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Amazonia, that largest rainforest in the world, was originally covered by more than 2 million square miles of dense tropical forest. For centuries, this has protected the area and the animals residing in it. But over the past 30 years the government has transformed Amazonia into factory sites and settlements by sponsoring road projects, colonization schemes, and industrial developments.
The river basin
The Amazon River is the second largest river in the world. With its more than 1,000 tributaries, the Amazon River network encompasses almost half of South America. The Amazon itself is 4,080 miles (6,600 km) long. Only the Nile River is longer. Its total drainage basin is nearly as large as the entire United States. The Amazon Basin has a very warm and humid climate. It rains almost 200 days of the year, and per year rainfall exceeds 80 inches (2 m). The flow of the river into the sea is about 10 times the flow of the Mississippi, about 28 billion gallons per minute (1.8 million m³/s).
Tides affect the Amazon River almost 600 miles (1,000 km) inland because of the shallow gradient. An interesting fact is that the river is so large that it splits into channels around numerous islands. One island is as big as New Hampshire and Vermont combined.
Settlements
Amazonia is not very populated. There are a few cities along the Amazon's banks and scattered settlements inland. The jungle has been cleared in areas for plantations and some of the inhabitants search for latex and Brazil nuts in the streams. But most of the rain forest is still wilderness.
Flora and fauna
Not all of the plant and animal life of Amazonia are know because of its hugely unexplored areas. No one knows how many species of fish there are in the river either. Some have estimated close to 2,000 though. Some of the famous Amazon animals that reside here are the electric eel, the piranha, and the anaconda. The small percentage of plants and animals know to science have produced valuable foods, medicine, and commercial products.
External links
This information was taken from the website; http://www.smm.org/greatestplaces/notes/amazon.htm