At the same time, conservationists are concerned about the overcutting of valuable plants such as hardwood trees and also the destruction of rare plant species when the rainforest is burned over for clearing ( see deforestation). Again and again the rainforest has defeated settlement efforts. The vegetation of the Amazon rainforest grows rapidly, soon covering cleared areas unless it is cut back constantly. The basin also has an immense variety of insect, bird, reptile, and mammal life. The Amazon River has often been described as a vast sea of fresh water that supports about 1,500 to 2,000 species of fish, including catfish, electric eels, and piranhas. Of all the species of plants in the world, almost three fourths, many of which are still unidentified, live in the Amazon Basin. The remarkably rich and diverse plant and animal life of the basin’s rainforest is a resource of world importance. The major feature of the Amazon Basin is the vast Amazon rainforest, which accounts for about half of the world’s remaining rainforest area. The northeastern portion has extensive savannas, or grasslands, with occasional trees and shrubs.
Most of the Amazon Basin is a lowland forest of hardwoods and palms. Annual rainfall amounts to about 50 inches (130 centimeters), while the average temperature over a year is about 85° F (30° C). The largest oceangoing steamers can ascend the river 1,000 miles to Manaus, a Brazilian inland port.įor most of its course the river flows just south of the Equator, and so the Amazonian climate is hot and humid. The Amazon varies in width from 4 to 6 miles (6 to 10 kilometers) its mouth is more than 150 miles (240 kilometers) wide.
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