The Amazon rainforest stretches across seven million square kilometers, of which 2.3 million sq mi are covered by tropical jungle. Its basin is spread across 9 countries of which Brazil makes up almost 2/3 of the territory, followed by Peru with 1/8, Colombia with 1/10, along with minor areas in Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana.
The furthest origins of the Amazon river lie in Peru and Bolivia at a distance of some 6,500 km from the river mouth into the Atlantic Ocean. As the lower Andes are rather hilly, the upper watershed of the Amazon have few lakes and narrow rivers they are difficult to navigate, making those areas little accessible from the water. []
The weather of the Amazon rainforest is hot and humid, with yearly temperatures averaging about 26C. The abundance rainfall is a result of convection: surface water evaporates and as it rises it cools down, after which it condenses and falls down as rain, thus continuously recycling water basin. Additional water originates from rivers from run off from snow peaked mountains in the Andes Mountains.
The Amazon region has got the highest variety of species on earth, with as many as 40,000 plant species having been recorded. Of the invertebrates, between 100,000 and 130,000 species have already been registered just in Brazil, while some two thousand varieties of birds and some 430 species of mammals are known to the basin, of which rodents and bats make up the majority. Reptiles are represented with about 380 species, amphibians with 425 species and fishes having an astonishing 2,200 species.
Based on a 2001 study, the Ecuadorian tropical forest has the highest diversity of species. Studies of the Cuyabeno Fauna Reserve revealed higher diversity of species than any other study in the region. However, for visitors, the differences in number of species are not really noticeable.
To visitors The existence of slow flowing streams and lakes is more important than extreme biodiversity. That is because, it is difficult to see wildlife as it moves about high up in the canopies of the trees. For the observer on the ground, wildlife moving about through the tree crowns is tough to see, since the contrast between the light of the sky and the leaves blinds a person's eye, making the leaves look almost black. Observation from narrow rivers, on the other hand, is far better, since the light falls onto the lower branches and shrubs where many animals perch. But areas with slow flowing narrow rivers and lakes are rare in the Andes countries, and only the Cuyabeno National Park boasts such conditions. []
Cuyabeno is merely half an hour flying from capital Quito and an additional one and a half hour by bus over an asphalt road. That's the reason Cuyabeno is the greatest Amazon park on earth and tours of the Cuyabeno Lodge are the best Amazon tours on earth!
The furthest origins of the Amazon river lie in Peru and Bolivia at a distance of some 6,500 km from the river mouth into the Atlantic Ocean. As the lower Andes are rather hilly, the upper watershed of the Amazon have few lakes and narrow rivers they are difficult to navigate, making those areas little accessible from the water. []
The weather of the Amazon rainforest is hot and humid, with yearly temperatures averaging about 26C. The abundance rainfall is a result of convection: surface water evaporates and as it rises it cools down, after which it condenses and falls down as rain, thus continuously recycling water basin. Additional water originates from rivers from run off from snow peaked mountains in the Andes Mountains.
The Amazon region has got the highest variety of species on earth, with as many as 40,000 plant species having been recorded. Of the invertebrates, between 100,000 and 130,000 species have already been registered just in Brazil, while some two thousand varieties of birds and some 430 species of mammals are known to the basin, of which rodents and bats make up the majority. Reptiles are represented with about 380 species, amphibians with 425 species and fishes having an astonishing 2,200 species.
Based on a 2001 study, the Ecuadorian tropical forest has the highest diversity of species. Studies of the Cuyabeno Fauna Reserve revealed higher diversity of species than any other study in the region. However, for visitors, the differences in number of species are not really noticeable.
To visitors The existence of slow flowing streams and lakes is more important than extreme biodiversity. That is because, it is difficult to see wildlife as it moves about high up in the canopies of the trees. For the observer on the ground, wildlife moving about through the tree crowns is tough to see, since the contrast between the light of the sky and the leaves blinds a person's eye, making the leaves look almost black. Observation from narrow rivers, on the other hand, is far better, since the light falls onto the lower branches and shrubs where many animals perch. But areas with slow flowing narrow rivers and lakes are rare in the Andes countries, and only the Cuyabeno National Park boasts such conditions. []
Cuyabeno is merely half an hour flying from capital Quito and an additional one and a half hour by bus over an asphalt road. That's the reason Cuyabeno is the greatest Amazon park on earth and tours of the Cuyabeno Lodge are the best Amazon tours on earth!
About the Author:
Concerned you'll choose the wrong area for your Amazon visit? Renowned tropical ecologist Dr. Vreugdenhil shares his experiences so you can select a great place for your Amazon holiday. He'll tell you why the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve would be a great destination.
