We all know that the Amazon Rainforest is Earth's largest tropical rainforest, but here are 5 facts you probably didn’t know:
Covering over 5.5 million square kilometres, it’s so big that the UK and Ireland would fit into it 17 times!
The Amazon has an incredibly rich ecosystem – there are around 40,000 plant species, 1,300 bird species, 3,000 types of fish, 430 mammals and a whopping 2.5 million different insects. Wow!
There are between 400-500 different native tribes in the rainforest, with more than 50 who’ve had no contact whatsoever with the outside world. About half of all the Amazon’s indigenous tribes (roughly 240) live in Brazil.
More than 20% of the world’s oxygen is produced by the Amazon. It is sometimes referred to as ‘the lungs of the Earth’.
When it rains it takes around 10 minutes for water to reach the ground.
Make sure you use these fun facts the next time you want to impress some friends with your knowledge.