2. The Amazon Rainforest is the largest tropical rainforest on earth. It has seasonal forests, rainforests, deciduous & flooded forests and savannas, all drained by the Amazon River. The whole Amazon covers around 40% of South America, with estimated 8,235,430 square km (3,179,715 square mi). This is almost as big as the USA including Alaska and Hawaii. 60% of the main Amazon concentrate in Brazil, the rest lies in Peru, Columbia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. Some of its arms even reach far north all through Middle America up to Mexico, or south to Argentina and Paraguay.

3. Rainforests are being destroyed because the value of rainforest land is perceived as only the value of its timber by short-sighted governments, multi-national logging companies, and land owners. Nearly half of the world's species of plants, animals and microorganisms will be destroyed or severely threatened over the next quarter century due to rainforest deforestation. Most rainforests are cleared by chainsaws, bulldozers and fires for its timber value and then are followed by farming and ranching operations, even by world giants like Mitsubishi Corporation, Georgia Pacific, Texaco and Unocal.

4. There have been a lot of people against the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest. A drought afflicted the Amazon in 2005, reducing river levels as much as 40 feet. Meanwhile, because trees are wantonly burned to create open land in the frontier states of Pará, Mato Grosso,etc. Brazil has become one of the world's largest emitters of greenhouse gases. The danger signs are undeniable. There has been more law enforcement to reduce the deforestation of the Amazon.

5. The way of life for the indigenous people in the Amazon is being ruined, as a result of the deforestation. An increasing number of Malaria cases in Brazil might have been caused by the deforestation of the Amazon. Less food is grown from the forest, because of the deforestation.

8. http://the-amazon-nature.blogspot.com/2008/10/basic- information.html http://the-amazon-nature.blogspot.com/2008/10/basic- information.html http://www.rain-tree.com/facts.htm http://www.buzzle.com/articles/global-warming-and- deforestation.html http://www.buzzle.com/articles/global-warming-and- deforestation.html http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment /habitats/last-of-amazon/ http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment /habitats/last-of-amazon/ http://www.google.com/search?q=deforestation+of+amazo n+rainforest+pic&hl=en&rlz=1R2SKPT_enUS449&biw=128 0&bih=560&noj=1&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source =univ&sa=X&ei=r4-8TuHzA- KA2AW13Z2sBQ&ved=0CCcQsAQ