River Amazon

Facts

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 carries more water than any of the world's rivers. Each second, between 34 and 121 million litres of water are carried into the Atlantic Ocean. This is because rain falls on more than 200 days every year. Between 2000 and 3000 milimetres falls every year.

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.

River homes at Manaus