidae]] (6%) and [[Gymnotiformes]] (3%).<ref name="Junk2007"/>

In addition to major differences in behavior and ecology, Amazonian fish vary extensively in form and size. The largest, the [[arapaima]] and [[piraiba]] can reach {{convert|3|m|ft|abbr=on}} or more in length and up to {{convert|200|kg|lb|abbr=on}} in weight, making them some of the [[List of largest fish|largest strict freshwater fish]] in the world.<ref>{{FishBase | genus = Arapaima | species = gigas | month =September | year = 2017}}</ref><ref>{{FishBase | genus = Brachyplatystoma | species = filamentosum | month =September | year = 2017}}</ref> The [[bull shark]] and [[common sawfish]], which have been recorded far up the Amazon, may reach even greater sizes, but they are [[euryhaline]] and often seen in marine waters.<ref>{{FishBase | genus = Carcharhinus | species = leucas | month =September | year = 2017}}</ref><ref>{{FishBase | genus = Pristis | species = pristis | month =September | year = 2017}}</ref> In contrast to the giants, there are Amazonian fish from several families that are less than {{convert|2|cm|in|abbr=on|1}} long. The smallest are likely the ''[[Leptophilypnion]]'' sleeper gobies, which do not surpass {{convert|1|cm|in|abbr=on|1}} and are among the [[smallest fish]] in the world.<ref>{{cite journal| author=Roberts, T.R. | year=2013 | title=Leptophilypnion, a new genus with two new species of tiny central Amazonian gobioid fishes (Teleostei, Eleotridae)| journal=Aqua, International Journal of Ichthyology | volume=19 | issue=2 | pages=85–98}}</ref>

The Amazon supports very large fisheries, including well-known species of large catfish (such as ''[[Brachyplatystoma]]'', which perform long breeding [[Fish migration|migrations]] up the Amazon), [[arapaima]] and [[tambaqui]], and is also home to many species that are important in the [[aquarium trade]], such as the [[Oscar (fish)|oscar]], [[Discus (fish)|discus]], [[Pterophyllum|angelfish]], [[Corydoras|''Corydoras'' catfish]] and [[neon tetra]].<ref name="Junk2007"/> Although the true danger they represent often is greatly exaggerated, the Amazon basin is home to several feared fish species such as [[piranha]]s (including the famous [[Red-bellied piranha|red-bellied]]), [[electric eel]], [[river stingray]]s and [[Candiru (fish)|candiru]].<ref name="Sleen2017">{{cite book | veditors = van der Sleen P, Albert JS | year=2017 | title=Field Guide to the Fishes of the Amazon, Orinoco, and Guianas | publisher=Princeton University Press | isbn=978-0691170749 }}</ref>

