Site: Central Amazon Conservation Complex Location: South America Category: Natural Status: World Heritage Site since 2000 The Amazon rain forest is the largest rain forest in the world. More than half of all the rain forests left on Earth are there. The area covers about two thirds of the South American continent. It covers parts of nine different countries, including Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. This big forest makes up to 20% of the world's oxygen for us to breathe. The Amazon rain forest is a place of giant things. The Jaguar-the biggest of the American big cats the largest otter live in the Amazon. The mighty Amazon River runs through the forest. It is the largest river on Earth. The water from the river helps millions of kinds of plants and animals to live and grow. Many of these animals and plants are endangered. The Central Amazon Conservation' Complex2 lies between two big rivers in South America-the Amazon River and the Rio Negro(Black River). It covers over 60,000 square kilometers(6 million hectares) of the Amazon rain forest. People cannot cut down trees or kill animals in the complex, so the plants and the animals that live there are safe. lik