Bryan--Amazon

The Amazon By: Bryan Welsh The world’s largest tropical rain forest and river basin. The Amazon supports one-fifth of all free-flowing water on the planet and is home to one in ten known species on Earth. Territory of the Amazon surprisingly spans the borders of eight countries and one overseas territory. The rain forests of the Amazon is an amazing place like no other. The rain forest was created over fifteen million years ago. It started by the collision of the South American plate with the Nazoa plate in which the Andes were formed, blocking the Amazon River and causing a vast inland sea. Overtime the inland sea became a massive swamp. This uniqueness of marine inhabitants adapting to freshwater has given life to new species only found in the Amazon. Sediment from the Andes gives the river a muddy whitewater appearance. Over 106 million cubic feet of sediment are swept into the ocean each day. The abundant rain fall each year gives life to a large variety of plants and species. Since 1999 Scientists have discovered more then 1,200 new species of animals and plants. Incredibly that averages out to one new species every three days. You can find a vast variety of different species here. For example, over twenty species of stingrays can be found in the freshwaters of the Amazon all of them closely related to those found in the Pacific Ocean. Some of the most important medicines come from the Amazon. About one-fourth of all medicines we use come from rainforest plants. A person with leukemia has a 99% chance that the disease will go into remission because of a plant called the rosy periwinkle. Curare comes from a tropical vine and is used in surgery to relax muscles. Malaria is treated with Quinine which comes from the cinchona tree. Over 1,400 of tropical plants here are thought to be potential cures for cancers. Today, the Amazon Rainforest is being threatened with many manmade and natural disasters. The biggest threat comes from over logging of timber. Strict laws are in place to prevent this, but evidence shows that a lot of illegal harvesting is being done by an alarming rate. Many farmers are clearing vast sections of the Amazon for farming and cattle feeding. Large mining mills in search of gold, diamonds and iron is also threatening plant and animal life in the Amazon. Global warming is also threatening the rainforest. It is predicted by the year 2150, eighty-five percent of the Amazon rainforest could be wiped out due to rising temperatures. Less rain means many plants and animals will not be able to survive. The loss of the Amazon will be devastation All in all the amazon is a fun and cool place to live. Also amazon is one of most diverse place to visit. Amazon is a amazing place but you better whatch out for all the crazy, wild creatures SORCES - wikipedia.com/amazon - amazon.com