The Amazon rain forest (aka Amazonia), covers an area of 5.439 million km² (that is approximately 4.5 times the size of South Africa) and is the largest rainforest in the world. One of the most diverse ecosystems in the world and home to approx. 40000 plants, 1300 birds, 3000 types of fish, 480 different mammals and 2.5 million different insects. It is also inhabited by about 450 ingenious tribes, and it is believed that 50 of these tribes have minimal or no contact with the outside world.
It is also home to the Amazon River, albeit that the Nile is still the longest by 150km, the Amazon is the largest by volume of water with a staggering 120 000 m³ of water per second pouring into the ocean. But even the most powerful of rivers is no match for the tides of the ocean, once a year close to the spring equinox, when the moon and the sun are at their closest, tides of seawater rush up into the Amazon River creating a series of uniform waves, some reaching 4 metres in height. These waves have become popular with surfers because of the length of the surf. This phenomenon is known as a tidal bore or Pororoca in Brazil!
