1. A “gold mine” for Brazil and the Rest of the World.
The Amazon Rainforest
A “gold mine” for Brazil and the Rest of the World.

2. What is a Rainforest?
Rainforests can be found in many places on the globe, most located near the equator. The largest rainforest of them all is the Amazon Rainforest!
A rainforest is a forest that has many trees, a very warm climate and a lot of rain.
All of Brazil’s natural resources are found in the rainforest. Charcoal, iron ore, gold, platinum, bauxite (aluminum ore), hydro, nickel

3. What is the climate like?
The Amazon Rainforest is almost always raining and can receive up to 80 inches of rainfall a year!
The weather is very humid with temperatures resting between 75 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. (Summer weather)

4. Here is a map of the world
Here is a map of the world. The orange areas are where rainforests can be located. The red line is the equator. Which continent has the most area covered with rainforests? Image provided by

5. The “Lungs of our Planet”

6. The “Lungs of our Planet”
If the Amazon was a country it would be the 9th largest country on the planet (1.2 billion acres or 48 million football fields).
It represents 54% of all rainforests on the earth.
Trees take in CO2 and emit oxygen, CO2 is what causes global warming
20% of all oxygen on earth is provided here, the forest is a filter for our air

7. The Amazon rainforest contains 50% of all species on earth
Current uses of the forest (resource extraction, farming) are unsustainable and causing massive destruction
You can see the deforestation from space!!

8. Threats to the Rainforest
Sections of the rainforest are disappearing everyday. This is called Deforestation - cutting down areas to produce charcoal and clearing land for unsustainable agriculture
Sadly, a part of the rainforest the size of New Jersey is cut down each day!
Road Development – to allow access for mining and development
Urbanization – Expansion of cities
This is a picture of deforestation 8

9. Threats to the Rainforest
Hydro – electricity is generated from the tributaries of the Amazon River which is the largest river on Earth. The damming of the river creates flooding and disease (mosquitoes)
Mining operations result in the dumping of mercury and other toxins into the rivers 9

10. Threats to the Rainforest
Poaching of animals
This is a Spider Monkey which is actually quite large in size. They like to hang upside-down and swing from branch to branch. The Spider Monkey spends most of the time in the canopy.
There are 40 different types of Toucans. They have large colorful bills in a combination of colors. The bills is used to smash fruits and berries for the bird to eat. The toucan also lives in the canopy.
The sloth is an extremely, slow-moving animal that lives in the trees of the canopy. The sloth can have two or three toes. Sloths are nocturnal and sleep during the day. Some sloths can live in the same tree for years!
The Poison Arrow Frog has bright colors to warn other animals that they are poisonous. One frog carries enough poison to kill 100 people! They can be red, blue or yellow in color.
Images and information from

11. Alternative, Sustainable Uses
Ecotourism – the Amazon draws millions of tourists every year to see the rare species, fish in the Amazon and explore the rainforest
More than 2,000 species of fish exist in the Amazon River, which is more than what exists in the Atlantic Ocean 11

12. Alternative, Sustainable Uses
Indigenous peoples have shared there knowledge of the unique plants and animals with newcomers
The Pharmaceutical Industry is leading the charge for preservation of the forests in order to find new medicines
Aspirin was discovered by the indigenous populations and shared with the rest of the world
Image and information from

13. Alternative, Sustainable Uses
Fruits and nuts are harvested sustainably in this region and sold world wide
Rubber tapping – latex production 13