Amazon Rainforest Location: Map, Countries, Borders

The Amazon rainforest is in northern South America. Most of it lies in Brazil, and the rest spreads across Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. Brazil holds 61.4% of the original forest, Peru 12%, Colombia 7%, Venezuela 6% and Bolivia 5% (MAAP, September 2022).

The answer depends on which line a map draws. The three RAISG boundaries run from about 6.9 million to 8.5 million km², and the original forest inside the biome covers about 6.5 million km². This page shows each line side by side, with the country shares, the rivers, the cleared area and a calculator for forest loss. It also explains how farmers and land managers read the same map from space.

Where is the Amazon rainforest located

The forest covers the northern half of South America and is centred on the basin of the Amazon River. It runs from the eastern slopes of the Andes in Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Bolivia, across northern Brazil to the Atlantic coast, and north into the Guiana Shield. It sits across the equator, which is why it stays warm and wet through the year.

Chart

Share of the original Amazon forest by country

Percent of 647.6 million hectares of original biome forest; four smaller = Ecuador, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana

Eight countries share it, plus French Guiana, an overseas region of France. Panama is not part of it. RAISG, the Amazon Network of Georeferenced Socio-Environmental Information, counts nine national Amazon regions: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, French Guiana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela (RAISG Atlas, 2020). Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana are not in the Amazon River basin, but they carry similar forest, so they are included.

To find it on a map, look for the large green block that covers most of northern Brazil. The city of Manaus sits near its middle, just north of where the Rio Negro and the Solimões meet. Manaus is one of only three sizable cities on the Amazon’s banks, according to the European Space Agency (ESA, Amazon Basin image).

The shares come from MAAP’s estimate of 647,607,020 hectares (about 6.48 million km², or 1.6 billion acres) of original Amazon biome forest before European colonisation. MAAP, the Monitoring of the Andean Amazon Project, uses a biogeographic definition of the Amazon, not the strict river watershed.

Which Amazon boundary is the map showing

Amazon maps disagree on size because they draw different lines. Check which one a map uses before you compare any figures. RAISG publishes three of them. MAAP maps the original forest inside the RAISG biome line, which gives a smaller forest-only area.

Chart

Three Amazon boundaries and the original forest

Area in million km²; the MAAP bar is forest only

The figures are from the RAISG infographic, the RAISG Atlas and MAAP. Use the basin line for water and river planning. Use the biome or forest line for land cover, deforestation and carbon work. A map of Brazil alone may instead use the Legal Amazon, an administrative region of nine Brazilian states that Brazil’s forest monitoring reports use for its annual clearing rate.

RAISG says the Amazon rainforest covered about 7 million km² in 1985, which was 82% of the full 8.47 million km² area. Always note the year a map was made, since forest edges move.

Amazon countries by forest share and forest lost

Brazil holds most of the forest, so it also holds most of the loss. MAAP counted 85.5 million hectares of forest lost from the original cover up to 2022. Brazil accounts for 69.5 million hectares of that. Peru lost 4.7 million, Colombia 4 million, Bolivia 3.8 million and Venezuela 1.4 million. Ecuador, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana together lost 1.9 million.

Chart

Forest lost from original cover by country, to 2022

Million hectares, accumulated loss; four smaller = Ecuador, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana

Loss is not even across the map. The eastern third of the biome has lost 30.8% of its original forest, the central third 10.8% and the western third 6.3%. For the whole biome the figure is 13.2%. MAAP notes that scientific literature points to a possible tipping point near 25% forest loss together with climate change, and the eastern third is already above that level (MAAP #164). MAAP also writes that it found no earlier study that settled how much had been lost, so treat these as estimates.

Rivers and rainfall on the Amazon map

The river network explains the shape of the forest. ESA describes the Amazon as the world’s largest river by the volume of water reaching the sea, with a network of around 1,100 tributaries. Those tributaries are often called white or black rivers. White rivers rise in the Andes and carry mud and silt. Black rivers rise on old rocky ground and carry little sediment (ESA).

Main rivers to find on a map include the Amazon itself (called the Solimões above Manaus), the Rio Negro, the Madeira, the Tapajós and the Juruá. They act as roads, water supply and flood zones for the people who live there.