Several [[cavefish]] species in the genus ''[[Phreatobius]]'' are found in the Amazon, as is the cave-dwelling ''[[Astroblepus pholeter]]'' in the far western part of the basin (Andean region).<ref name="Aldemarp2001">{{cite book | editor=Romero, Aldemaro | title=The Biology of Hypogean Fishes | year=2001| series=Developments in environmental biology of fishes | volume=21 | isbn=978-1402000768 }}</ref> The [[Tocantins River|Tocantins]] basin, arguably not part of the Amazon basin, has several other cavefish species.<ref name="Aldemarp2001"/> The deeper part of the major Amazonian rivers are always dark and a few species have adaptions similar to cavefish (reduced pigment and eyes). Among these are the knifefish ''[[Compsaraia]]'' and ''[[Orthosternarchus]]'', some ''[[Cetopsis]]'' whale catfish (especially ''C. oliveirai''), some ''[[Xyliphius]]'' and ''[[Micromyzon]]'' banjo catfish,<ref>{{cite book|last1= Fenolio|first1=Danté|year=2016|title=Life in the Dark: Illuminating Biodiversity in the Shadowy Haunts of Planet Earth|publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press|isbn=978-1421418636}}</ref> and the loricariid catfish ''[[Loricaria]] spinulifera'', ''L. pumila'', ''[[Peckoltia pankimpuju]]'', ''[[Panaque bathyphilus]]'' and ''[[Panaqolus]] nix'' (these five also occur in "normal" forms of shallower waters).<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Lujan|first1=Nathan. K.|last2=Chamon|first2=Carine. C.|year=2008|title=Two new species of Loricariidae (Teleostei: Silurifomes) from main channels of the upper and middle Amazon Basin, with discussion of deep water specialization in loricariids|journal=Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters|volume=19|pages=271–282}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Thomas, M.R. |author2=L.H.R. Py-Daniel  | year=2008 | title=Three new species of the armored catfish genus Loricaria (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from river channels of the Amazon basin | journal=Neotrop. Ichthyol. | volume=6 | issue=3 | doi=10.1590/S1679-62252008000300011 | pages=379–394| doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Cramer, C.A. |author2=L.H.R. Py-Daniel  | year=2015 | title=A new species of Panaqolus (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from the rio Madeira basin with remarkable intraspecific color variation | journal=Neotrop. Ichthyol. | volume=13 | issue=3 | doi=10.1590/1982-0224-20140099 | pages=461–470| doi-access=free }}</ref> The perhaps most unusual habitat used by Amazonian fish is land. The [[splash tetra]] is famous for laying its eggs on plants above water, keeping them moist by continuously splashing on them,<ref>{{Cite web
| url = http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2013/09/27/fish-that-lay-eggs-out-of-the-water-freshwater-species-of-the-week/
| title= Fish That Lay Eggs Out of the Water
| last= Howard | first= Brian Clark
| date= 27 September 2013
| work = National Geographic
| series= Water Currents
| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150528110345/http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2013/09/27/fish-that-lay-eggs-out-of-the-water-freshwater-species-of-the-week/
| archive-date= 28 May 2015
}}</ref> the [[South American lungfish]] can survive underground in a mucous cocoon during the dry season,<ref>{{cite web|author=SeriouslyFish | title=Lepidosiren paradoxa | url=http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/lepidosiren-paradoxa/ | access-date=30 April 2017}}</ref> some small [[Rivulidae|rivulid]] killifish can jump over land between water sources (sometimes moving relatively long distances, even uphill) and may deliberately jump onto land to escape aquatic predators,<ref>{{cite web | author=Vermeulen, F. | url=http://www.itrainsfishes.net/content/rivulus_introduction_001.php | title=The genus Rivulus | publisher=itrainsfishes.net | access-date=6 May 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120430065543/http://www.itrainsfishes.net/content/rivulus_introduction_001.php | archive-date=30 April 2012 | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Turko, A.J. |author2=P.A. Wright | year=2015 | title=Evolution, ecology and physiology of amphibious killifishes (Cyprinodontiformes) | journal=Journal of Fish Biology | volume=87 | issue=4 | pages=815–835 | doi=10.1111/jfb.12758| pmid=26299792 }}</ref> and an [[undescribed species]] of worm-like ''Phreatobius'' catfish lives in waterlogged [[leaf litter]] near (not in) streams.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/species.php?species_id=646|title=Cat-eLog: Heptapteridae: ''Phreatobius'': ''Phreatobius'' sp. (1)|author=Planet Catfish|publisher=Planet Catfish|access-date=30 April 2017|archive-date=23 October 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061023092123/http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/species.php?species_id=646|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Henderson, P.A. |author2=I. Walker | year=1990 | title=Spatial organization and population density of the fish community of the litter banks within a central Amazonian blackwater stream | journal=Journal of Fish Biology | volume=37 | issue=3 | pages=401–411 | doi=10.1111/j.1095-8649.1990.tb05871.x}}</ref>

Some of the major fish groups of the Amazon basin include:<ref name="Sleen2017"/>
* Order [[Gymnotiformes]]: Neotropical electric fishes
* Order [[Characiformes]]: characins, tetras and relatives
* Family [[Potamotrygonidae]]: river stingrays
* Family [[Arapaimidae]]: bonytongues
* Family [[Loricariidae]]: suckermouth catfishes
* Family [[Callichthyidae]]: armored catfishes
* Family [[Pimelodidae]]: pimelodid catfishes
* Family [[Trichomycteridae]]: pencil catfishes
* Family [[Auchenipteridae]]: driftwood catfishes
* Subfamily [[Cichlinae]]: pike cichlids, peacock cichlids and relatives
* Subfamily [[Geophaginae]]: Eartheaters and Neotropical dwarf cichlid
* Subfamily [[Poeciliinae]]: guppies and relatives

=== Insects ===
{{See also|List of butterflies of the Amazon River basin and the Andes}}

