Swamp
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A swamp is part of a wetland ecosystem. Swamps are forested, low, spongy land generally saturated with water and covered with trees and aquatic plants.[1] Big parts of swamps are often flooded with water. Swamps are nesting and breeding grounds for birds and other animals.
About 6 percent of Earth's surface is covered by swamps. Swamps are also filters for groundwater, and protect against flooding.
Some well-known swamps are:
- The Pantanal which is the world's biggest wetland and covers an area of 140,000 square kilometers, which is bigger than the area covered by the country Greece. The Panatal is in South America. It is shared by Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay.[2]
- The Everglades
- The Wadden sea
References [change]
- ↑ Swamp (from glossary webpage of the United States Geological Survey)
- ↑ "Pantanal in South America declared ”Threatened Lake of the Year 2007“". Ramsar Convention Secretariat. february 2007. http://www.ramsar.org/wwd/7/wwd2007_rpts_germany_gnf.htm. Retrieved 2008-10-24.
