An interactive atlas of the rainforest

Before it was anything else,
the Amazon was alive.

A river that moves a fifth of the world's flowing freshwater. A forest that shelters one in ten known species on Earth. A homeland to more than four hundred peoples. Explore what the Amazon is — and why keeping it standing matters to every one of us.

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~6.7M km²
Size of the river basin
~9
Countries it spans
~390B
Individual trees
~10%
Of Earth's known species

The Basin

One river system, shared by nine nations.

The Amazon drains a basin of roughly 6.7 million km² — around 40% of the South American continent. Select a country to see its share of the forest.

◆ Tap a marker · ▬ Amazon River

Brazil share of the rainforest

~60% of the Amazon rainforest lies within its borders.
Forest area
~3.3M km²
Capital in basin
Manaus

Wildlife

The most crowded stage of life on Earth.

Around one in ten known species lives here — and a new one is described roughly every two days. Filter and tap any creature to learn more.

Jaguar (Panthera onca)
Near Threatened

Jaguar

Panthera onca
Mammals
Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja)
Vulnerable

Harpy Eagle

Harpia harpyja
Birds
Amazon River Dolphin (Inia geoffrensis)
Endangered

Amazon River Dolphin

Inia geoffrensis
Water
Poison Dart Frog (Dendrobatidae)
Varies

Poison Dart Frog

Dendrobatidae
Reptiles & Amphibians
Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao)
Least Concern

Scarlet Macaw

Ara macao
Birds
Hyacinth Macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus)
Vulnerable

Hyacinth Macaw

Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus
Birds
Giant Otter (Pteronura brasiliensis)
Endangered

Giant Otter

Pteronura brasiliensis
Water
Three-toed Sloth (Bradypus)
Least Concern

Three-toed Sloth

Bradypus
Mammals
Blue Morpho (Morpho menelaus)
Not evaluated

Blue Morpho

Morpho menelaus
Invertebrates
Green Anaconda (Eunectes murinus)
Least Concern

Green Anaconda

Eunectes murinus
Reptiles & Amphibians
Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis)
Least Concern

Ocelot

Leopardus pardalis
Mammals
Arapaima (Arapaima gigas)
Data Deficient

Arapaima

Arapaima gigas
Water
South American Tapir (Tapirus terrestris)
Vulnerable

South American Tapir

Tapirus terrestris
Mammals
King Vulture (Sarcoramphus papa)
Least Concern

King Vulture

Sarcoramphus papa
Birds
Glass Frog (Centrolenidae)
Varies

Glass Frog

Centrolenidae
Reptiles & Amphibians
Venezuelan Red Howler (Alouatta seniculus)
Least Concern

Venezuelan Red Howler

Alouatta seniculus
Mammals
Amazonian Manatee (Trichechus inunguis)
Vulnerable

Amazonian Manatee

Trichechus inunguis
Water
Hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin)
Least Concern

Hoatzin

Opisthocomus hoazin
Birds
Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris)
Least Concern

Capybara

Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris
Mammals
Toco Toucan (Ramphastos toco)
Least Concern

Toco Toucan

Ramphastos toco
Birds
Green Iguana (Iguana iguana)
Least Concern

Green Iguana

Iguana iguana
Reptiles & Amphibians
Red-bellied Piranha (Pygocentrus nattereri)
Least Concern

Red-bellied Piranha

Pygocentrus nattereri
Water
Common Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri sciureus)
Least Concern

Common Squirrel Monkey

Saimiri sciureus
Mammals
Guianan Cock-of-the-rock (Rupicola rupicola)
Least Concern

Guianan Cock-of-the-rock

Rupicola rupicola
Birds
Emerald Tree Boa (Corallus caninus)
Least Concern

Emerald Tree Boa

Corallus caninus
Reptiles & Amphibians
Arrau Turtle (Podocnemis expansa)
Near Threatened

Arrau Turtle

Podocnemis expansa
Water
Goliath Birdeater (Theraphosa blondi)
Not evaluated

Goliath Birdeater

Theraphosa blondi
Invertebrates
Electric Eel (Electrophorus electricus)
Least Concern

Electric Eel

Electrophorus electricus
Water
Giant Anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla)
Vulnerable

Giant Anteater

Myrmecophaga tridactyla
Mammals
Black Caiman (Melanosuchus niger)
Least Concern

Black Caiman

Melanosuchus niger
Reptiles & Amphibians
Satellite view of the Amazon River winding through the rainforest

One basin, seen from orbit

Every silver thread is a river. Every shadow, a forest older than history.