More than 90% of the animal species in the Amazon are [[insect]]s,<ref>{{cite web|title=Amazon Insects|url=https://rainforests.mongabay.com/amazon/insects.html|website=Mongabay.com}}</ref> of which about 40% are [[beetle]]s (Coleoptera constituting almost 25% of all known types of animal life-forms.)<ref name=insenc>[[#refPowell|Powell (2009)]]</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Species Diversity in Space and Time|author=Rosenzweig, Michael L. |publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-49952-1|year=1995}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Hunt, T. |title=A Comprehensive Phylogeny of Beetles Reveals the Evolutionary Origins of a Superradiation |journal=Science |volume=318 |issue=5858 |pages=1913–1916 |year=2007 |pmid=18096805 |doi=10.1126/science.1146954 |bibcode = 2007Sci...318.1913H |last2=Bergsten |first2=J. |last3=Levkanicova |first3=Z. |last4=Papadopoulou |first4=A. |last5=John |first5=O. St. |last6=Wild |first6=R. |last7=Hammond |first7=P. M. |last8=Ahrens |first8=D. |last9=Balke |first9=M. |last10=Caterino |first10=M. S. |last11=Gomez-Zurita |first11=J. |last12=Ribera |first12=I. |last13=Barraclough |first13=T. G. |last14=Bocakova |first14=M. |last15=Bocak |first15=L. |last16=Vogler |first16=A. P. |s2cid=19392955 |display-authors=etal}}</ref>

Whereas all of Europe has some 321 [[butterfly]] species, the [[Manú National Park]] in Peru (4,000 hectare-survey) has 2,300 species, while [[Tambopata National Reserve]] (5,500 hectare-survey) has at least 1,231 species.

== Climate ==
[[File:Walking tree.jpg|thumb|Amazon rainforest in Colombia]]
The [[Amazon River]] basin has a low-water season (known popularly as summer), and a wet season (known popularly as winter) during which, the rivers [[flood]] the adjacent, low-lying forests. The [[climate]] of the basin is [[Köppen climate classification|generally hot and humid]]. In some areas, however, the summer months (June–September) can bring cold snaps, fueled by Antarctic winds traveling along the adjacent mountain range. The average annual temperature is around 25-degree and 28 
degree Celsius with little to no distinction between summer and winter season.

== Human lifestyle ==
[[File:Amazonas floating village, Iquitos, Photo by Sascha Grabow.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|A floating village in [[Iquitos]], [[Peru]]]]

Amazonia is [[Population density|scarcely populated]]. There are scattered settlements inland, but most of the population lives in a few larger cities on the banks of the Amazon and other major rivers, such as in [[Iquitos]] – [[Department of Loreto|Loreto]] in [[Peru]], [[Manaus]]-[[Amazonas (Brazilian state)|Amazonas State]], and [[Belém]], [[Pará]]. In many regions, the forest has been cleared for [[soya bean]] [[plantation]]s and [[ranching]] (the most extensive non-forest use of the land); some of the inhabitants harvest wild [[rubber]] [[latex]], and [[Brazil nut|Brazilian nut]]s. This is a form of extractive farms, where the trees are not cut down. These are relatively sustainable operations in contrast to lumbering or agriculture dependent on clearing the rainforest. The people live in thatched houses shaped liked beehives. They also build apartment-like houses called "[[Maloca]]", with a steeply slanting roof.

== Languages ==
The most widely spoken languages in the Amazon are [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] and [[Spanish language|Spanish]]. There are hundreds of [[First language|native languages]] still spoken in the Amazon, most of which are critically [[endangered language|endangered]].

== Indigenous peoples ==
{{Seealso|Indigenous peoples in Brazil|List of Indigenous territories (Brazil)|List of Indigenous peoples of South America}}
[[File:Indigenous_brazil.jpg|right|thumb|Proposed and approved [[Indigenous territory (Brazil)|Indigenous territories]] in Brazil {{As of|2008|lc=y}}]]
Many tribal groups live in the Amazon Basin, often in relative isolation. It is estimated 400 or more tribal groups have lived in the Amazon Basin for hundreds of years with their own culture, language, and lifestyle. Today total population of Amazon basin is 1.5 million distributed. There are an estimated 100 uncontacted tribal groups.
The largest organization fighting for the [[indigenous peoples]] in this area is [[Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon River Basin|COICA]]. It is a supra organization encompassing all [[indigenous rights]] organizations working in the Amazon basin area, and covers the people living in several countries.

