Introducing the Amazon Rainforest |
Forests are the world's air-conditioning system, the lungs of the planet and we are on the verge of switching it off |
Overview
The Amazon Rainforest, or Amazonia, is one of the largest rainforests in the world. It covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America. The rainforest covers over 5,500,000 square kilometres of the Basin, covering a series of nine nations, with Brazil containing over 60% of the forest.
The Amazon is made up of a mosaic of ecosystems and vegetation. The Amazon River, is the second largest river in the world, drains the Amazon. Throughout history, the shape of the Amazon has transformed due to the change in temperatures and climate conditions in the world, as well as the influence of man overtime, and the destruction caused by man.
The Amazon is made up of a mosaic of ecosystems and vegetation. The Amazon River, is the second largest river in the world, drains the Amazon. Throughout history, the shape of the Amazon has transformed due to the change in temperatures and climate conditions in the world, as well as the influence of man overtime, and the destruction caused by man.
This documentary explores the Amazonian Rainforest, from the variety of plants and animals to the native indigenous people that live there
History
The date on which the rainforest was formed is unknown, however, it is scientifically suggested that the rainforest was formed during the Eocena era. The Amazon Rainforest, was predicted to have been formed as a result of a global reduction of tropical temperature when the Atlantic Ocean had widened sufficiently to provide a warm, moist climate to the Amazon Basin. Since then it is predicted that the rainforest has been in existence for at least 55 million years. Following the extinction of the dinosaurs, the climate was much wetter and as a result it allowed the tropical rainforest to extend much further south, across the continent. As time went on the Amazon Rainforest, spread rapidly throughout savannah regions, and the rainforest still managed to thrive during a variety of different time periods, such as the glacial period, which allowed the survival and evolution of a broad diversity of species. Evidently, however, there have been a variety of changes in the Amazonian vegetation throughout the last Glacial Maximum and subsequent de-glaciation.
Archaeological evidence suggests that human inhabitants first settled in the Amazonian region about 11,200 years ago. The Amazon Rainforest was sparsely populated for a long period of time because the quality of the soil didn’t support agriculture. It is claimed that the population density was about 0.2 inhabitants per square kilometre which was the maximum population that can be sustained in the rainforest. Since AD 1500, the Amazon Rainforest, however, consisted of about 5 million people though by the 1900, such population decreased to less than one million and by the 1980’s the population was under 200,000. It is believed, that such high population, in AD 1500, meant that the Amazon Rainforest was somewhat shaped by man instead of a completely natural transformation.
Archaeological evidence suggests that human inhabitants first settled in the Amazonian region about 11,200 years ago. The Amazon Rainforest was sparsely populated for a long period of time because the quality of the soil didn’t support agriculture. It is claimed that the population density was about 0.2 inhabitants per square kilometre which was the maximum population that can be sustained in the rainforest. Since AD 1500, the Amazon Rainforest, however, consisted of about 5 million people though by the 1900, such population decreased to less than one million and by the 1980’s the population was under 200,000. It is believed, that such high population, in AD 1500, meant that the Amazon Rainforest was somewhat shaped by man instead of a completely natural transformation.
Biodiversity
The Amazonian Rainforest is home to over four hundred billion trees and consists of millions of species. Wet tropical forest allow a variety of species, and is stated to be a “species-rich biome.” The Amazonian rainforest is the largest tropical rainforest in the Americas, and is known to have one in ten species in the world, making the Amazonian Rainforest to contain the largest collection of living plants and animals.
The Amazon Rainforest consists of over 16,000 tree species, approximately 2.5 million insect species and over 2,000 species of birds and animals. The exact number, however of all the species in the Amazon Rainforest is highly difficult to calculate due to the vast area the Amazonian Rainforest covers. Furthermore, such species tend to be found in certain locations in the Amazon, and tend not to spread throughout the rainforest. The Rainforest consists of the highest biodiversity of plant species, with over 16,000 tree species, which scientists calculated through analysing data from 1,170 surveys and with over 100 experts. |
A small preview of the diversity of species in the Amazonian Rainforest
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Interesting Facts
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