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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Squirrel Appreciation Day
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The migrating monarchs of Michoacán
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National Lighthouse Day
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Guilin and Lijiang River National Park, China
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World Wildlife Conservation Day
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A day of death and rebirth
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Mid-Autumn Festival
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Rocky mountain pi
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Happy Presidents Day
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Dolomites
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Let s get lost
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Antarctica Day
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Zion National Park Turns 100
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Meet our fuzzy Earth Day mascot
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A visit to Limerick on Limerick Day
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An uncommonly cool critter
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Johnston Canyon in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada
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Tigh Mor Trossachs on Loch Achray, Scotland
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The snows of Fuji
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Evidence of human habitation
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A wetland in Västmanland, Sweden
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Once in a pink moon
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International Whale Shark Day
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Can you see the family resemblance?
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It’s World Migratory Bird Day