Fifteen Million Years Ago, the Andes Were Formed by the Collision of the South American Plate with the Nazca Plate

Fifteen million years ago, the Andes were formed by the collision of the South American plate with the Nazca plate. The rise of the Andes and the linkage of the Brazilian and Guyana bedrock shields, blocked the river and caused the Amazon to become a vast inland sea. At this time, the Amazon rainforest was born. The Amazon rainforest alone contains around 10 percent of the world's known species. Just about every type of animal live in rainforests. In fact, though rainforests cover less than 2 percent of Earth's total surface area, they are home to 50 percent of Earth's plants and animals. The Amazon is home to more than 30 million people living across a vast region subdivided into nine different national political systems. If the Amazon rainforest continues to wither and die, it will stop being a source of oxygen. Instead, it will begin to give off carbon, which we all know is fuelling climate change. Some experts believe that if this happens, we will lose the battle against climate change. This will have a dramatic impact on the world. Although we will still survive, the world as we know it will become a quite different place. Evolution allows species to adjust to changes. As previously mentioned, rainforests are home to about 50% of all land species, which means that if they disappear then 50% of all land- living species on this planet would go extinct. Protect the rainforests!

1. How was the Amazon Basin created? 2. What percentage of the Earth does the Amazon rainforest cover? 3. What would happen if the Amazon rainforest disappeared? 4. How many humans live in the Amazon rainforest? 5. What percentage of the world’s known species live in the Amazon rainforest?