Interesting Amazon Basin Facts

The Amazon Basin is located on the continent of South America where it occupies parts of eight countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela. The Amazon Basin can be described as a drainage basin that covers a total area of approximately 7.5 million km square. The largest tropical rainforest in the world, known as the Amazon Rainforest, covers the majority of the basin.

Discover interesting facts about the Amazon Basin for Kids: Did you know that the basin is so huge that it covers around 40 percent of the entire continent of South America? Do you know why the Amazon Basin and its massive area of tropical rain forest is majorly important to the future of our planet? Did you know that the Amazon Basin is home to thousands of animal and plant species? Learn fun facts and info about the Amazon Basin with our interesting facts for kids.

Factsmania welcomes school students and teachers to use and print their Amazon Basin facts for free. Explore South America with our fact file for kids; learn about the animals, plants, climate, formation, importance, structure, food chain, size and location of the Amazon Basin which incorporates the world's biggest rainforest and one of the longest rivers on Earth.

Interesting Amazon Basin Facts

  1. Interesting Facts for Kids 1: Where is the Amazon Basin located
    The Amazon Basin is the largest drainage basin in the world, occupying 40 percent of South America. Parts of the Amazon Basin can be found in the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Suriname, Colombia, Guyana, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela.

  2. Interesting Facts for Kids 2: What is the Amazon Basin?
    The Amazon Basin can be described as the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. It is covered by the biggest rainforest in the world. This rainforest is known as Amazonia, the Amazon Rainforest or the Amazon Jungle.

  3. Interesting Facts for Kids 3: What is the climate of the Amazon Basin?
    The climate of the Amazon Basin is defined by two seasons: one which is low on water and one wet season. The climate is considered to be hot and very humid. The average Amazonian temperature is 27 degrees Celsius, with very few variations. In fact, between seasons there is only a 2 degree Celsius difference. This is smaller than the day/night temperature variation which is between 2 to 5 degrees Celsius. Contrary to many opinions, the temperature rarely rises above 33 degrees Celsius. Sometimes, in the dry season, which occurs between the months of June and September, there is a chance of very cold winds travelling along the Andes range. These winds can be very harmful to the tropical plants and animal species of the Amazon Basin.

  4. Interesting Facts for Kids 4: Amazon Basin Rainfall
    The Amazon Basin receives high quantities of rainfall. It has the biggest rainfall flood registered. There are differences between certain parts of the Amazon basin. For example, the most southern and western points have less rainfall than the rest of the territory. Also, higher altitudes receive less rainfall. Typically, the rainforest receives about 3000 mm of rainfall per year.

  5. Interesting Facts for Kids 5: How big is the Amazon Basin?
    The Amazon Basin covers 7,500,000 square kilometres, which is roughly 40 percent of the continent of South America. It is limited in the North by the Guiana Highlands, in the South by the Brazilian Highlands, and in the West by the Andes Mountains. Amazonia is politically divided between Amazonia Legal (Brazil), Peruvian Amazon, the Amazon Region of Columbia, parts of Ecuador, Bolivia and the Amazonian state of Venezuela.

  6. Interesting Facts for Kids 6: What animals live in the Amazon Basin?
    The Amazon Basin is home to more than 1400 mammal species including bats, rodents, ocelot, jaguar, capybara and the South American Tapir. There are approximately 1400 bird species like parrots, toucans, macaws and hummingbirds. When it comes to reptiles, the Amazon Basin has one of the most dangerous species on the planet, such as the green anaconda snake. The Amazon Basin is home to various other species of snakes including the emerald tree boa and the boa constrictor. Among the 1000 species of amphibians of the Amazon Basin, there are the incredible tropical frogs. More than 90 percent of the Amazonian species are insects. 40 percent are beetles. Butterflies are also numerous – some researchers have documented 1300 butterfly species in Peru’s Manú National Park and more than 1231 species in Tambopata National Reserve.

