8 Facts About the Amazon That'll Blow Your

Mind
Like, did you know that the vast expanse of rainforest was named after female warriors
from Greek mythology?

By Daisy Hernandez
Sep 4, 2019
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The Amazon Rainforest is teeming with life—and helps sustain our by

producing thousands of the fruits we eat and use to make other foods. It's
home to a huge number of animals, plants, insects, and even indigenous
groups that have yet to be introduced to the modern world.

The Amazon River is one of the longest in the world and also hosts various
wildlife who thrive in its freshwater. There is no shortage of wonders birthed
by the Amazon—here are just a few.
 Massive Territory

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The Amazon is the world's largest rainforest—it's so large that you could take
the entirety of the United Kingdom and Ireland and fit them within the
boundaries of the Amazon 17 times.

The Amazon is so large, in fact, that it spans several South American

countries including Brazil, Colombia, and Bolivia and comprises 40 percent of
Brazil's total area.

Abundant Source of Food

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The Amazon is one of the rainforests that makes up an estimated 80 percent

of the world's food supply—think fruits, vegetables, nuts, and beans.

At least 3,000 fruits and veggies can be found in rainforests—the Western

world only uses around 200 of these.

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Home to Indigenous Groups

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The Amazon is home to an estimated 400-500 different groups of indigenous
people—an approximated 50 of these tribes have never had contact with the
outside world.

A Name With Historical Roots

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Spanish explorer, Francisco de Orellana, gave the Amazon its name after
surviving an attack by a group of native female warriors known as the
'Icamiabas.'

Orellana was reminded of the fierce Amazons from Greek mythology and thus
named his discovery after the fabled warriors.

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One of the World's Largest Rivers
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The famous Amazon River runs through the Amazon Rainforest and spans
the length of 3,977 miles via a winding path making it the second longest river
in the world after the Nile (4,132 miles).

Thick Vegetation

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The Amazon is so densely packed with vegetation that it could take up to 10

minutes for rain the reach the ground reports National Geographic. This thick
vegetation also means that the rainforest floor is in near constant darkness—
sunlight can't penetrate the canopy to reach the floor.

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Diverse Wildlife

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National Geographic notes that the Amazon is home to a wildly diverse and
rich ecosystem consisting of 40,000+ plant species, 1,300 bird species, 3,000
kinds of fish, 430 mammals, and 2.5 million different types of insects.

Global Regulator
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The Amazon is a global regular in that it work to stabilize climate at local and
global levels.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) reports that the rapid rate of deforestation
occurring in the Amazon could release billions of metric tons of carbon that
are currently being contained within the rainforest by the lush vegetation.