The Amazon rainforest covers more than half of Brazil's territory, including its border with seven other countries. Yet it is home to only about 12 percent of Brazil's population.
The vast and impenetrable Amazon rainforest is the stuff of legend. It is among the world's most biodiverse places, hosting tens of thousands of plant and animal species in its 3.14 million-square-kilometer (1.21 million-square-mile) expanse. And for Brazil's government, it is a perennial challenge. Protecting the densely forested and sparsely populated area is as difficult as it is important for the country's leaders in Brasilia. The rainforest covers more than half of Brazil's territory, including its borders with seven other countries. Yet it is home to only about 12 percent of Brazil's population. Moreover, between its prohibitive landscape and the environmental protections in place there, the Amazon contributes little to the country's economic output. Now, however, President Michel Temer's administration may be reassessing the rainforest's value.
