Amazon Region

The Amazon region is east of the Andes, and it borders Colombia and Peru, and contains part of the Amazon rainforest, as well as rivers and rolling jungles. The Amazon region covers approximately 12000000 acres; it is the major natural region of Ecuador. The ecosystem is a tropical rain forest that has been considered one of the richness and most complex communities of plant and animal life in the world; this region is characterized by huge and diverse amounts of flora and fauna with extraordinary variations in their habitats and micro habitats.

Historically, the indigenous communities have been able to maintain a productive subsistence within the existing ecosystems of vast forest preserve. The most representative are: the Siona – Secoya, Cofan, Huaorani, Quichuas, Shuar and Achuar.

Three active volcanoes are located in Ecuador's Amazon rainforest: Sangay, Reventador and Sumaco. This is the only country where three active volcanoes are located inside the Amazon rainforest, The Amazon is hot and humid, and receives a significant amount of rainfall year-round. The Amazon is wet from June to August. Immense quantities of material flowing from the Andes have been washed down the rivers, forming strips of alluvial soils and terraces that are used for farming. The principal Amazon artery for visitors is the Napo River, a major tributary of the main Amazon River. The Yuturi, Yasuni, Tivacuno, and Cononaco rivers are completely surrounded by virgin forest.

Ecuador's extensive national protected areas system covers nearly a 7.5 millon acres of Amazon region. To preserve unique ecosystems, Environmental Ministry has created some protected areas such as: Yasuni National Park, Limoncocha Biological Reserve, Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, and others.