Amazon Basin

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/amazon-basin

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How many people live in Amazon Basin?Approximately 30 million people, including over 400 distinct indigenous groups
2. How big is Amazon Basin?Approximately 7 million square kilometers (2.7 million square miles)
3. What language do people speak in Amazon Basin?Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish (most other countries), and hundreds of indigenous languages
4. What is the main river?Amazon River
5. What is the biodiversity estimate?Contains about 10% of the world's known species
6. Why is the Amazon River so important?The Amazon River is the longest river in the world and carries more water each year than the next seven largest rivers combined. It moves sediment and nutrients across the continent, helping the rainforest grow.

Drainage Basin: An area of land where all the precipitation drains into a common river or body of water.
Deforestation: The clearing of large areas of trees, often for agriculture or development.
Carbon Sequestration: The process by which plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it.
Transnational: Extending or operating across national boundaries.