Brazilian Amazon

Tropical rain forests are always located near the equator, and are very hot and humid. All this heat associated with great portions of water make a lot of evaporation into the air. The forest helps to retain water in their branches, roots and soil. This is a very special environment, which is responsible for its unique flora and fauna.

Facts about the Amazon rain forest
The Amazon rain forest is the biggest forest in the world and is the last big space covered with tropical plants and animals. Its territory is a tropical rain forest that is located in the north side of the South American continent and is shared by 9 countries: Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Suriname, French Guiana and Guiana. The largest part is located in Brazil (60%) and it covers almost half of the country. The space covered with the forest is 3.4 million square miles. The Amazon River consists of connected stretches sufficient to give the gigantic volume of water a continuous impulse towards the ocean.

Origin of the name Amazon
In the 16th. Century, when the European explorers reached the Americas, they were looking for gold, silver and gems. The Portuguese explorers that colonized Brazil were in a race to find the wealth of goods before the Spanish and French.

One version of the history is that the Portuguese in this seek for precious goods have battled against the Tapuyas, a local Indian tribe. The women of the Tapuyas fought alongside the men, as was the custom among the entire tribe - much different from the European culture, where women would take care of the housekeeping only. When these women fought against the European domination, they resembled the Amazon women from the Greek mythology – giving the name Rio de las Amazonas (River of the Amazon women) and to this day, Amazonas.

Next time you are in South America, don’t miss the opportunity to visit this incredible ecosystem.

Be good and be healthy.
Vanessa