How the forest works

The forest that makes its own rain.

A single large tree can release hundreds of litres of water into the air each day. Multiplied across billions of trees, that moisture forms “flying rivers” — airborne currents that carry more water than the Amazon River itself, watering farmland thousands of kilometres away.

The forest also holds an estimated 150–200 billion tonnes of carbon. Standing, it is one of the planet's great brakes on climate change. Cleared, that carbon becomes part of the problem.

The Data

What we've lost, year by year.

Annual deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon since 2004. The numbers rise and fall with policy and enforcement — proof that the trend can be bent in either direction.

Brazilian Amazon — forest cleared per year

Square kilometres · illustrative figures based on Brazil's INPE / PRODES monitoring
0k 10k 20k 30k '04 '06 '08 '10 '12 '14 '16 '18 '20 '22 '24
2004–2012

A sustained policy push cut annual loss by roughly 80% — from ~27,800 km² to a historic low near 4,600 km².

2019–2022

Weakened enforcement saw clearing climb back above 13,000 km² a year.

2023–2024

Renewed enforcement brought the sharpest decline in years — showing the curve still responds to action.

The Peoples

A homeland, not a wilderness.

More than 30 million people live across the Amazon basin, including over 400 distinct Indigenous groups — some living in voluntary isolation, with little or no contact with the outside world. Dozens of languages spoken here are found nowhere else on Earth.

  • 400+Distinct Indigenous peoples call the basin home.
  • 30M+People live within the wider Amazon region.
  • ~50%Lower deforestation on average inside Indigenous-managed lands.
A Yanomami woman and child in the Amazon

“The forest is not a resource to be spent. It is a relative to be kept.”

— A sentiment echoed across many Amazonian Indigenous traditions

Preservation

What's at stake, in plain terms.

Roughly 17–20% of the original forest is already gone. Scientists warn of a “tipping point” beyond which large areas could dry out and shift toward savanna — releasing stored carbon instead of holding it.

📉

The loss

Nearly a fifth of the original rainforest has been cleared — mostly for cattle, cropland, roads, and mining.

🌡️

The stakes

Losing the forest would release tens of billions of tonnes of carbon and disrupt rainfall for a continent's farmland.

🌱

The hope

Standing forest is worth more alive. Restoration, Indigenous land rights, and enforcement all demonstrably work.

Sources & further reading

Everything here is traceable.

This atlas draws on public data and the work of established scientific and conservation institutions. Explore the primary sources below to go deeper — or to check us.

INPE · PRODES / TerraBrasilis

Brazil's National Institute for Space Research — the official satellite monitoring behind the deforestation figures on this page.

Deforestation data

RAISG

The Amazon Geo-Referenced Socio-Environmental Information Network — cross-border mapping of the basin's forests, rivers, and territories.

Maps & territory

IUCN Red List

The global authority on the conservation status of species — the source of the status labels on every animal in the wildlife section.

Species status

MAAP

Monitoring of the Andean Amazon Project — near-real-time analysis of deforestation and its drivers across the western basin.

Analysis

MapBiomas

Annual land-use and land-cover maps of the Amazon and all of Brazil, built from decades of satellite imagery.

Land cover

Amazon Conservation

A conservation organization working across Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil to protect wild places and empower local communities.

Conservation

Instituto Socioambiental (ISA)

A Brazilian nonprofit defending the rights of Indigenous and traditional peoples and the environments they depend on.

Peoples & rights

WWF · Amazon

Overviews of the basin's wildlife, threats, and conservation programs from the World Wide Fund for Nature.

Overview

Figures on this site are rounded and presented for public education; consult the primary sources above for exact, current data. Corrections are welcome at info@amazon.buzz.

Get involved

Understanding is where protection begins.

The Amazon Public Interest Network publishes free, independent educational material about the Amazon basin. Share what you've learned, support reputable conservation groups, and help more people see the forest for what it is.

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About this project

Independent, educational, non-commercial.

This atlas is published by the Amazon Public Interest Network, a nonprofit corporation registered in the State of Colorado, dedicated to public education about the Amazon river basin and its preservation.

Everything here is free to read and free to share. Our subject is the place — the river, the forest, and the people who protect it.

The Amazon Public Interest Network is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to any commercial entity that shares the name “Amazon.”

Published by
Amazon Public Interest Network
Status
Nonprofit corporation · Colorado
Focus
Public education & Amazon preservation
Contact
info@amazon.buzz