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The Mighty Amazon River

As a source of life and a species-rich biome, the Amazon River and the rainforest are vital to our planet. It's our duty to learn as much as we can about it so we can reduce the threat to this precious ecosystem.

Author: Adrowe

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On a snow-capped peak called Nevado Mismi, in the Peruvian Andes, water trickles from a glacier. This water joins with other streams to for the mighty Amazon River. In the 1500s European explorers came upon the magnificent Amazon and the people that lived along it's banks. They were amazed by the tropical wonders of the Amazon but realized how significant this river is to our planet.

Just How Big is The Amazon?
The Amazon River is the largest river by volume in the world. What this means is that there is more water rushing down the Amazon that the next ten rivers of the world combined. No bridge spans it, no city sits camped on it's banks. One fifth of the world's total river flow is within the Amazon River. The source of the Amazon is in Peru and it's basin on the Brazilian coast. In length it is second only to the Nile in Egypt although there may even be some dispute over this. As scientific technology improves, we may one day discover that the Amazon is indeed the longest river in the world.

The Rainforest
It is the Amazon Rainforest that gets most of the attention in the news today. This is
because it is the largest forest in the world and home to many unique and exotic species of insects, animals and plant life. More than one third of all species on the planet live in the Amazon rainforest. The River itself holds more than 3000 species of fish and the forest 2.5 million insect species. The rainforest is what we call a species-rich biome because of the diversity within.

Deforestation
Most of us realize that the Amazon River and the rainforest are in danger from a process called deforestation. But is it really as big an issue as environmentalists say? Yes it is. The biggest threat comes from farmers in Brazil who clear teh forest to make way for soybean production and cattle grazing. The rainforest soil is particularily good for short term growth meaning that more land has to be cleared in order for more crops and grazing lands to be prepared. The Brazilian government considers this practice to be good use of the land and the trees keep falling. You can read more about this and other important issues surrounding the Amazon River at http://www.amazonriverinfo.com.

About Author

AdRowe is a writer and teacher in Langley BC. Learn more at http://adrowe.wordpress.com.

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