Geography: Amazon: River and Rainforests Knowledge Organiser Glossary Who lives in the Amazon? South The Amazon is home to many 1 One of the 7 world continents – found in the southern hemisphere. America plants and animals but also Where is the Amazon? What does the Amazon Rainforest look like? people. There are a small Both the Amazon River and the Amazon The Amazon, like other rainforests, has different layers: the forest The area within the Amazon Rainforest and around the 2 Amazonia number of towns and cities — Rainforest are located in South America. South floor at the bottom; the understory layer above; the canopy layer; Amazon River. Manaus is the most major city America is one of the 7 continents of the world the emergent layer at the very top. Each layer is home to different The general weather conditions in an area over a long period in the rainforest and is known and is located in the southern hemisphere. On plants and animals and because of the huge number of trees and 3 Climate of time. as ‘the heart of the Amazon’. the image below you can see the continent which their leaves, different amounts on sunlight reach each of them. The rainforest is also home to has the Andes mountain range running down 4 Rainfall How much rain falls in an area. a large number of indigenous the western side. The Amazon Rainforest can be Emergent Layer tribes who still follow a seen in the north of the continent, it is the dark 5 Rainforest A dense forest found in tropical areas with high levels of rainfall. Upper Canopy traditional way of life — the green colour you can see across the top. The largest is the Yanomami. Amazon River is can be seen flowing through A natural stream of water which flows in a channel to the sea or Understory/ 6 River the rainforest, also in the north of the continent, Lower Canopy a lake. Amazingly however, some moving from west to east. 7 Oxygen A colourless gas that we breathe and need for life. tribes have never been Forest Floor contacted and we know very The bottom layer of the rainforest which receives small amounts little about them and the way 8 Forest Floor of light. they live. Understory 9 The layer found above the forest floor and under the main canopy. What are the features of a river? Layer The water in a river comes from rainfall, snow, melting ice and from water inside the Earth. Each river has a source, usually found 10 Canopy Layer The layer above the understory and below the emergent layer. in mountainous areas, where different streams flow downhill and Emergent join together to form a river. A small stream or smaller river which 11 The highest layer of the rainforest, found above the canopy. Layer flows into the main river is called a tributary. This is the upper course of the river. 12 Indigenous Meaning something is naturally from that place.
The river has a middle course, where the channel of the river is wider 13 Tribe A group of people who live in a traditional way. and it flows across land and through valleys. The river here meanders because the flow of the 14 Tributary A smaller stream or river which feeds into a larger river. river causes erosion Higher 15 Confluence The point where two rivers (of near equal size) meet and join. of the land. Sometimes Level meanders form oxbow 16 Meander The winding curve or bend of a river. lakes which are cut off from the river. River System 17 Estuary The mouth of a river — where it meets the sea. What is it like in the Amazon Rainforest?
The Amazon Rainforest is the largest tropical The lower course of the 18 Erosion The process of being worn away by water or wind. rainforest in the world and it is responsible for river flows much more 19 Deposition The process of depositing something — leaving it behind. producing 40% of the oxygen in the world. A slowly as it reaches the tropical rainforest experiences a large amount of sea. It widens out into 20 Deforestation The cutting down of a large area of trees by humans. rainfall and has a very warm and humid climate a broad estuary or for most of the year. It also has many, many tall delta and where it trees and a huge number of different plant and meets the sea is What is the Amazon River? wildlife species. The rainforest is located mostly known as the mouth. The Amazon River is the second longest river in the world but carries the largest volume of water to the sea. The source of in Brazil but also in parts of Peru, Equador and the river is located in Peru, in the Andes mountains — there are three smaller rivers which come together to create the Amazon. Bolivia. There are only a small number of cities Lake/Ocean Lower The Amazon has a large number of tributaries which spread through the rainforest but the main course of the river runs found in the rainforest and many tribes live there. Level through Peru and Brazil. The mouth of the river is in the east of the continent and feeds into the Atlantic Ocean.
Significant People and Places Significant People and Places
Andes Amazon Rainforest Amazon River Brazil Manaus Peru Madidi National Park Manu National Park A mountain range which runs The largest tropical rainforest The second longest river in the The largest country in South A city located in the centre A country found to the east A national park found in A national park found in Peru. along the western side of in the world, producing 40% world (after the Nile) but the America and where most of the Amazon Rainforest of Brazil. Parts of the Andes, Bolivia which is part of one It has a restricted zone for South America. The second of the oxygen. The majority largest in terms of the water of the Amazon Rainforest and known as ‘Heart of the Amazon Rainforest and of the largest protected areas native people and researchers, highest peak is found here as is located in Brazil and one in it carries to the sea. The river is found. The capital city of Amazon’ and ‘City of the Amazon River are found here. in the world. There are more a cultural zone for human well as the three sources of ten known species of animal flows through the rainforest Brazil is Brasilia and the main Forest’. The National Institute The capital city of Peru is Lima than 1,000 bird, 12,000 plant settlement and a recuperation the Amazon River. lives there. and has many different language is Portuguese. of Amazonia Research is and the main language and 2,000 vertebrate zone for rainforest tributaries. found here. is Spanish. species here. life recovery.