Amazon Rainforest Details

The Amazon rainforest spans 5.5 million km² across 9 South American countries — Brazil contains 60% of it. It produces 20% of Earth's oxygen through photosynthesis, recycles 50–75% of rainfall back to the atmosphere (creating 'flying rivers'), harbors 10% of all species on Earth, and stores 100+ billion tonnes of carbon. It is the most biodiverse ecosystem on Earth by any measure. Deforestation has removed 17% of the original Amazon — and research suggests 20–25% deforestation may push the biome past a tipping point into 'dieback' (self-reinforcing drying that converts forest to savanna). The 2019-2023 fires (some set deliberately for cattle ranching) destroyed record areas. The Amazon contains an estimated 50,000 plant species, 3,000 freshwater fish species, 1,300 bird species, 430 mammal species, and 2.5 million insect species.