The forest also makes its own rain. MAAP notes that the Amazon generates around half of its own rainfall by recycling water as air moves in from the Atlantic. MAAP says heavy clearing in the east may reduce rain further west. For farmers in neighbouring regions, the link between standing forest and regional rainfall is one reason the boundary matters.

People and protected land inside the boundary

A location map is also a land-use map. RAISG reports that Indigenous territories occupy 27.5% of Amazonia, which is 2.3 million km². It counts 410 Indigenous groups, of which 82 live in voluntary isolation. About 33.5 million people live in the Amazon region, and 62.8% of them (20.9 million) live in urban areas (RAISG Atlas, 2020).

Research on Brazil suggests that secure land rights matter. A study in PNAS by Baragwanath and Bayi found that Indigenous groups that received full property rights had less deforestation just inside their territory border than just outside it (PNAS, 2020). If you plan any work near the forest, check protected areas and Indigenous territory layers first. Rules differ in each country, so confirm them with the local land agency or a qualified adviser.

How much of the Amazon has been cleared

Clearing in Brazil’s Legal Amazon is measured each year by INPE’s PRODES system, which counts a year from 1 August to 31 July. INPE reported 9,064 km² for August 2022 to July 2023, 6,518 km² for 2023-2024 and 5,731 km² for 2024-2025 (INPE consolidated rate, 2025). The 2024 note records a 28.09% drop from the 2023 rate (INPE note, 2024).

Chart

Clearing in Brazil’s Legal Amazon, PRODES years

Square kilometres, 1 August to 31 July

The wider tropics show a similar pattern. World Resources Institute reported that Brazil had the lowest rate of non-fire primary forest loss on record in 2025, 41% lower than in 2024. Even so, Brazil still ranked first in area of tropical rainforest loss because its forest is so large (WRI, 2026). WRI measures primary forest loss and PRODES measures clearing of native vegetation in the Legal Amazon, so the two numbers describe different things.

Forest loss also matters for climate. A study in Nature that flew 590 aircraft profiles over four Amazon sites from 2010 to 2018 found that the east emits more carbon than the west, and linked higher emissions to deforestation, fire and a drier dry season (Nature, 2021).

Where farms meet the forest edge

The forest edge is where most map questions for farmers come up. In Brazil, soy and cattle are the main drivers of primary forest loss, according to WRI (73% of loss from permanent agriculture, 2002-2025). Until 2026 a private pact called the Amazon Soy Moratorium barred its signatories from buying soy grown on land cleared after 2008. Abiove, the trade body for many of the largest grain traders in Brazil, announced in January 2026 that it was withdrawing, and other firms left too, Mongabay reported on 28 July 2026. The same report says the former signatories traded roughly 90% of the soy grown in the Brazilian Amazon, and that a study estimated an extra 1.4 million hectares of deforestation over ten years as a result (Mongabay, July 2026). That is a news report of a study, not an official count, so watch for later data.

For a buyer, lender or farmer, this makes the boundary and the date on a map more important. Whether a field counts as cleared before or after a cut-off date can decide who will buy the crop. Keep dated satellite images of your own land, and ask your buyer which map and which year it uses.

Small-scale and shifting farming also appear on maps of the region. A global review in a scientific journal found that shifting cultivation occurs mostly in landscapes, such as the Amazon, where only a minor share of the land is used for agriculture (PMC review of shifting cultivation).

Map layers worth checking before you rely on an Amazon map

An Amazon location map is only as good as its layers. Here are the layers that change decisions, and a question to ask of each.

• Boundary line. Is it the biome, the river basin, the Legal Amazon or the forest cover? The three RAISG lines in the table above differ by up to about 1.5 million km², and the Legal Amazon is a different line again.
• Forest cover. Which year and which satellite? Landsat, Sentinel-2 and radar each see forest differently, and cloud limits optical images in the wet season.
• Clearing alerts. Brazil publishes its annual PRODES rate and faster alerts. Check whether a number is an early estimate or a consolidated rate, because they can differ.
• Indigenous territories and protected areas. These carry legal limits. RAISG maps them for all nine national Amazon regions.
• Rivers and flood zones. Water level shifts across the year and moves the usable land.
• Roads and towns. RAISG’s atlas notes that once roads improve, access to natural resources follows, and exploitation of the forest can grow.

