For World Rainforest Day we take you below these clouds to the Amazon River Basin and the largest rainforest in the world. Numbers help the story of this extraordinary place: At more than 2.1 million square miles, the Amazon accounts for half of Earth’s remaining tropical rainforests. And a fifth of the world’s fresh water flows through this river basin. Perhaps a tenth of the planet’s known species call it home, many of which have yet to be identified—that’s trees, plants, fish, mammals, and a third of Earth’s bird species. Now take a deep breath. The ‘Lungs of the World’ produces 20 percent of Earth’s oxygen, while storing vast amounts of carbon dioxide, earning it an all-star ‘carbon sink’ status.
Reflections on the mighty Amazon
Today in History
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Come out of your shell for World Turtle Day
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Ruins of St. Dwynwens Church, Ynys Llanddwyn, Wales
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The mountain of 30,000 sakura
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A bridge comes full circle
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Labor Day
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Edinburgh festivals
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International Polar Bear Day
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The rainbow connection
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Jerte Valley in bloom
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Giving Tuesday
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How lovely are your branches
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Welcome to the Alien Egg Hatchery
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Falling for Rioja
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National Mushroom Month
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Atolls in the Maldives
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Bringing the moon to Earth
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Hey, don t you guys have somewhere to be?
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The dry days of winter in Etosha
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Of balloons and lost pantaloons
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Kjell Henriksen Observatory
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The (Inca) empire strikes back
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Bathing boxes at Brighton Beach, Australia
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Martin Luther King Day
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Red-necked grebes during breeding season
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A city of bridges
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Take the Stairs Day
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Bear cubs roughhouse on Siblings Day
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On the rebirth of the Olympic Games
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World Wildlife Day