Where is the amazon rainforest located? On this page you can find out where in the world the Amazon Rainforest is. You'll also find out the countries it’s in and you can even explore the area using an interactive map.
This page is part of our Rainforest series. You can find out more about the world’s rainforests by visiting our main Rainforest page.
If you’d like to learn more about the Amazon Rainforest, visit our Amazon Rainforest page.
Where Is The Amazon Rainforest Located?
The Amazon Rainforest is located in South America. You can see exactly where by using the Amazon Rainforest Map, below. The rainforest is the area of dark green that covers most of the top of the continent.
The rainforest is located in the Amazon Basin. This is the area that drains into the Amazon River. You can find out more about the Amazon Basin further down the page.
What Country Is The Amazon Rainforest In?
The Amazon Rainforest isn't just located in a single country. In fact, the forest spreads over 9 territories, 8 of which are countries. The other territory is an overseas department of France. The countries (and French department) are listed below:
Amazon Rainforest Countries
Most of the Amazon Rainforest is located in the first 3 countries in the list below. Smaller parts are found in the other territories.
- Brazil (60% of the Amazon Rainforest is found in Brazil)
- Peru (13% of the Amazon Rainforest is found in Peru)
- Colombia (10% of the Amazon Rainforest is found in Columbia)
- Venezuela
- Ecuador
- Bolivia
- Guyana
- Suriname
- French Guiana (overseas department of France)
The Amazon Basin
The Amazon Rainforest covers most of the Amazon Basin. A basin is the area that drains into a river. The water from the Amazon Basin eventually enters the Amazon River.
The Amazon Basin is the largest basin in the world, covering around 2,720,000 square miles (7,050,000 square kilometres).
The Amazon River has many tributaries. These smaller streams and rivers eventually flow into the Amazon River.
Measured by the amount of water it discharges, the Amazon River is the largest river in the world. It competes with the Nile for the title of 'longest river in the world'. Scientists argue over how the river's length is measured.
A Tropical Rainforest
The Amazon Rainforest is a 'tropical' rainforest. This means that it is located in a tropical region. Tropical regions are found near the equator. The equator is an imaginary line that circles the centre of the Earth.
Above the equator there is another imaginary line called the Tropic of Cancer. Below the equator is a line called the Tropic of Capricorn.
You can seen the equator and the two tropics on the map below:
The area between the two yellow lines is known as 'The Tropics'. Find out more about The Tropics at Wikipedia.
Quick Facts about the Amazon Rainforest
- It is thought that around 390 billion trees grow in the Amazon Rainforest
- Around 16,000 species of tree grow in the Amazon Rainforest.
- The Amazon Rainforest is twice the size of India.
- The Amazon Rainforest is the biggest rainforest in the world
- It is bigger than all of the other rainforests combined.
Where Is The Amazon Rainforest Located Conclusion
We hope that you enjoyed finding out where the Amazon Rainforest is. You can find out more about the world’s rainforests here, or learn some amazing Amazon Rainforest facts here.
