7 things you want to know about the Amazon

WWF

You might already know that the Amazon rainforest is the largest tropical rainforest in the world. And that more than half of the Amazon is located in Brazil and that the other half is located in Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, Guyana, Bolivia, Suriname and French Guiana. But did you know that:

1. One in ten known species on Earth lives in the Amazon.

© Zig Koch / WWF
Butterflies near the Augusto Falls on the Juruena River, Juruena National Park, Brazil.
© Zig Koch / WWF

2. The Amazon covers 1.4 billion acres of dense forests, half of the planet’s remaining tropical forests.

© Michel Roggo / WWF-Canon
© Michel Roggo / WWF-Canon

3.  Thirty million people living in the Amazon depend on its resources and services, not to mention many millions more who live in other parts.

© Edward Parker / WWF-Canon
© Edward Parker / WWF-Canon

 4.  The Amazon is home to more than a thousand different species of birds – including the amazing macaw.

Blue and yellow macaw, Juruena National Park, Brazil © Zig Koch / WWF
Blue and yellow macaw, Juruena National Park, Brazil © Zig Koch / WWF

5.  Macaws are highly intelligent and social, living in flocks of 10 to 30 birds.

Red-bellied macaws © Zig Koch / WWF
Red-bellied macaws © Zig Koch / WWF

6.  The Amazon is one of the last refuges for jaguars, harpy eagles and pink dolphins.

Jaguar (Panthera onca); Brazil © Michel Gunther / WWF-Canon
Jaguar (Panthera onca); Brazil © Michel Gunther / WWF-Canon

7.  WWF has worked to protect the Amazon for more than 40 years, not only for the macaws, but for all the wildlife and people who rely on its landscape.

Seringalhinho Lake during the rainy season Amazonas © Juan Pratginestos / WWF-Canon
Seringalhinho Lake during the rainy season Amazonas © Juan Pratginestos / WWF-Canon

Get To Know The Amazon and learn more about WWF’s work to protect it.
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RIO 2 is helping WWF protect the Macaw and their habitat through the home entertainment release of RIO 2, now available on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment is donating $100,000 to WWF to support our conservation efforts in the Amazon.