  7. Interesting Facts for Kids 7: Amazon Basin fish
    There are more than 2200 fish species found living in the Amazon Basin, that's more than any other basin on Earth. There are many differences between fish fauna due to the different types of water in which they live. Some fish live in the Clearwater while some live in the black or white waters. Also, there is a difference between the slow-moving and the fast-moving waters of small streams and deep waters of the Amazon Basin. Here you can find different neutropical fishes such as the electric fish, dwarf cichlid and various species of catfishes: suckermouth, armored catfish or the pencil catfish. The remarkable red-bellied piranha also lives in the Amazon River.

  8. Interesting Facts for Kids 8: Amazon Basin Emerald Tree Boa
    The Emerald Tree Boa is a non-venomous type of boa which can be found in the Amazon Basin. The name of this snake derives from its emerald green color. They also have a zig-zag white pattern on their skin. The Emerald Tree Boa can grow to about 1.8m long and have developed bigger fangs than any other type of non-venomous snake. The Emerald Tree Boa eats small mammals, small bird species, lizards and frogs. The female species has between 6 and 14 baby-boas. When they are small, they tend to have a dark orange color, but after 12 months they turn into the famous green emerald color.

  9. Interesting Facts for Kids 9: Amazon Basin food web
    The Amazon Basin food web is very complex. Mammals are vegetarian and carnivorous. Carnivorous mammals usually eat other mammals or birds. Birds feed on small lizards and insects, while insects eat other insects and plants. Some reptiles eat other reptiles, insects, birds and mammals. There are also plants that feed on insects.

  10. Interesting Facts for Kids 10: What plants grow in the Amazon Basin?
    The Amazon Basin is the home of coniferous trees and evergreen trees. Because the trees are very tall, the ground remains dark and damp. This is the land of orchids and bromeliads. The most known tropical fruits are the Brazilian nut, Cocoa, Rubber tree and Assai Palm. The Kapok tree is by far the tallest tree of the rainforest, it reaches 200 feet tall and can be found growing in the emergent layer above the rainforest canopy of the Amazon Jungle.

  1. Interesting Facts for Kids 11: Amazon Basin tribes
    The indigenous tribes are protected by different organizations. They are referred as the Uncontacted people. Some of these tribes are: Apurinā (over 50 people), Kanibo (120-150 people), Katawixi (50 people), Kozicky (unknown population), Mayoruna (200-300 people), Pariuaia (over 100), Yanomami (300 people), and several others that are very isolated and are not named. The issue is very sensitive because there is always the dilemma of bringing the tribes of the Amazon Basin to civilization, many of whom do not have immunity to common viruses and bacteria from he civilized world, and even simple contact can be a serious threat to their health. The presence of the Amazon Basin tribes is known through random encounters or aerial footage.

  2. Interesting Facts for Kids 12: Amazon Basin River Facts
    Until recent times, it was thought that the Amazon River was the second largest river on Earth. Some Brazilians think that it is actually the biggest / longest river, depending on the time of measurement. It is said to measure 6,500 km. The Amazon River's main tributary is the Marañón River in Peru. It drains in the Atlantic Ocean and represent approximately 20 percent of water carried by rivers into the ocean. The Amazon River used to flow west, to the Pacific Ocean, but due to mountain formations in the Andes, the river had to change its course. Now, the Amazon River flows towards the Atlantic Ocean.

  3. Interesting Facts for Kids 13: Why is the Amazon Basin important?
    The Amazon Basin is important as it is home to the biggest rainforest in world, and also to a huge and diverse ecosystem of animals and plants. The Amazon Basin provides shelter to some of the most fascinating species of animals on Earth, and many of them are endangered. Because most of the Amazon Basin and rain forest territory remains unexplored, it maintains its natural beauty and is sparsely populated. The Amazon Rainforest is very important as it is the lungs of the Earth. One of the most interesting facts is that the Amazon Rainforest supplies around 20 percent of the planet's oxygen.