== River commerce ==
The river is the principal path of transportation for people and produce in the regions, with transport ranging from balsa [[raft]]s and [[dugout canoe]]s to hand built wooden river craft and [[watercraft|modern steel]] hulled craft.

== Agriculture ==
Seasonal floods excavate and redistribute nutrient-rich silt onto beaches and islands, enabling dry-season riverside agriculture of rice, beans, and corn on the river's shoreline without the addition of fertilizer, with additional [[slash and burn]] agriculture on higher floodplains. Fishing provides additional food year-round, and [[Pastured poultry|free-range chickens]] need little or no food beyond what they can forage locally. [[Charcoal]] made largely from forest and shoreline deadfall is produced for use in urban areas. Exploitation of [[bushmeat]], particularly [[deer]] and [[turtle]]s is common.

[[File:Operação Hymenaea, Julho-2016 (29399454651).jpg|thumb|[[Deforestation]] and increased road-building bring human encroachment upon wild areas, increased resource extraction and threats to [[biodiversity]].]]
Extensive [[deforestation]], particularly in [[Brazil]], is leading to the [[extinction]] of known and unknown species, reducing [[Biodiversity|biological diversity]] and adversely impacting soil, water, and air quality. A final part of the deforestation process is the large-scale production of charcoal for industrial processes such as steel manufacturing. Soils within the region are generally shallow and cannot be used for more than a few seasons without the addition of imported fertilizers and chemicals.

== Global ecological role / Function for climate change ==
{{expand section|date=June 2023}}

"Over past 20 years (2021), the Brazilian Amazon emitted 13% more CO<sub>2</sub> than it absorbed".<ref>{{Cite news|title=Rapid deforestation outweighs carbon capture by remaining trees|url=https://www.economist.com/interactive/graphic-detail/2022/05/21/the-brazilian-amazon-has-been-a-net-carbon-emitter-since-2016|access-date=10 June 2023
| newspaper = The Economist 
| date= 21 May 2022}}</ref>
<ref>{{Cite web
| first= Anna Jean | last= Kaiser
| date= 27 August 2019
|title=Explainer: Role of the Amazon in global climate change|url=https://phys.org/news/2019-08-role-amazon-global-climate.html|access-date=12 February 2023|publisher=phys.org|language=en}}</ref>

"Amazon biodiversity also plays a critical role as part of global systems, influencing the global [[carbon cycle]] and thus [[climate change]], as well as hemispheric hydrological systems, serving as an important anchor for South American climate and rainfall. It also produces 20% oxygen of the Earth."<ref>{{Cite web|title=Why the Amazon's Biodiversity is Critical for the Globe: An Interview with Thomas Lovejoy|url=https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2019/05/22/why-the-amazons-biodiversity-is-critical-for-the-globe|access-date=12 February 2023|website=World Bank|language=en}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Geography|Earth sciences|Latin America|Brazil}}
* [[Amazon biome]]
* [[Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization]]
* [[Amazon Conservation Association]]
* [[Amazon Conservation Team]]
* [[Deforestation of the Amazon rainforest]]
* [[Llanos de Moxos]]
* [[Llanos de Moxos (archaeology)]]
* [[Ucayali Peneplain]]
* [[Pre-Columbian agriculture in the Amazon Basin]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* Acker, Antoine. [https://web.archive.org/web/20160815062131/https://www.uni-bielefeld.de/cias/wiki/a_Amazon.html "Amazon"] (2015). Center for InterAmerican Studies, University Bielefeld.
* {{cite book|last1=Dematteis|first1=Lou|last2=Szymczak|first2=Kayana |title=Crude Reflections/Cruda Realidad: Oil, Ruin and Resistance in the Amazon Rainforest|date=June 2008|publisher=City Lights Publishers|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YW0oAQAAIAAJ|isbn=978-0-87286-472-6}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.pacificwestcom.com/amazon Herndon and Gibbon Lieutenants United States Navy]—An except from the book ''The First North American Explorers of the Amazon Valley'', by historian Normand E. Klare. Actual reports from the explorers are compared with present Amazon basin conditions.
* [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/03/AR2010090302302_pf.html "Scientists find Evidence Discrediting Theory Amazon Was Virtually Unlivable"] by ''[[The Washington Post]]''
* [https://www.loc.gov/item/2021668298/ "The Course of the River of the Amazons, Based on the Account of Christopher d'Acugna"] from 1680 (map

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{{Geography of South America}}
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[[Category:Amazon basin| ]]