Amazon Day or Amazon Rainforest Day is observed on September 5 to commemorate the Amazon jungle. The date was established in 1850 to mark the creation of the Province of Amazonas; later to give rise to the present-day State of Amazonas. Amazon is a vast region that spans across eight rapidly developing countries: Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana, an overseas territory of France. According to the World Wildlife, the landscape contains one in ten known species on Earth, 1.4 billion acres of dense forests, half of the planet's remaining tropical forests, 4,100 miles of winding rivers, 2.6 million square miles in the Amazon basin and about 40% of South America. World Rainforest Day 2020 Date & Significance: Know History of the Day That Celebrates Amazon Rainforests and Raises Awareness About The Valuable Natural Resource.

Amazon Rainforest Day 2020 (Photo Credits: File Image)

It occupies a vast area of 6.7 million square kilometres of which five million are covered by forest. Amazon is one of humanity’s most precious natural heritage. The Amazon Rainforest makes up nearly a third of all the tropical rainforests on Earth and plays a vital role in sustaining life on the planet. Its presence helps stabilise the climate, tropical wilderness and inhabitants are losing the fight for survival. Amazon Rainforest Fires Hit Record Number This Year With 72,843 Incidents Detected So Far by Brazil's Space Research Centre.

 However, climate change and global warming are posing a threat to its existence. The wildfire ate a large portion of its goodness. Other problems include deforestation and illegal invaders who take away indigenous and protected lands, destroying this irreplaceable natural habitat. This is not just catastrophic for the wildlife, but humans at large. There is a clear link between the health of the Amazon and the health of the planet. The rainforests contain 90-140 billion metric tons of carbon that help stabilise local and global climate. And continuous deforestation may release large amounts of this carbon causing issues to people around the world.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 05, 2020 07:45 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).