AMAZON RIVER

Continent

South America

Countries it flows
through

Peru, Brazil, Venezuela, Ecuador,

Bolivia

Length

6275 kilometres

Number of tributaries

Over 200

Source

Lago Villafro in the Andes Mountains,

Peru

Mouth

Brazil into the Atlantic Ocean (delta)

Location

The Amazon is the second longest river in the world. It begins

as hundreds of tiny little streams high in the Andes Mountains.
It flows into two main rivers, the Ucayali and the Maranon. It
then flows east towards its delta in Brazil by the Atlantic
Ocean. It is joined by over two hundred tributaries which flow
into the main river.
The Amazon drainage basin is made up of tributaries,
rainforest and the river itself. More than 200 tributaries are
in Brazil. The largest tributaries are over 1600 kilometres in
length.

The Amazon deposits more than 3 million tons of sediment in

its delta, which is over 300 kilometres wide. The brown
sediment extends as a brown stain 300 kilometres into the
Atlantic Ocean. The Amazon River also has an estuary.

Wildlife
On its course to the sea, the Amazon flows through the
biggest rainforest in the world. Parrots, toucans, jaguars,
monkeys and insects live in the rainforest. Over 2000 types of
fish live in the Amazon itself. They include Angelfish and the
deadly piranha. Alligators and snakes also live in the river. The
rainforest has plenty of food, and safe places for animals to
make their homes.
The Amazon and flooding
Every year the Amazon floods a large area
of the rainforest. This is because there is
heavy rainfall in the region. When snow melts in the Andes
Mountains, the river channel can carry no more water. When
the channel is full, the banks burst.
Ships and the Amazon
The Amazon is classed as a navigable river. It is often called
the Ocean River. It is navigable by ships for two thirds of its
course. Ocean liners carrying cargo stop at Manaus, nearly
1600 kilometres from the Amazon's mouth. Ships of 3000 tons
can reach Iquitos in Peru, nearly 3700 kilometres from the
mouth. The Amazon is the most navigable river in the world
because it is so deep, with many long tributaries.

People and the Amazon

For many centuries, few white people visited the Amazon and
its rainforest . It was home to hundreds of Indian tribes who
found food, shelter and water from the forest. They built
villages there. But in the 20th century, white people
discovered oil and precious gems, as well as valuable timber
(wood) such as rosewood and teak.
Now, people are chopping down large areas of the forest to
mine gems and to grow crops. Rainforest wood is used for
furniture. These changes have meant that the Amazon has
become more polluted. There has been more erosion to the
river banks and surrounding land.
People live in villages by the Amazon, and large towns like
Manaus which have been built close to the river banks. Some
people also build their homes on stilts fixed into the river bed
itself. These homes are very fragile and often get washed away
when the river floods. There are no bridges crossing the
Amazon.