Objective: TSW describe the biodiversity of the Amazon River Basin and analyze the

effects of deforestation

Objective: TSW describe the biodiversity of the Amazon River Basin and analyze the

effects of deforestation

• Focus: What is a Basin?– A Basin is a Bowl!

• What is a geographic basin?– A geographic basin is an area of low

land surrounded by higher land

Amazon Basin

Amazon Basin

Amazon Basin Facts

• Amazon River Basin covers approximately 2,700,000 Sq. miles (USA=3,400,000)

• The basin in contained by the Guyana Highlands to the north Central Brazilian Plateau to the south and the Andes Mountains to the west

• The Amazon Basin run about 4000 miles east to west and 2000 miles north to south

Amazon Basin

Amazon Basin

Amazon Basin

Rio Negro

Amazon River runs through the Amazon Basin.

Facts about the Amazon River

• Amazon is the 2nd longest river in the world. 4,195 miles

• Average depth 120 feet; exceeds 300 feet in places

• Average width 25 miles during rainy season; width ranges from 1 to 35 miles

• Mouth of river is 207 miles wide• River discharges 8 trillion gallons of

water a day into the Atlantic

120 Feet

25 Miles

Mouth of the Amazon

Mouth of the Amazon

Marajó Island

Marajó Island is the same size as Denmark!!!

What is this?

Amazon River and Rain Forest

Amazon Rain Forest

Rain Forest Facts

• Amazon Rainforest covers about 1.2 billion acres. Equals 8th biggest country in the world

• The Amazon Rainforest has been described as the "Lungs of our Planet" because it provides more than 20 percent of the world oxygen.

• Scientists have just begun to investigate and study the biodiversity of the rainforest

Biodiversity

• Biodiversity is the amount and variety of plants and animals in a certain place

• The Amazon rainforest is home to between 5 and 30 million different species of plants and animals.

• About half of all life on earth is found in the Amazon Rainforest!

• Only 1% of the species have been studied

1,300 different species of birds live in the rainforest

20% of all birds on earth live in the rainforest

Mammals • 430 Species of

mammals have been discovered

Reptiles and Amphibians

Over 700 Species of reptiles and amphibians live in the Amazon

Fish

•Over 500 species of fish are found in one river in the Amazon

•There are only 200 species of fish in all of Europe

Candiru

People of the Amazon• Around 300,000 native

people live in the rainforest• 188 languages are spoken

Why do people cut down the forest??

Why do people cut down the forest??

• Wood for logging• Wood for fuel and paper• Land for cattle• Land for farming• Land for homes

Deforestation is the cutting down and clearing the trees in the rainforest

About 8,000 square miles are destroyed each year

Since 1970 the amount of forest destroyed is equal to the size of France

France

Deforestation

• The cutting down and clearing the trees in the rainforest

Why should we save the rainforest??

• Produces 20% of the worlds oxygen• Currently 121 drugs are produced

from plants in the rainforest• Each year 50,000 species of plants

and animals are destroyed • Less than 1% of the plants in the

rainforest have been tested by drug companies

Objective: TSW describe the biodiversity of the Amazon River Basin and analyze the effects of

deforestation

AssignmentWrite a three paragraph essay

(A paragraph is 5 sentences)

1. Describe the rainforest

2. What is deforestation and why do people do it?

3. Why should we save the rainforest?