The Amazon Rainforest is teeming with life – and helps sustain ours 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

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

The Amazon is one of the rainforests that make 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.

Home to Indigenous Groups

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

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.

One of the World’s Largest Rivers

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

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.

Diverse Wildlife

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

The Amazon is a global regular in that it works 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.