Amazon Rainforest Geography and Distribution

Summary

The Amazon rainforest is a vast moist broadleaf tropical rainforest covering most of the Amazon Basin in South America. The basin spans approximately 7 million square kilometers, while the rainforest itself covers about 5.5 to 6 million square kilometers. It is centered around the Amazon River system and extends across Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. The region lies near the Equator and has a warm, humid climate with substantial annual rainfall. Brazil contains the largest share of the rainforest, followed by Peru and Colombia. Approximately 60% of the forest is in Brazil, 13% in Peru, and 10% in Colombia, with the remainder distributed among Bolivia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela. The Amazon represents more than half of the world's remaining tropical rainforest and is the largest continuous and most biodiverse tropical rainforest on Earth.

Key Points

• 1

  The Amazon rainforest covers approximately 5.5 to 6 million square kilometers within the roughly 7-million-square-kilometer Amazon Basin.

• 2

  It extends across nine political territories: Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana.

• 3

  Brazil contains about 60% of the rainforest, followed by Peru with approximately 13% and Colombia with about 10%.

• 4

  The rainforest is located mainly in tropical South America around the Amazon River and its extensive drainage basin.

• 5

  The Amazon is the world's largest remaining tropical rainforest and contains exceptionally high biodiversity.