Amazing Amazon!

Often referred to as the "Lungs of the Earth", not for wrong reasons as 25% of world’s oxygen is manufactured from Amazon rainforests.

It is still undiscovered completely; infact very little is still known about it. Some key facts from whatever we know are as follows:

· Amazon Basin includes all areas drained by the Amazon River and its thousands of tributaries.

· Amazon basis spans across 9 countries in total: Brazil (58%), Peru (13%), Bolivia (8%), Colombia (7%), Venezuela (6%), Ecuador, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana covering ~ an area of 7 million sq. kms., out of which, 5.5 million sq. kms. is rainforest which has been in existence for at least 55 million years. The Amazon rainforest is larger than the next two largest forests (the Congo and Indonesia) combined.

· The name “Amazon” is said to arise from a war Francisco de Orellana fought with the Tapuyas and other tribes. The women of the tribe fought alongside the men, as was their custom. Orellana derived the name “Amazonas” from the Amazons of Greek mythology, who were a tribe of fighter women.

· 10% of the world’s known animal species live in the Amazon rainforest and 20% of the world’s bird species live in the Amazon rainforest.

· Largely due to the dense plant growth, Amazon rainforest provides shelter to an incredible array of animals. It is home to ~ 40,000 plant species (estimated to have nearly 400 billion individual trees) and 1,300 bird species, 3,000 types of fish, 430 mammals, 2500 butterflies and 2.5 million different insects. In 2017, a new species of plant or animal was discovered in the Amazon every other day.

· Some of the most unusual animals of the planet are seen in the rainforests; these include: the Jesus Christ Lizard (which walks on water), oropendolas (which make 6 ft. long nests), Pink Toe Tarantula (black body and pink toes), the Prince Charles Stream Tree Frog in Ecuador (apparently named after the Prince’s rainforest conservation efforts), the Vampire Fish (with real fangs), insanely slow sloths (who may take a month to digest a meal), at least 40 varieties of beautifully beaked toucans (with large powerful beak to break fruits and seeds), macaws (one of the largest species of parrot family), pink river dolphins (yes, pink in colour), harpy eagles (which can eat monkeys, sloths & deers), dangerous piranhas (which can kill anacondas and capybaras) and many more.

· The rainforest and river of the Amazon are fed pivotal minerals (like phosphorus) from sands which blow across the Atlantic all the way from Africa’s Sahara Desert. It’s been tens of millions of years since Africa and South America were joined, and it’s astonishing to know the two continents are still so intrinsically linked. This is a critical part of the ecosystem because the heavy amount of rain in the Amazon washes away vital phosphorus from the soil. The Sahara, in part, replenishes it.

· Around 400-500 indigenous Amerindian tribes call the Amazon rainforest home. It’s believed that about fifty of these tribes have never had contact with the outside world! About half of all the Amazon’s indigenous tribes (roughly 240) live in Brazil. Some of the famous tribes are: Tikuna, Yanomami and Akuntsu.

· Most indigenous people of the Amazon will go to a traditional shaman for healing before seeking help from Western medicine. Shamanism is an ancient practice that combines spirituality & natural science, and its traditions have been passed down from generation to generation for centuries. The Shamanic tradition is currently in grave danger of dying out, as it is hard to find students willing to undergo the strict regimen required to study shamanic healing practices.

Someday soon, I will write exclusively about Amazon river and its majesty.