Pick the layer that matches your question. A buyer checking cleared land needs the forest cover layer and a date. A river engineer needs the basin line. A conservation group needs the protected-area layer. When two maps disagree, compare their boundary and dates first.

Early estimates and final numbers

INPE first publishes an estimate of the PRODES rate and later a consolidated figure. For 2025 the estimate was 5,796 km² and the consolidated rate was 5,731 km². The estimate was built from 282 priority tiles out of the 516 that cover the Legal Amazon, chosen by three criteria, one of which was the region where at least 90% of the previous year’s clearing was recorded (INPE estimate note for 2025). When you quote a figure, say which one it is.

How to measure forest loss for your own area

The calculator below turns two numbers from a map, the original forest area and the area lost, into a share lost. It then estimates how many years remain before a chosen area reaches the 25% level that MAAP cites, if clearing continues at a fixed yearly rate. Start with your own figures. The defaults are round examples, not data for any real region and not a forecast.

Try the numbers for your own farm below.

How farmers and land managers use Amazon location maps

Farm and forestry work near the Amazon starts with an accurate boundary. Before a satellite can say anything about a field, it needs to know where the field is. In Farmonaut you can tap the corners of a field on satellite imagery, draw a circle over a centre pivot, or upload a boundary file you already have. The video below shows the drawing step.

▶ How a farm mapping app takes a field boundary: tap the corners, draw a circle or upload a file. · 2:21

Once a boundary exists, satellite imagery shows how vegetation changes across seasons. NASA explains that NDVI values near zero mean little or no vegetation, while high values of about 0.6 to 0.8 indicate temperate and tropical rainforests (NASA Earth Observatory). NASA also notes that EVI saturates less easily than NDVI over dense forest, so a farm bordering rainforest may be better read with EVI.

A few practical uses of a good location map:

• Check where your field edge meets forest, pasture or a river, and keep a buffer zone along streams to cut erosion.
• Compare images from several seasons to see whether clearing is moving towards your land.
• Match the map’s boundary and date to any supply chain or certification paperwork you hold.
• Overlay rainfall and flood zones when you plan sowing dates.

Satellite maps show a change in vegetation. They do not show the cause, such as a pest, a fire or a fallen tree. Confirm anything important on the ground. Follow product labels and local rules for any crop protection or fertiliser, and take professional advice on land titles, permits and legal questions.

How the same map is read from space

You can read an Amazon satellite map in four steps. First, find the date of the image, since the Amazon is often cloudy and a single image may be old. Second, find the boundary line and note which of the boundary lines above it uses. Third, look at the colour or index scale. Fourth, compare with an older image of the same place to see change. A broad view of the video library below shows how to interpret satellite data in a web app.

▶ A walkthrough of reading satellite data in the Farmonaut web app. · 10:16

How we checked the numbers

Every figure above comes from a page we opened in October 2026: MAAP, RAISG, ESA, NASA, INPE, WRI and two journals. Where a source gave an estimate, we say so. Forest definitions differ between MAAP, RAISG and INPE, so we do not mix their numbers in one comparison. Related pages on our site: solutions to Amazon deforestation in Brazil, satellite mapping of ground features, area-of-interest mapping requests, project quote form and contact page.

FAQ

Which countries are in the Amazon rainforest?

Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Guyana and Suriname, plus French Guiana, an overseas region of France. Brazil holds 61.4% of the original forest and Peru 12% (MAAP, 2022).

How big is the Amazon rainforest?

It depends on the boundary. MAAP estimates about 6.48 million km² of original forest. RAISG gives 7,004,120 km² for the biome and 8,470,209 km² for the full Amazonia limit (RAISG, 2020).

Is the Amazon rainforest on the equator?

Yes. The forest lies across the equator, which keeps it warm and wet through the year.

Which river runs through the Amazon rainforest?

The Amazon River, which ESA calls the world’s largest river by volume reaching the sea. The Rio Negro, Madeira, Tapajós and Juruá are some of its larger tributaries.

How much of the Amazon has been lost?

MAAP estimates 13.2% of the original forest was lost by 2022, and 30.8% in the eastern third. INPE reported 5,731 km² cleared in Brazil’s Legal Amazon from August 2024 to July 2025.

Can farmers use satellite maps near the Amazon?

Yes. A field boundary and regular satellite images show vegetation change near forest edges and rivers. They do not replace field visits or legal checks on land use.